I note that the Chinese community of all political shades are truly riled by Ahmad Ismail’s racist remarks and everyone is after him for a sincere and contrite apology. I can understand that. For too long it has been a one way street. UMNO’s people could say such things with impunity and get away but not the other way around. People are fed up of this ‘Ketuanan ideology’ that undermines racial equality and harmony in a multiracial country. Ahmad is not alone culpable for this kind of remarks. It happened before many times. For examples in 2007 UMNO Assembly of 3,000 delegates, Malacca delegate Hasnoor Sidang Hussein was attributed to have said “Umno is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defence of race and religion,” had told some during the gathering.” “Please don’t test the Malays; they know amok. We don’t want to reach that level,” said another delegate Mohamed Rahmat.

In the earlier thread, ghinna_lm informed us that Ahmad Ismail’s “statement was a common statement made by government during the compulsory “Training Camp” of government servants for newly recruit professionals, such as doctors, dentist, pharmist….etc”. We have heard before what goes on Biro Tata training camp.

UMNO is directly or indirectly responsible for nurturing the mentality of Ahmad Ismail and his ilk.

To me, in terms of responsibility, it is therefore right and appropriate that the political organisation from which Ahmad Ismail and his ilk learned to utter such racist remarks apologises publicly through its deputy president.

Such an apology from UMNO is unprecedented. It publicly benchmarks that such remarks are no more considered right in UMNO. It implies UMNO would no longer extend protection for such remarks, one of the reasons perhaps why police has started investigations on sedition and are looking for Ahmad who has disappeared. Najib’s apology on UMNO’s behalf is therefore of greater value than that of a foot soldier like Ahmad Ismail and should, in my view, be accepted by the Chinese community.

YB, I hope you let the matter rests. The Chinese community wronged should rise above pettiness and demonstrate that after suitable amends in some form by UMNO Deputy president we’re not Shylock in Shakepeare’s Merchant of Venice, still demanding the exact pound of flesh. We’re in multiracial country and should not go over board in demands to make our Malay brothers feel uncomfortable by what coud be interpreted as excessive sensitivity not to let go (forgive and not forget in Anwar’s words), no matter how justified it may be.

To me the Malaysian Chinese and all other Malaysians have better things to do than to bicker, hound and clamour and cause divisions amongst ourself chasing for an apology from a foot soldier like Ahmad Ismail who had since cowardly disappeared having not even appeared to give statement to police when requiredto do so.

We should move forward because we have better things to do, one of which figuring prominently is how to effect political change to improve governance.

If we persist in this petty chasing after of an apology from Ahmad Ismail, whom even if he were to apologise is unlikely to be sincere about it, we’re not only missing the larger picture of the forest from the trees but we’re also providing ammunition to reactionary elements within ruling establishment opposed to change, to exploit the situation, stir troubles and incite inter racial disharmony to thwart Pakatan Rakyat’s reform agenda.

Lets not create further schisms and divisions between different communities when one community keeps clamouring redress from one errant person of the other community. We should heal -not aggravate- the communal rift arising from the kind of climate that UMNO/BN has created. Now that Najib has apologised and made known that such behaviour is unacceptable, we should let the matter rest (until the next time when when he said is not heeded).

Correction in last post (until the next time when WHAT he said is not heeded).

Energy & concentration should be directed at 916. I believe whatever publicly said to the contrary, the opposite side is worried.

Beware, as Anwar/PR races to meet 916, such actions, by Newton’s Third Law of Motion, will generate a strong counter reaction from the other side soon. You should be prepared. So is the strong reaction of some demanding Ahmad Ismail’s scalp, calculating that such intransigence on Ahmad Ismail’s part (not to apologise) would exert appropriate pressure on rank and file of MCA, Gerakan to push for cross over to PR – but think again (Newton’s law), this could backfire if the other side manipulate the communal card using this incident against PR.

Malaysiakini reports Sarawak PKR chief Dominique Ng as saying Pakatan Rakyat coalition could now count on more that 40 MPs to cross over from Barisan Nasional. “Come September 16, we will show who has in fact been dreaming or bragging” he added.

This kind of talk will be taken seriously because likely Sarawak holds the key – the moment Sarawak BN MPs cross enmasse, it may prove the catalyst for an avalanche of defections from Sabah spreading to Peninsular, and we’re not talking of mere 40 but many more….

As I said before I don’t forsee BN will allow this to happen. We will face a national crisis as the other side moves to block such a wave.

The next 11 days is crucial upon which the fate of nation hangs and therefore it is a waste of time trying to flog a dead horse like Ahmad Ismail!

Typo errors – “I would TOO act in preemption” in second last para of above posting. Also ignore last para entirely.