A reply to Tun Mahathir's atrocious blog post

A reply to Tun Mahathir's atrocious blog post

Dr M - self-admitted racist

Valerie Mohan

I really don't understand how someone as intelligent as you can come up with statements that are so blatantly ignorant. I'm 25 years old, my grandparents came from Kerala and I only speak English and Malay. I've never been to India, don't speak the language and all I can say is tanah tumpahnya darahku.

How dare you talk about fair distribution when you and your cronies have amassed vast fortunes at the expense of others? I don't see you going out among the less fortunate Malays and equitably distributing your wealth! If I follow from what you wrote you didn't deserve a place at medical school which means you took the place of someone who better deserved it. Which is what is happening all over this country in every arena.

Its not racial issues that the people are most concerned about its a lack of competency that is perpetuated because of racial policies.

Malaysians would not care if the vast majority of the government were Malay if they were able to discharge their duties competently. If there were 10 doctors and only one was Malay I would go to him if he was best at his job. But we have idiots running this country (the government, the police, the MACC, the judiciary) to the ground and they happen to be a Malay majority so of course people are pissed.

Do you think Malaysians would be angry if the country was well run and everyone's rights were upheld just because it was run by a Malay majority. Take a serious look at the majority of politicians and the rest of the people running the country (non malays included) - they are morons! The government is in shambles, the police are seen as the enemy and the judiciary is a joke - you really think intelligent Malaysians are angry at the Malays in general?

We are angry at those in power because we cannot trust you to do what's in Malaysia's best interest, we don't feel safe in our own country, we have no freedom of expression because you need to keep us quiet in order to stay in power and we don't believe that when there is a crime commited you are actually to get to the bottom of it unless it serves your own interests.

This racially charged hate mongering has to stop, it's stupid and unnecessary.

The real issue is our country is badly run and yet the government insists on discriminitory policies that seems to ensure its continuity. Did you ever stop to think that the person who's place you took in medical school could have been the one to lead Malaysia the way it deserves? Maybe that merits discussion?

(Valerie Mohan was responding Mahathir posting entitled HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR, MELBOURNE. Click here to read Dr M's controversial posting in full Dr M tells Malays: To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness)

Lets buy him a pair of clutches since he wants handicap ! Shameless Mamak !

Mahathir's dilemma

Mahathir's dilemma

Damian Denis

Let me first say that many people your age would be seeking to quiet down and enjoy the remaining balance of your life with their love ones. But somehow I find this a complete surprise as this is not the case with you.

Even at this age you are able to shake the government to its core. Look at Pak Lah and now Najib and his 1Malaysia program.

And I guess you are doing this coz something is bothering you. We know what is it but it would be great if we could hear it from the horses’ mouth as you claim you are “past self-interest” and all.

Anyhow, back to your latest venom on “the country we all love.”

Dr. M, you said that we Malaysians don’t understand 1 Malaysia. Do you really think that we are such dumb fools not able to comprehend this slogan? For your info, it simply means Unity. In our context it’s Unity in Diversity!

That’s it. Now the next question is do we need 1Malaysia? Of course we do. It’s precisely because of people like you and those in the primitive group Perkasa whom you are the spiritual advisor to.

Dr. M, we need 1Malaysia to work for our children’s future. But somehow you and Perkasa think otherwise. You and your proxy Muhyiddin think it will not work. You and some bigoted and racist civil servants feel that 1Malaysia should fail.

Why? Are you afraid of loosing something? Seriously, tell us what is it.

Then you claim that the Malays have a different understanding of 1Malaysia than the rest of the non-Malays.

You claim that the Malays wants us to adopt BM as our national language. Who hasn’t? Even the East Malaysians with a variety of their indigenous languages has done that. In addition, you want the non-Malays to give up their mother tongue and more importantly their education system as well.

In your own words the Chinese civilization system has been around for four thousand years and this has made them more resilient and knowledgeable. And now you want to destroy a part of that very fundamental institution (education) which has sustained the Chinese over the centuries? What are you up to?

Well, it is not the non-Malays who don’t want to learn BM. It is you who disallowed the use of BM in schools as far as teaching of Maths and Science was concerned.

It just doesn’t make sense what you are saying now and did the last time you were a PM of “the country we all love.”

Well, we Malaysians know very well that you are a flip-flop men too. On one hand you could be preaching about Bangsa Malaysia but on the other you could be talking about Malay supremacy with ease! And that hasn’t stop since your Malay Dilemma days.

Dr. M, your blog says that the non-Malays interprete 1Malaysia as amending the constitution. Give us a break! It was you who have amended the constitution many times without fail when you were in power all those 22 years. Did the opposition ever tried to amend their state constitution that they were controlling? Not at all! Did they ever said they were going to? NO!!!

It was you who amended the powers of the rulers not once but twice. And now you are talking about the Malays loosing power.

I believe no non-Malays wants to amend Article 153 in our constitution. I think it’s there to fulfill a purpose and ensure that economically we Malaysians will have a fair share of the economic pie and stand on our feet. Did you do that when you were in power for 22 years as a dictator? Obviously you didn’t do enough so that you could harp on this issue over and over again.

And instead you fed and fattened your cronies like the cows of Bashan! And the poor who really needed the 30% help did not get to see it. What happen to the RM54 billion bumi share which at present is left with RM2 billion only? Surely, you would know something about this. Why the silence, Dr. M?

