Mahathir’s words

A CITIZEN’S RIGHT
Mar8th 2013 Written by chedet

///1. It would seem that some people are unhappy over my continued involvement in politics. As a retiree I should just retire.///–Mamakthir

If Mamakthir has been contributing to the development of the country Malaysians would welcome his participation. Unfortunately his involvement has been detrimental to the good of the nation. Mamakthir is now known as shit-stirrer.

///2. I did in fact plan to retire in 1998. But events at that time forced me to defer. When the conditions in Malaysia had been stabilized after the currency crisis, I announced my retirement in 2002. But I gave the assurance that I would continue to support the party at all times as my elevation to the highest office in the country was due to the support of the party. To me it is payback time.///–Mamakthir

Even if he had left the post in 1998, he would still have become shit-stirrer. The country could have started to heal much earlier, had a new PM, who was not AAB, took over in 1998.

We are not sure who are making the payback; his cronies who have to settle their account after serving as a front owner for the vast wealth, or Petronas which has to provide transportation to the so-called adviser who did not really advise, as Mamakthir said it himself in his blog recently denying knowledge that his son obtained Petronas contracts.

///3. Unfortunately, under the policy and practices of the Government which followed, the healthy growth of the country was hampered. The effect is still felt today. More seriously the attempts to reduce the economic disparities between the races have been neglected. Although the election of 2004 resulted in overwhelming victory of the governing BN party, there were clear signs that the popularity of the Party was deteriorating after the 2004 elections.///–Mamakthir

The government policy said to be concerned about reducing the economic disparities between races in the country is vested in Article 153 which according to the report of The Reid Commission is to be reviewed based on needs. [“quote: The Commission suggested that these provisions be revisited in 15 years, and that a report should be presented to the appropriate legislature (currently the Parliament of Malaysia) and that the “legislature should then determine either to retain or to reduce any quota or to discontinue it entirely. Unquote]

The first opportunity for the review was in 1972, but Tun Razak decided that NEP should take precedent over Article 153, and he made constitutional amendment to that article. Tun Razak promised that NEP would be implemented for twenty years and in the memorandum to that policy document, the target of NEP fulfilment was Malays achieving 30% participation in economic activities in the country.
It should only be logical that at the end of NEP successful conclusion in 20 years from 1971 the government should not have to be involved in tempering with the economic relationships among the races.

Mamakthir had not conducted an impartial and professional assessment of the achievements obtained Malays in 1990, when NEP should end; he simply changed the name NEP to NDP. Mamakthir showed his refusal to honour Tun Razak’s promise with this remark at one BBC interview in the 1990s in which Mamakthir said that as there were still Malay drivers serving Chinese employers, NEP target had not been achieved.

The statement about AAB government neglecting racial-discriminating programme is seditious. That racial-discriminating programme should have ended in 1990.

///4. The 2008 Election resulted in heavy losses by the BN. The Government it formed was very weak and the opposition took advantage by raising racist and religious issues. Where before there was relative harmony between the races, now there is open confrontation. Affirmative action was viciously attacked by the opposition and the Government had to give in. And now religious issues are being even more politicised.///–Mamakthir

The open confrontation between races has often been championed by Perkasa where Mamakthir is the patron. Apart from the racist NGOs which had UMNO’s tacit support, the Home Minister even gave his blessing to the cow-head procession. The government did nothing when UMNO members called non-Malays pendatang.

Affirmative action should have ended together with NEP had a proper accounting been made, but the complaints are not about the actions which serve the poor, but about the excuse which government utilizes of NEP in the name of enriching Malays to enrich cronies based on negotiated contracts such as the government farming projects to Syed Mokhtar Albukhary at high price and selling GLCs to him on the cheap, just to name one example.

