— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 02, 2011
DEC 2 — You can only carry pretence so far, eventually your true self will emerge. This fact is true for individuals like you and me and for organisations or political parties.
And so it is for the United Malays National Organisation. Outwardly, its president Najib Razak talks about the party representing all Malaysians and in the run-up to the general assembly, he even urged his party members not to hurt the feelings of non-Malays during debate time.
But this posturing gave way almost immediately after the start of the assembly. Bent on staying in power, Umno politicians have used every opportunity to make the Malays view the Chinese as a threat to their political party.
I am not talking about the Chinese from Beijing or Taipei or Singapore. The Umno boys are urging the Malays from Kangar to Kuching to view with suspicion the Chinese who are born and bred here, people who would fight and die for this country.
By painting the Chinese and to a lesser extent Christians as a threat to the dominance of Umno, they are doing a great, great disservice to the great work of Tunku Abdul Rahman and his ilk. They are sending Malaysia back into the dark ages of race relations.
And all so that Umno can continue to govern and rape the country. The election strategy of Umno is clear to all: get the Malays so fearful of the other races that they will desert Pakatan Rakyat. They do not care if this plan leads to racial strife.
But what about 1 Malaysia? Like I said, pretence can only be carried so far.
#1 by Bigjoe on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 3:25 pm
I once had a case of someone in the neighbourhood stealing from me at my propety near a Malay village. I caught the person red-handed and took him to the police station. When all of us at the police station, the guilty party said I was the one who made trouble (kacau) with him first. I will never forget the line the chief of police said afterwards.
“Bilalah ada orang China kacau orang Melayu punya di negara ini??”
#2 by Godfather on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 3:29 pm
Oh yes, I am the Great Pretender
Pretending all is going well
My life is such
I pretend too much
I’m wealthy and everyone can tell
#3 by SENGLANG on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 3:40 pm
Instead of pick up abuse of power and corruption they pick up DAP and bantai DAP left right centre. Because of this DAP will only become stronger as most people include the Non UMNO Malay will not believe what UMNO Malay say. Many many non UMNO Malay are in fact so fed up with UMNO members until they themselves hate them and will never associate with them.
Corruption and abuse of tax payers moneys are the real issue that UMNO need to fight and no DAP. They create DAP as its enemy from the air. The reason DAP was getting strongly by days was simply most of the non Malay have lost faith in MCA/Gerakan/MIC. They have come to the conclusion that MCA/Gerakan/MIC are actually puppet to UMNO and they have no firm stands.
At the end of the day the issue that all Malaysia and ordinary that concern most are corruption, rising costs of living and not DAP.
#4 by Jeffrey on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 4:21 pm
‘Pretence’ of being multiracial (“1 Malaysia”) or liberal (Peaceful Assembly Act) is no problem to those like Non Malays or the educated young or urban voters to whom such carrot is intended to be offered – because they simply don’t believe in it. Neither does strictly UMNO because their votes are good to have but not considered “essential”. The essential votes are from its traditional vote bank in rural constitutencies given disproptionate weightage. It is this large sector to whom UMNO delegates beat chest and make noise about Malay Ketuanan, with the imminent GE in mind. Here the basic exchange is along feudal lines stated by PM in his famous “You help me, I help you” remark in Sibu by-election. It simply means the ruling party upholds privileges (esp economic) in exchange for voting support. This is where the refusal and reluctance to hold accountable those behind the NFC’s cattle scandal – the inability to explain or counter satisfactorily the allegations of conflicts/abuse – that will cost UMNO votes in this sector. Because many within the traditional vote bank will think “we help you with votes but you are not helping us but from NFC’s scandal, more your own party apparachicks, power brokers and office holders! This is the ‘pretence’ which being exposed is most costly to it.
#5 by yhsiew on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 4:37 pm
The current anti-Chinese sentiment stoked up by Umno is to distract the Malays attention from the “cow condo” scandal, so that they forget that they are actually supporting a corrupt, rotten party.
#6 by cemerlang on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 7:02 pm
Quran teaches their believers to pretend to be nice. al-taqiyya
Then for God’s sake, Malays, Muslims and whatever you call yourself, don’t visit the Chinese world; China, Taiwan and wherever there are Chineses. And Chineses; stick to your own religion.
#7 by monsterball on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 9:11 pm
This reminds me…..
“The Great Pretender” song by the Platters….
“Oh yes…I ‘m the great pretender.
Pretending that l’m going well.
My need is such..I pretend too much
I’m lonely..but no one can tell.
Oh yes..I’m the great pretender.
Adrift in a world of my own.
I play the game..but to my real shame
You’ve left me to dream all alone
CHORUS: Too real is this feeling of make believe.
Too real when I feel
What my heart can’t conceal
Oh yes..I’m the great pretender
Just laughing and gay like a clown
I seem to be what I’m not you see
I’m wearin’ my heart like a crown
Pretending that you’re still around.”
IMAGINE…Najib singing this to voters….not Rosmah!!
#8 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 10:07 pm
I agree with you, Ali kadir.
Call a lemon by any name it will taste just as sour.
Call UMNO by any name today, it will just be anathema. UMNO has so mutated since Tunku Abdul Rahman’s days, the DNA has been so altered during Mahathir’s emperorship that it is now so racist, thanks to that Dr in UMNO’s house.
#9 by monsterball on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 11:31 pm
The Doctor is speechless….only two thumps up.
He knows his party days are numbered.
#10 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 2 December 2011 - 11:47 pm
When they CANNOT explain their corrupt practices they will look for diversion! So DAP became the culprit! When the whole world knows that every national project today has a market price 5 folds higher!
#11 by pwcheng on Saturday, 3 December 2011 - 1:45 pm
Let me put it more precisely, Najib wants to have the best of both worlds, which any average intelligent person can figure out such needs in certain circumstances, but as a good pretender, no way he can do it as he is not intelligent enough to devise tactics to make him a good pretender. It is obvious that what he says is incoherent with what he practices.
He talks about eliminating corruption but he is one of the most corrupted PM in the world. If a PM can say ” I help you , you help me” what message he has sent out. Unfortunately I am not sure whether he knows the implication of what he had uttered, considering the level of intelligence of the BN leaders, esp UMNO.
He said that he is a PM of all Malaysians, but in heart and soul and from history and from his antics , he is never one and if one looks thru the mirror, he can never be one.
He promised that the rakyat comes first. Until now I do not think he has shown much on his promise, except giving out some handouts now as an election gimmick. (Once they win the election , we he will take back many times what he had given). Why is he keeping dumb of the cows and condos issue. This is already a clear sign that the rakyat money is involved and why is he dumb. What more this issue is being defended by his deputy and many UMNO goons who are just as corrupted.
If you weigh all these carefully, UMNO will never change. They will destroy the country ultimately with their extreme racism to survive as they do not have brains to seek a better alternative of good governance. They have no other skills except skill in racism and they have the cheek to tell others are 100 times more racist. Nobody can beat them on this game as they had practiced such game continuosly since the era of Mahathir, more than 20 years ago. With more than 20 yrs skill who can beat them on this.
For those who wants to see a better Malaysia, there is no other alternative but to kick out UMNO. The only way out.
#12 by good coolie on Sunday, 4 December 2011 - 12:40 am
The old UMNO we respected is gone. It went after Tun Hussein. Anyway, it is no more called UMNO. It is legally, UMNO Baru. It is a new broom that does not even sweep clean.
So sweep it away.
#13 by rockdaboat on Sunday, 4 December 2011 - 10:00 pm
Eh Jib Jib what is happening to your 1Malaysia?
Ha ha ha ha ha.