In addition, most of our national coffers fall victim to your cronies’ uncontrolled hunger for greed i.e. EPF, Socso etc. Under your premiership corruption and money politics become the order of the day. As you went to create UMNO Baru, you also created a new political culture which was based on greed and patronage. And this system of governance (read:Mahathirism) is still in play today especially thru one of your boys Najib.

Please do not hide behind the façade of Malay unity to protect your self interest or the interest of your cronies. And I think you need to grow up and behave as an elderly politician. Look at Tunku and learn from our Bapa Kemerdekaan.

Stop the nonsense and allow us to forge our way ahead for the “the country we all love.”


We could use less people like you to become Bangsa Malaysia. If only you could let us be!

- www.realitybytesdmd.blogspot.com

If you are still unaware what this Mamak is up to , let me tell you what I think is the 'dilemma'
He wants his son to be made Deputy Prime Minister by helping the Moody guy becomes Prime Minister . Simple , get it ! He wants to follow Razak by having Najib and Lee Kuan Yew having Hsien Loong .

Mahathir is wrong - Pak Lah saved us

Mahathir has totally missed it (when he blamed Abdullah Badawi for BN's problems).

On the contrary, it was Abdullah Badawi who freed the rakyat from the shackles of modern colonialism. Looking back now, history has proven Abdullah to be the greatest reformer in the Malaysian psyche. Look back at the time prior to 2008. Recall our fears, deception and hesitation to say anything against the government. It was the Mahathir era which showed us the cruel and harsh side of government. Malaysians prior to 2008 were truly afraid. We were a fearful bunch. We did not understand our own constitution and the possibility of a two-government system. We were shackled under the constant fear of racial unrest. Our colonial masters told us that if we were to speak anything about race, religion or special privilege it was considered sedition and the ISA was swiftly used upon us without hesitation. The reminder of May 13 was always on the lips of our colonial masters. While we cowered in fear those aligned to the ruling elite raped and squandered government coffers. GLC's were abused and poorly run, to enrich the cronies. It will be good for us never to forget this dark time in Malaysian history. Abdullah opened the space for discourse. There was an exchanging of ideas and thought. Many began to see that Malaysia belonged to all of us and that we needed to reclaim this land from our oppressors, those who ruled the executive, the Parliament, the judiciary, the police and virtually every branch of government. Abdullah was also compassionate and dared to do what was right. He allowed the court of justice to free Anwar Ibrahim. He did not interfere with the work of the judiciary. Abdullah curbed spending and reduced the deficit. They were hard, lean years and perhaps he paid for that, but at least the deficit was reduced. Now Najib has taken over the reins; it appears we are going back to the days of Mahathirism when political opposition is intimidated and public discourse narrowed. There is once again the outstretched arm of the executive intervening in the police and the judiciary. This week we saw the re-emergence of ego projects that seek form over substance. The days when our country was shallow and sought after the tallest, biggest, fastest, longest are back. We now know that this is an exercise in futility. What we need are state of the art public schools. Well equipped and functioning, like the private schools we have now in Malaysia. Why can't it be done? Instead of spending on a 100-storey building, invest the money in our children's future. We only need to look south of our border and look at the public schools and their facilities there: state of the art, well equipped labs, IT and gym facilities. Every school in Malaysia could be like this if the RM6 billion were to be channelled towards this effort. So Mahathir, you are wrong, outdated and your whip over Malaysia has waned. We are no longer afraid of our own shadow. We are no longer shackled by the fear of racial tension. In fact we are healing our wounds of racial suspicion cast upon us by decades of deception and threat. The spell has been cast away. We now see Malaysia as it truly is and it is not Najib's 1Malaysia, but more perhaps our founding father's Malaysia, of those like Onn bin Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman.

I did it my way

I did it my way

The Tiananmen Square revolt was soon enough quelled but China realised that it could not ignore what the people want. So they decided to allow economic reforms as long as the people stay out of politics and do not call for political reforms as well.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dictatorships can be good for the people, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who himself has been accused of having an authoritarian brand of leadership.

Taking such accusations on the chin, Mahathir, who was addressing an international forum at the Putra World Trade Centre today, cheekily said: "Malaysia is said to be ruled by a dictator for 22 years. I enjoyed it."

"But at least we made some progress. This building was not even here (before my time)," he said.

Besides being accused of governing with an iron grip, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister was alleged to have played a part in channeling taxpayers' money to partly finance the construction of Umno-owned PWTC.

One prime example of how dictatorships or authoritarian governments can work better than a democratically elected one, is China, said Mahathir.

"There is no democracy in China but the system of the government it has can bring lots of benefit to its people," he said, adding that the change of leadership there is more peaceful than some democratic countries who change leaders in uprisings every few years.

In his speech, the veteran politician also lambasted his most severe critics from the developed nations, branding them hypocrites for trying to champion democracy.

Referring to the US-led war on Iraq, which was later justified as a means to spread democracy, Mahathir cuttingly said: "Maybe in the afterlife (the dead) can experience democracy but dead people won't enjoy it much." -- Malaysiakini

***********************************************

Some say that Tun Dr Mahathir’s favourite song is ‘My Way’. Others tell me that this is not really Dr Mahathir’s favourite song but happens to be the only song that he can sing. I suppose I can say the same about myself. I sing Elvis Presley’s song ‘In the Ghetto’ because that is the only song I can sing.

Anyway, ‘My Way’ has somehow become synonymous with Dr Mahathir. And we must certainly admit that he looks at things his way, which may not always be the correct way of seeing it.

However, one must be able to read between the lines of what Dr Mahathir says. When asked about his favourite football team he replied that he does not like football and does not see why 22 players should chase one ball all over the football field. Just buy them all one ball each, he quipped.