///5. Clearly the opposition parties are bent on doing away with the attempt to achieve fair economic participation between the races. Without affirmative action the disparities would increase. This will not be good for Malaysian stability or economic progress.///–Mamakthir

Mamakthir is using the threat of assumed violence when there were economic disparities between races even though there is no disturbance when some Malays are made billionaires while other Malays by the millions remain poor. May 13 was not because of economic disparities between races. The government is screening film on May 13 claiming that because of the show of jubilation based on election results some people ran amok resulting in violence. May 13 was not about the economy or any disparity between races. Mamakthir might argue that because opposition did not know how to handing winning the election, there should not be election at all!

It should be clear to Mamakthir that any affirmative action is meant to serve as a catalyst to get the disadvantage group to begin claiming the ladder; the action cannot be a permanent elevator for some, with others having to climb the steps. Maybe Mamakthir is too racial-opportunistic to appreciate this basic concept.

If it is true that some differences in economic success among the people of different races could destabilize the country, then it should mean that Malaysia practices communism within the Malay community so that the poor Malays have a share of the wealth such as those of Mamakthir’s family said to be worth 44 billion USD. Else Malays would be jealous of Mamakthir, more so against Mamakthir as he was not Malay until Article 160 provided him the qualification, so too is Ridhuan Tee. With Ridhuan Tee and Mamakthir accepted as Malays, who are Malay?

People may be truly proud of his race if race classification, such as the classification of Sarawak Malay, or like the Nobel laureate, where inclusion is not arbitrary. When people are proud of thwir race, they are proud of their ability to achieve greatness. Jealousy is not the trait a proud race promotes. Mamakthir disparages Malays and he does it for the privilege he enjoys of Article 160 defining Malay.

///6. Although the Opposition also have a lot of Malays, it has been amply demonstrated that they cannot handle even the administration, much less the complex resolution of the disparities between the races.///–Mamakthir

Are the Malays in the opposition inferior to Mamakthir types of Malays which are aplenty in UMNO?

///7. Some would say that as long as Malaysians do well, it does not matter what race they belong to. Unfortunately in Malaysia we all insist on becoming identified by our race. We all want to preserve our languages, our schools, our culture and even the environment we live in. If the Malaysians who do well are of one race and the poor are of another race, the race which is less fortunate will resent the economic disparity between them. This can lead to disunity and tensions between races. It may even lead to violence.///–Mamakthir

The United Nations Human Rights Commission supports the preservation of language, culture as basic human rights, and they are not in conflict to their loyalty to the country which may have an official language different from their own. Citizens practicing their human rights do not automatically gang up based on race, language or religion against others. The violence that happened in the past in Malaysia was engineered by a political party refusing to let go its political power when staying on became doubtful.

///8. As a citizen I have every right to voice my criticism or to support action by political parties. When I find that the opposition rejects the NEP, I feel a need to voice my fears for the future of this, my beloved country.///–Mamakthir

It is bad that Mamakthir refused to honour Tun Razak’s promise that NEP was time bound based on specified target, and he refused to conduct proper accounting in 1990, and probably ended then. He now wants to sow seeds of discontent so that race-based policy would continue forever, so that people in position of power can fool ordinary Malays into believing that the few super rich Malays are holding the wealth in the interests of poor Malays (to make them proud to be Malay) though they never had a chance to share the wealth. With the rampant corruption under the aegis of NEP, poor Malays become poorer.

///9. As much as my detractors have a right to object to my continued involvement in politics, I have a right to hold a different view.///–Mamakthir

We can only hope that he will not able to continue for much longer. The sooner he is gone the better.

///The prime minister said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had never directed members of the security forces to stage any drama but instead ordered them to defend and protect the country’s sovereignty.

“Just think whether we can find actors who are willing to die in their act? Are there anyone who wants to volunteer to die?

“I believe no one is willing to do such an act,” Najib (picture) said in his speech at the official opening of the Federal Tower at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh here today.///–MalaysianInsider

Obviously people taking part in any drama do not want to die, or even expect to. But accidents do happen in drama performance.