by P Ramakrishnan
Aliran

Decent thinking Malaysians were justifiably shocked that a former judge of the Court of Appeals, Mohd Noor Abdullah, could have expressed views that are so abhorrently out of character for a judge.

There was no sobriety or sanity in his statement.

One would expect such incoherent utterings from the likes of extremists from Umno – not from a judge. But then, he reportedly has some connection with Umno and therefore it should not come as a surprise. Apparently, he is a member of Umno’s disciplinary committee.

He doesn’t seem to understand simple mathematics. The Chinese form about 26 per cent of the population. The popular vote of the Pakatan was 51 per cent. This being the case how could the Chinese have betrayed the Malays, presumably by voting for the DAP? Not every Chinese voter voted for the DAP. That is pretty obvious.

If it was only the Chinese vote that made the difference, how do you account for the Barisan’s loss in Kelantan? Did the Chinese contribute to Umno’s loss in Kelantan?

Pakatan came within a whisker of victory in Trengganu; was it because of the Chinese vote?

The DAP could not have won 38 parliamentary and numerous state seats without the support of the Malays. There is evidence that many thinking Malays had voted for the DAP.

Within the Pakatan itself, there is a marked, predominantly Malay presence who supported the DAP. Without that support the party could not have scored decisive victories in many parts of the country.

What the former judge fails to understand is the simple fact that Chinese and Malays overwhelmingly voted against Umno – not against the Malays. It is a pity that he is unable to comprehend or discern this glaring fact.

He is totally off the mark when he stated, “For the Malays, it is taboo to be betrayed, because when they are betrayed, they will react and when they react, their vengeance will be endless.

“When Malays are betrayed, there is a backlash and the Chinese must bear the consequences of a Malay backlash.”

It is mischievous of him to pit the Malays against the Chinese by giving a racial twist to the results of GE13. To begin with, there was no betrayal of the Malays – only a rejection of Umno. The irrefutable truth is that Umno does not represent every Malay in this country. And what is equally true is that not every Malay supports Umno either.

And yet, Mohd Noor harps on this outrageous, unsubstantiated myth of Chinese betrayal of the Malays: “The Chinese betrayal towards the Malay’s hand of friendship – that is true. Because they plotted to seize political power even though they already have economic power.”

It is irrational to talk about the impossible plot. How could a minority plot to seize political power in Malaysia? Is it possible? How could he even come to this silly notion and talk of this crap as if it is a democratic political possibility.

He is trying to whip up emotions by calling for the abolition of the term “Chinese” and “Indians” which would be replaced by “Malays” and “Non-Malays” or “Bumiputras” and non-Bumiputras.”

It is almost like dividing Malaysians into two compartments – “them” and “us”. This is atrocious. He has come across very bluntly and frankly as a Malay chauvinist who unrealistically takes a position that if you don’t slavishly support Umno then you are the enemy.

And he goes even further by stating, “The Orang Asli are our cousins, the Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputras are our relatives, everyone else are just our neighbours because they came to menupang (stay) here before”.

In other words, according to him – and except for those he has mentioned as cousins and relatives – the rest of us are only “neighbours”, not rightful citizens. This is definitely a cock-eyed view!

He dismisses history and ignores the constitutional provisions that have made the rest of us legitimate citizens of this nation. He has no appreciation for their contribution to the wealth of the country and its development.

For a former judge not to take into account all the relevant facts is rather unbecoming. Malaysians would rightly question his intellectual depth and his ability to discern fact from fiction.

He is talking nonsense when he states, “We gave them recognition and protection and eventually citizenship until they became rich.” This is absurd.

When the Chinese and Indians were brought to Malaya to develop this country, to lay the railway track, build the roads, tap rubber, to staff the civil service and maintain the resultant bureaucracy, they were under the auspices of the British.

We could not have attained independence without all three communities coming together and agreeing to the adoption of the federal constitution. The provisions enunciated in the federal constitution are terms that were mutually agreed upon. Citizenship and special provisions that were conferred and implemented subsequently were the result of this accommodation and agreement.

It is a matter of grave regret to Malaysians that Mohd Noor is absolutely incapable of comprehending the truth surrounding our nationhood. When people of his calibre are so ignorant or fail to accept certain inalienable facts of the land, we fear for justice in our judiciary. Is it any wonder that judgments that make no sense are handed down by certain judges!

All this apart, we need to ask why the national leadership, in particular the Prime Minister, has not taken him to ask for his seditious comments? The police have failed to act and the Attorney General has failed to charge him. This is another classical example of selective prosecution.

It is because of this anomaly that Malaysians want Ubah. Under the Barisan Nasional there is no hope, fairness and justice.

P Ramakrishnan
Executive committee member, Aliran
21 May 2013