First of all, only 20 players chase the ball. The other two guard the goal. Secondly, these 20 players chase the ball not because they want to own the ball. So buying them one ball each will not solve the ‘problem’. They chase the ball to see who can control the only one ball and then shoot it into the goal. It is almost like politics where so many people ‘chase’ the only one position at the very top, the post of Prime Minister. Do we solve the problem by creating 65 positions of Prime Minister so that all 65 can become Prime Ministers without them all having to ‘chase’ the position?

When asked about golf, Dr Mahathir again quipped that he does not see the logic of chasing the small ball all over the golf course when the ball was with you in the first place.

Was Dr Mahathir being serious or was he being cheeky? Seeing that many Malaysia Today readers do not recognise tongue-in-cheek or sarcasm even if it bit them in the butt they would probably take Dr Mahathir’s replies at ‘face value’.

Anyway, I would like to reply to what Dr Mahathir said about dictatorships being good for economic growth. And he used China as an example of a good dictatorship. Dr Mahathir also made a sarcastic remark about the invasion of Iraq, which removed the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Dr Mahathir probably feels that Saddam was good for the people of Iraq.

Have we forgotten how many of his own citizens Saddam murdered? Entire villages were gassed and women and children were not spared. This was ethnic cleansing of the highest degree. Is the economy more important than people’s lives? This appears to be what Dr Mahathir is saying -- the economy comes first and people’s lives is not that crucial.

I started going to China just before it became an 'economic miracle'. This was not long after the Tiananmen incident and I made about ten trips to China in all. I visited not only the major cities but also many rural parts of China where no Malaysian has ever visited before. Some places I visited did not even have proper roads or train service and I had to ride on the back of a lorry to get there.

So I saw how China ‘exploded’ from ‘ground zero’. I also visited Pudong and went up the tower even as it was still being built and before it was opened to public. I was the guest of the Shanghai provincial government and the most exciting thing about those trips was probably being able to ride around in a military car where all the traffic was stopped so that we could pass. We did not even have to stop for the red light. I can’t do that in Malaysia even with my ‘royal status’.

To understand the ‘Chinese miracle’ you have to study Deng Xiaoping. He was the man who said: never mind if it is a black cat or a white cat as long as the cat catches a mouse. This means never mind whether it is Communism or Capitalism as long as the economy grows. Dr Mahathir says almost the same thing: never mind whether it is a dictatorship or a democracy as long as the economy grows.

But how did China grow? And was it China or Pudong that grew? And is the development of China spread evenly throughout China or is it concentrated only along the East Coast, the Shanghai-Pudong region in particular?

First of all, the entire area of Pudong is 467 square miles and it has a population of 4 million. Shanghai’s land area is 2,717 square miles and it has a population of 20 million. China’s land area is 3,600,950 square miles and it has a population of 1.4 billion. Malaysia’s land area is 127,354 square miles and it has a population of 27 million.

So, are we comparing apples to apples? Are we comparing China to Malaysia or are we comparing Pudong to Shah Alam? It is not fair to compare Pudong to Malaysia and say that Pudong is proof that China’s dictatorship is better than a democracy.

The next point I am trying to make is: is it Communism or the dictatorship that resulted in the ‘Chinese miracle’ or is it due to the size of that country? We must understand that China is one of the oldest civilisations in the world but only over the last 20 years since 1990 have we seen this country ‘explode’. Why is it what happened over the last 20 years could not happen over 3,500 years before that?

It all started in Tiananmen Square in 1989, ten years after the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Now, we must remember, that same year, 1989, Boris Yeltsin introduced economic and political reforms known as Perestroika. Encouraged by what happened in Russia, the Chinese activists decided to push for the same in China.

The Tiananmen Square revolt was soon enough quelled but China realised that it could not ignore what the people want. So they decided to allow economic reforms as long as the people stay out of politics and do not call for political reforms as well.

That was the beginning of ‘The Great Leap Froward version 2’.

But the Tiananmen Square revolt was not really the cause of these reforms. It may have accelerated the reforms but China was already on the road to economic reforms even earlier.

In November 1978, Deng visited Singapore and met up with its Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who advised Deng to open up the country and institute reforms, as well as to stop exporting Communist ideologies to other Southeast Asian countries. Deng was so impressed by Singapore's ‘economic miracle’ that he listened to Lee and upon returning home he opened up China to the world.

Under Deng's direction, relations with the West improved remarkably. Deng travelled abroad and had a series of meetings with western leaders and became the first Chinese leader to visit the United States in 1979 where he met up with President Carter. Shortly before this meeting, the U.S. had broken diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established them with the People's Republic of China.

It took another ten years before the ambitious plan to develop Pudong was mooted. And Singapore played a very crucial role in the Pudong blueprint.

What I want to stress here is that, first of all, China grew when it decided to open up the country to the world. Secondly, Singapore played a crucial role in advising China on what to do. Thirdly, the development in Pudong or Shanghai may be impressive but this does not mean that in the rest of China the roads are also paved with gold.

Can we say that just because Kuala Lumpur has the most number of Mercedes Benz E Class cars in SEA then this means the entire Malaysia is rich? There are still many Malaysians in the rural parts of Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah, Sarawak, etc., who do not even have water or electricity supply.

Let’s look at some statistics below. If China’s growth is so great, and if it is because it is a dictatorship that it has grown, why is the GDP per capita for China so much lower than that of Pudong? The figures below clearly show that the wealth of China is concentrated in only a small part of China and not spread evenly around the entire country.

In fact, Malaysia’s GDP per capita is more than double that of China. However, if you look at Pudong’s GDP per capita, it is higher than Malaysia’s. So maybe Malaysia should go meet Lee Kuan Yew and appoint Singapore as our economic adviser. Then we shall really see Malaysia ‘fly’. And further proof would be to look at Singapore’s GDP per capita. It is even higher than Britain’s.

Maybe we should not have sent the British home and declared Merdeka in 1957. If economic growth is all that matters and if it does not matter whether it is a black cat or a white cat as long as it catches a mouse then Malaysia would be better off as a British colony just as long as we see the country’s economy grow in leaps and bounds.

Historical GDP of the People's Republic of China versus India


Pudong's gross domestic product for 2008 amounts to an estimated US$53.98 billion, roughly equal to that of Slovenia. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$16,938.

China's gross domestic product for 2008 amounts to an estimated US$4,522 billion. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$3,414.

Malaysia's gross domestic product for 2010 amounts to an estimated US$213.21 billion. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$7,547.

Singapore's gross domestic product for 2009 amounts to an estimated US$177.13 billion. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$37,293.

Britain's gross domestic product for 2009 amounts to an estimated US$2,183.13 billion. Its GDP per capita is therefore around US$32,798.

Posted by barred at 10/19/2010 04:04:00 AM

Mahathir: Democracy has failed, the Beijing model is better

Mahathir: Democracy has failed, the Beijing model is better

But China is still communist . Maybe Malaysia should adopt communism and kow tow to China .

But Beijing is still Communist - Is Dr M supporting this?

KUALA LUMPUR — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today called democracy a “failed” ideology and held up China’s model of authoritarianism as an alternative “worth studying”.

He said China’s political model — which he termed the “Beijing Consensus” — showed that a nation could develop well even in the absence of freedom, liberty and equality — ideals fundamental to the rival “Washington Consensus”.

“The Beijing Consensus shows that having a non-democratic country can also give a good life for the people,” Dr Mahathir told delegates at the “Creation of the Global Citizen: Media Liberalisation and the New Political Realities” forum organised by Umno here.

“If you find good people to run a country, even dictators can make a country develop and develop very well.”

He pointed out that China’s “correct” application of the Beijing Consensus had allowed the nation of 1.3 billion “very poor” people to become the second richest country in the world.

The former premier also criticised the very premise of democracy, arguing that no issue could achieve total consensus, leading to an electoral split that will promote poor governance.

“Democracy... has failed in many countries,” he said.

“It is not the perfect thing it is touted to be. You find that some of these democracies really cannot work. People cannot make up their minds.

Dr Mahathir cited hung parliaments in Britain and Australia as proof that countries cannot progress when a majority of its voters cannot make up their minds, saying frequent changes in leadership were not good for a nation.

“We see a lot of democracies where leaders change every two years and the country cannot make any progress at all,” he said.

“Even the countries that have made progress find sometimes that democracies hinder the development of the country, make the country unstable and difficult to develop.”

He added that smaller parties roped into ad hoc coalitions to break hung parliaments in democracies will hold the majority hostage to minority demands that were not good for the country as a whole. - Malaysian Insider

Dr M: Tough for Najib to regain two-thirds majority at 13th GE

Dr M: Tough for Najib to regain two-thirds majority at 13th GE

You believe this shit coming out from this Mamak fella ? Fact is Malaysians rejoiced by giving Pak Lah an almost 90 percent support in 2004 when the Mamak fella resigned . It only shows most Malaysians simply distrust this Mamak fella .More shit coming out from him ?

Dr M okay with Najib, hates Badawi

Malaysia Chronicle

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad believes it will be tough for Prime Minister Najib Razak to regain the two-thirds parliamentary majority held by his Barisan Nasional since independence in 1957 until the landmark 2008 general election.

But the 85-year Mahathir blamed it on his immediate successor Abdullah Badawi, saying it was not Najib's fault that he "inherited a bad government".

Mahathir, the country's fourth prime minister, was mobbed by reporters on Monday amid swirling speculation that Najib would dissolve Parliament after the Chinese New Year and hold simultaneous national polls along with Sarawak, which has to conduct state elections by July 2011.

"Najib inherited a bad government. He is better than number five Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was totally incompetent," Mahathir was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.

"When you have two-thirds majority, it should be used for doing the right things. In the four years, 2004 to 2008 Abdullah did the wrong things so in 2008 he lost it."

The monster tidal wave Mahathir created

Mahathir also took a swipe at Opposition Leader Anwar Leader, the de-fact head of both the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and PKR party.

Anwar has found his own niche and party

"He is having a difficult time. Najib has some good ideas and some not so good ideas. I hope Najib does garner support because the alternative is that someone who is worse may take power," Mahathir said.

Anwar was Malaysia prime minister-in-waiting and an outstanding Finance minister before he was jailed on manifestly trumped-up sodomy and corruption charges in 1998.

Fearing that he would lose power, Mahathir sacked Anwar, imposed a 24-hour curfew and to prevent capital flight banned trading of the Ringgit and closed down the CLOB - an offshore trading platform for Malaysian shares.

Mahathir's drastic moves not only sparked huge losses among foreign investors, damaging until now their confidence in the BN government, but also split his Umno party down the line.

Recently, Najib hinted that a lot of the disunity problems he currently faced in the Malay community now could be traced back to the 1998 sacking and jailing of Anwar.

1 Malaysia has caused irreconcilable conflicts, says Dr M

You Are The One ! not 1Malaysia .

UPDATED @ 06:30:58 PM 13-10-2010

October 13, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that Malays must continue to be given handicaps, while arguing that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia was a confusing concept which means different things to different people.

He also accused the Chinese and Indian communities of continuing to identify with their countries of origin, and argued that Malays would continue demanding special treatment as a result.

Writing in his blog today, Mahathir (picture) said the Malays interpreted 1 Malaysia to mean the abolition of Chinese and Tamil schools and a “fair” participation of Malays and Bumiputeras in the private sector.

The Chinese and Indians, he claimed, interpret 1 Malaysia to mean an end to special treatment for Malays, the removal of quotas and the end to NEP-style affirmative action policies favouring Malays.

“Without the government spelling out the precise meaning of 1 Malaysia, different people are giving their own interpretations which not only differ from each other but are in conflict with each other.

“These two interpretations of 1 Malaysia admittedly are by the more extreme groups. The more moderate ones from both sides are milder in their expectations but their minimum interpretations still provide irreconcilable conflicts. 1 Malaysia clearly means different things to the different races.”

Dr Mahathir also argued that the Bangsa Malaysia concept encapsulated in his Vision 2020 document was more appropriate for multiracial Malaysia.

“In Vision 2020 one of the objectives is to create a bangsa Malaysia.

“The belief at that time was that if Malaysia becomes a fully developed country, it would become very prosperous,” he said.

He repeated his old formula for managing race relations by making the economic argument that if prosperity was fairly shared between the races there would be less jealousy between them.

“Malaysians of all races would be so proud of their country and its great achievements that the desire to be linked with other countries would be much diminished if not disappear altogether (as happens in prosperous multi-racial countries like the US – where the German Eisenhower led the war against Germany. Eisenhower was American first and his country of origin was irrelevant to him).”

But he said it was clear that race still played an important role currently in Malaysia.

The former prime minister also accused the Chinese and Indian communities of preferring to be identified with their countries of origin, and this, he said, caused Malays to expect special treatment.

He said a change in the so-called social contract between the Malays and the non-Malays would take a long time to replace.

“This will take a long time. As the new contract will be between races, racial factors would be included. Unless both sides agree to give up their races’ own rights as spelt out in the first contract i.e. the preservation of own home languages and schools etc. the rights of the indigenous races to their special position, etc, must remain a part of the new social contract.

“It is not certain that each would not demand for more than what they got under the old contract. It is likely there would be no agreement and no contract. Ths would lead to perpetual conflicts.

Dr Mahathir also took aim at Malays who wanted affirmative action to be abolished, and repeated his stand that Malays were not ready yet to compete on an equal footing with the Chinese in particular.

“I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot compete with the Chinese and Indian students when studying medicine. They had much better results than me and the other six Malay students for entry into the Medical College. Even at that time the British promised to the Rulers to help educate the Malays. I had my chance because of the affirmative action then. On pure merit I would not be a doctor today, not because I was not qualified, but my qualification was lower than others.

“One has to remember that the Chinese civilisation is more than 4000 years old. No other civilisation has lasted that long. Naturally they have developed a culture better able to survive under all conditions. It is my belief that if the percentage of Chinese in the United Kingdom for example is the same as in Malaysia, UK would be better developed than it is now. It is not surprising that the Chinese excel in developing Malaysia (for which they are amply rewarded).”

He said that it was not shameful to lose out against the Chinese but to just catch up would require handicaps.

“To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination. That is why in golf you have handicaps. That is why in all contests there must be equality between the contestants. It is selfish if having benefited from the handicaps you want to deny others from having them.”

Azmin: It's Dr M who should apologize to Malaysia, not me

Azmin: It's Dr M who should apologize to Malaysia, not me

PKR's Azmin Ali

KUALA LUMPUR (Harakahdaily) - Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice president Azmin Ali, who received condemnations from Perkasa and supporters of Dr Mahathir Mohamad for calling the latter "a fallen leader", has rejected demands to apologise to the former prime minister.

“Is there a need to apologise to Dr Mahathir? What have I done wrong?” asked Azmin in a Twitter posting.

The Gombak member of parliament, who is running for PKR's deputy president's post, irked UMNO leaders and Perkasa for calling Dr Mahathir as a "fallen leader".

Leading the criticism against Azmin was deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin who said Azmin was inconsiderate at a time when Dr Mahathir was warded in a hospital in Melbourne, Australia, for chest infection.

This was followed by Perkasa's surprise endorsement of another deputy president candidate Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, saying the latter could be more trusted to defend Malay rights than Azmin. Mustaffa has since distanced himself from the right-wing group.

Mahathir should say sorry

An unrepentant Azmin instead demanded Mahathir to apologise to Muslims in Malaysia over the way he treated his former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim.

“The disunity of Muslims and Malays in Malaysia is a result of Dr Mahathir’s vile slander against DSAI (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim).

"When will Mahathir apologise to the Muslims?” asked Azmin.

Azmin also reminded that he was not fighting against an elderly person, but he was "against his cruelty".

On his remark, Azmin said UMNO should look up the real meaning of the word he used, ('tersungkur', or fallen).

“What’s the definition of ‘tersungkur’? Ask help from DBP,” he quipped.

Related Story: Pakatan leaders return fire at DPM over Azmin's remark on Dr M...

3Cheers ! Mamakutty warded in Melbourne hospital for chest infection

3Cheers ! Mamakutty warded in Melbourne hospital for chest infection

UPDATED MELBOURNE (Bernama) - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to the Epworth Hospital here Saturday morning for treatment of a chest infection.

He is now in the general ward for antibiotics treatment and physiotherapy.

"Dr Mahathir's condition is stable and he has been advised to rest. He is expected to be in hospital for a few days for observation," his office said in a statement released in Kuala Lumpur.

Accompanied by his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Dr Mahathir arrived here Thursday to address a seminar on human development organised by the Australia Melbourne Umno Club at the University of Melbourne on Saturday.

He was scheduled to share his opinion and idea on the topic "Are We Ready for 1Malaysia: Does Race Still Play a Part?"

(1Malaysia is a guiding principle to build a united and progressive nation in the 21st Century by inculcating the spirit and values of togetherness and sense of belonging, regardless of race, religion and creed.)

At the start of the seminar, the emcee announced that Dr Mahathir was unable to attend the event that he (Dr Mahathir) had been looking forward to and was disappointed that he was unable to do so.

He had asked International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed to address the seminar on his behalf.

Mustapa, when met at the seminar, said Dr Mahathir was resting well. "Tun needs rest and he is going to be fine," he said.

Dr Mahathir's son, Datuk Mukhriz, who is the deputy minister of international trade and industry, was expected to arrive here on Sunday to join his father, he said.

Dr Mahathir, 85, underwent coronary bypass surgery at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital in January 1989 and a second such operation at the National Heart Institute in September 2007.

Despite his age, Dr Mahathir, who is adviser to Malaysian national car maker Proton and national oil corporation Petronas, often travels abroad to attend international conferences as he remains a highly sought-after speaker at both local and international events. - Bernama

Vision 2020: Derailed by racial, religious politicking not FDI ??

Vision 2020: Derailed by racial, religious politicking not FDI ??

I thought it was derailed by the Mamak from Kerala !

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad is right in warning that Vision 2020 will be not be achieved, but the reason is not due to Malaysia’s reliance on foreign direct investment, rather it will fail because of the incessant racial and religious politicking in the country, pundits said on Thursday.

“Tun Dr Mahathir is absolutely right in that Vision 2020 cannot be achieved based on the current outlook, where foriegn investors do not regard Malaysia as a prime destination anymore,” Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, told Malaysia Chronicle.

“We as Malaysians therefore urge him as an elder statesman to show the leadership in guiding the country towards a more conducive and harmonious environment for both the citizen and the investor. Tun Mahathir can play a leading role in stopping the religious and racial bigotry that is now clearly undermining both our society and economy.”

Vision 2020 to stay a vision, ETP pie-in-the-sky

The 85-year old Mahathir had on Wednesday warned Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration that it was moving in the wrong direction by chasing after foreign funds. He said Malaysia should emphasize on domestic direct investments and cited the example of South Korea.

Dr Mahathir - savior or troublemaker

His remarks were immediately rebutted by Minister in the PM’s Department Idris Jala.

“I believe that we can achieve Vision 2020 by 2020. I agree with Dr Mahathir that we must change the strategy. That’s why the Economic Transformation Programme is necessary,” Idris said. “I agree that we must change to domestic investments.”

Vision 2020 was a socio-economic plan introduced by Mahathir in 1991 to transform Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020. It also sought to create a Bangsa Malaysia. The ETP unveiled by Idris last week is a RM1.4 trillion package of investments spread over 20 years to transform Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020.

However, the ETP has been heavily panned for being pie-in-sky because no details as to how and from whom the government could secure the RM1.4 trillion of funds. It should also be noted that Idris himself had a few months ago pointed out that Malaysia would go bankrupt in the same manner as Greece if the government did not immediately cut subsidies on consumer essentials and raise prices.

Pundits also point out that in 2009, FDI to Malaysia plunged 81 percent. A lot of that outflow was also due to Malaysian firms investing in foreign countries.

“FDI will always be an essential of source of funding for Malaysia. Without the foreigners coming in, how do we gain new technology and how do we access new markets overseas? The thing is, it would be tough to convince the foreign investors when the locals themselves are moving out,” Ramon said.

"I do hope that Tun Mahathir will recognize the importance of FDI because these have helped countries like Korea, Taiwan and China make the jump into highly-industrialized status. Even today, they are hungrily scouring for more FDI."

Racial and religious politicking

Another prominent corporate personality Azman Hashim, founder and chairman of the AmBank group, has also warned against using racial and religious issues to win votes as these have scared investors away.

Banker Azman Hashim

“When investors see me their first question is not how is your economic outlook, but what is the prospect of political stability and racial and religious harmony? Some use politicisation of race and religion as game cards to win political favour,” said Azman.

Indeed, since Najib took over premiership in April 2009, Malaysia has experienced some of its worst episodes of racial and religious bigotry. Early this year, ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa was formed with Mahathir as its patron.

The group has been featured in many top overseas financial reports and publications as reflecting the views of the Umno conservatives, who form the bulk of its membership. The perceived lack of political moderation in the ruling party has been cited as a key factor why Malaysia is no longer able to compete for FDI or regarded as a "stable" country.

“Mahathir is the one causing all the trouble and everyone knows it. He doesn’t want anybody to mess around with the outdated systems he set up decades ago. Now to cling to power, he is playing the race and religious card to hilt," PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Of course, FDI won’t come in. That’s why he is saying, don’t chase for FDI. With him and Perkasa around, frankly, which investor would take the risk? Political stability is a must for investors. Then healthy competition, and costs that don't get bloated up because of corruption. Does Malaysia, as she is now, satisfy these criteria?"

Related Stories:
How graft, racial-religious politicking killed Malaysia's economy
The humbug that is Dr Mahathir and the BN's dilemma...
Mahathir: Vision 2020 may not be achievable
All eyes on Najib: Will he dare stand up to Perkasa, BTN, Dr M?...
Malaysia's huge economic plan needs a doer not a talker :Dr Dzulkefly...
English mastery crucial for Vision 2020 : AmBank's Azman...
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Mamakutty’s wealth prescription will bankrupt Malaysia, say analysts, politicians

By Boo Su-Lyn

October 01, 2010

Pua says the country cannot keep spending irresponsibly. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prescription of growth and wealth to avoid race relations problems plaguing Malaysia will bankrupt the nation if followed by Datuk Seri Najib Razak, analysts and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders said.

They pointed out that the former premier’s own advice had failed during his administration which showed a trend of declining race relations amid ballooning government expenditure.

“Najib will be crazy to follow Dr Mahathir’s prescription for it’ll only bankrupt the country and worsen race relations, especially when the root causes of deteriorating race relations are not first addressed,” DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua told The Malaysian Insider.

“Race relations were getting worse by the day between 2005 and 2009 despite record government expenditure and budget, and a record-breaking number of projects,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said on Wednesday he had formulated the Bangsa Malaysia concept under his Vision 2020 plan based on the premise that thriving economic growth would ease race relations.

Pua, however, pointed out that after Dr Mahathir’s administration, the government budget had expanded from RM128 billion in 2004 to a hefty RM200 billion last year.

“Yet race relations had been increasingly worse in those past five years compared to the years before,” said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, citing incidents of Umno leaders waving the keris, a traditional Malay dagger, during annual general meetings.

In 2005, then-Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein sparked an uproar when he wielded the keris at the party annual general meeting, which was criticised as a symbol of Malay supremacy.

Recently, there has been a spike in racial tension, such as the incident of two school principals accused of uttering racial slurs, the furore surrounding a Chinese MP’s visit to a surau, and a National Civics Bureau (BTN) senior official who allegedly referred to the Chinese and Indian communities as “si mata sepet” and “si botol” at a closed-door Puteri Umno function on Monday.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar echoed Pua’s views and noted that Najib’s administration now suffered a tight budget due to Dr Mahathir’s wastefulness.

“We are having financial management problems because of spending during Dr Mahathir’s time and Pak Lah’s time,” said Mahfuz, referring to former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Malaysia is facing uncertain economic prospects with average GDP growth in the next five years projected to be just shy of the six per cent target Najib had set.

“Najib does not need to take Dr Mahathir’s advice because if he does, the country will lose a lot of money like what happened in Dr Mahathir’s time,” said Mahfuz.

Mahfuz says the Najib administration now suffered a tight budget due to Dr Mahathir’s wastefulness. — File pic

The Pokok Sena MP also pointed out that the infamous Kampung Medan racial clash had occurred during the administration of the country’s longest-serving prime minister.

“There were racial problems even during his time, like Kampung Medan,” said Mahfuz.

In 2001, a violent clash between the Malay and Indian communities in the Petaling Jaya suburb left six dead.

Pua dismissed the former Umno president’s spending strategy to ease racial tension as “unsustainable” and irresponsible.

“Looking forward, it’s unsustainable. The country does not have the money to keep spending the way Dr Mahathir wants us to spend,” he said, pointing out that the national debt had increased from 40 per cent of the GDP to 52 per cent today at RM363 billion.

“We cannot keep spending irresponsibly,” stressed Pua.

The lawmaker pointed out that the abuse of affirmative action policies was the underlying factor of race relations problems, but not a stagnant economy as claimed by Dr Mahathir.

“It is NEP (New Economic Policy) abuses — the ‘bastardisation’ as described by Nazir Razak — where they benefited a minority few,” said Pua, referring to CIMB group CEO Datuk Seri Nazir Razak who is Najib’s younger brother.

Recently, Nazir had lambasted the policy for being “bastardised” over the decades since its inception in 1971 for deviating from its goal of eradicating poverty.

Political analyst Dr Lim Teck Ghee agreed with Pua, saying that unfair wealth distribution caused by NEP-type policies was the reason behind simmering racial tension.

“Unequal income distribution has contributed to an increase in racial tension. It was during his period that growth in racial polarisation started to take place because of his policy,” said Lim, citing Dr Mahathir’s continuation of the NEP despite its targeted end date in 1990.

The Centre for Policy Initiatives director also slammed the former premier for squandering billions to feed his appetite for grand projects.

“The big projects undertaken during Mahathir’s time, when a lot of money was thrown around, resulted in bailouts between 1970 and 2007 costing the country more than RM100 billion,” said Lim.

“It is a recipe for disaster when projects are simply generated. It is economically unjustifiable, unsustainable and badly managed,” he added.

Political analyst Professor Madya Dr Samsul Adabi also cautioned against frittering away the country’s finances.

“We cannot simply spend,” said Samsul.

Like Dr Mahathir, he noted that wealth generation would help reduce racial tension in the country, but stressed that other factors also played a part.

“I agree because it can be one of the factors in reducing race relations problems, but there are other factors too,” said the analyst.

Cakap Cakap....Mahathir or Talk Cock Mamakutty

Cakap Cakap....Mahathir or Talk Cock Mamakutty

About the only Prime Minister that can be said to be without any personal blemish would have been Hussein Onn. We know Tunku weaknesses. We know Tun Tun Razak’s too. But these blemishes or weaknesses in their life affected only themselves … or possibly at most their immediate Family. I know that Tun Razak enjoyed …or needed would be the more appropriate term....needed a few drops of liqueurs and liquors every now and then to calm his nerves and take away the pain of his illness. There are many who are still around today who will testify to that. There were also other issues but Tun Razak public persona is impeachable. Yes he had a Malay agenda. Yes he had done what he thought necessary to achieve those objectives ….but Tunku, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein – these were leaders for whom greed, arrogance and overt deceit were matters to be avoided like the plague.

Then came Mahathir. What we saw of his public persona was one that exudes confidence and a take charge sort of a leader. Nobody crosses his path. Not even any of his deputies. Not even UMNO. He seem to be able to emerge from any crisis, any conflict any confrontation victorious. I watched as he went across the country drumming up support and momentum in his move to strip the Sultans of their seemingly invincible aura. He succeeded. His manuovering were crude but he succeeded. One by one he disposed of Musa and then Anwar with relish. Malaysia wanted to host the F1 Power Boat Race? He organized it with one phone calls to his cronies – and he came out with the money. Langkawi? He single handedly made Langkawi into what it is today –throw in LIMA as the icing on the cake. No problems. Putrajaya, KLIA, KLCC…..and the list goes on. Amazing stuff. What Mahathir wants he will make happen.

And then the stories started coming out. He give MAS to Tajuddin who have had no experience in running an airline. Bakun to Ting Pek Khing who also had no experience building dams. PLUS was having massive debts problems. Petronas bailed out his son’s shipping company to the tune of RM1 billion CASH! Then another billion to bail Tajuddin out of MAS.

But did’nt Mahathir insisted that all Ministers must use Perdana? We even see him in a Perdana! Did not Malaysia go through the Global Financial crisis with flying colors? Do we not have our own national car? Look at all the highways being built. ……..Yes but we did have to pay tolls on the never never. We did have Ops Lallang. We did have Perwaja. …and slowly the spin that Mahathir has put on his years of rule started to wear thin. Mahathir had many ideas but the problem is that most of them sucks!

Privatization given to his cronies consistently required bailouts that cost the country billions. EPF, Petronas…all the Government controlled financial institution were quietly bleeding money to ‘reimburse’ cronies given projects by Mahathir but who have failed to make them viable. We hear people talk not in terms of millions but billions…and yet no one was held accountable for these massive abuse of Public funds. I saw picture of Mahathir shirtless on Ananda’s yacht. Mahathir horse riding. Mahathir this and Mahathir that and that was when the doubt started. Business and Politics makes strange bedfellows but makes some men very rich.

When he left the sigh of relief from Malaysian was audible to everyone. He left confident that in Pak Lah he had somebody who would keep under wraps what had happened during his years in power. He was wrong. Now we know. We know that all that was done by Mahathir during his time in the name of progress’ development and Nation building was done with not much consideration for the needs of the people. There was no consideration for what the country will endure in the time to come to pay for these massive losses and failures that have been recklessly embarked upon by Mahathir. And suddenly we know we had a problem….and as always it is the rakyat that ultimately is left with the problem of paying for the bill.

Just imagine what could be done for the country with the massive billions that have already been used to bail out all the follies of Mahathir? We should have just given his children and his cronies a billion each and it would still be worth every penny spend to rid ourselves of these vultures and criminals that have bleed our country dry.

People talked about Malaysia incorporated. No it was more a Mahathir incorporated run on the same lines as the Mafia. If you are family you are a ok. …the only difference was even with the Mafia there was a limit to the amount of money they could lose…not with Mahathir. Not with Mahathir. Even the Mafia did not have access to the billions that Mahathir so generously gave to his cronies. …and he thinks he is the father of Development of Malaysia? Huh! Our challenge now is to learn from his mistakes. It was his mistakes not ours but we still have to learn from his mistakes. So that we will never allow within our midst a leader like him again.

Mamakutty Mahathir: Vision 2020 may not be achievable

Mamakutty Mahathir: Vision 2020 may not be achievable

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government must change its strategy if Malaysia is to achieve Vision 2020.

"My fear is that it is not achievable by 2020, maybe later provided we change direction and employ new strategies. We need to change the strategy so that it will grow faster."

He was speaking at the closing session of the Perdana Leadership Foundation CEO Forum 2010 on Wednesday.

The goal of Vision 2020, introduced by Dr Mahathir when tabling the Sixth Malaysia Plan in 1991, is to transform Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020.

He said among the strategies that could be adopted was emphasizing on domestic direct investment rather that being too dependent on foreign direct investment (FDI).

"As you know, countries like South Korea and Japan do not depend on FDIs. Their strategy is to acquire technology from abroad and develop it locally to grow their economy," he said.

"If we are too dependent on FDIs, we will not grow," he said.

Dr Mahathir, who mooted the "Look East Policy", also said there was a need for the government to support local companies and promote Malaysian made products in order to spur the local economy.

He said there were cases where Malaysian made products were rejected locally and companies failed to get financing but were successful once they got support abroad.

"We need to audit the local industrial capacity where you can find a lot of local companies, with little incentives they can grow their business and become world-class players.

"They can then contribute to the country's economic growth," he said.

Dr Mahathir urged the government to look for these companies and give necessary support to them.

On establishing a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Race) -- the first of nine strategic challenges that Malaysia must overcome to achieve Vision 2020 -- he said it was a "very tricky thing".

"I think to really create Bangsa Malaysia will take much longer time," he said.

-- BERNAMA

The Three Stooges of 2 Malaysia

Dinosaur thinking of the highest order comes from Dr M

Dinosaur thinking of the highest order comes from Dr M

Dinosaur ? Common on , dinosaurs got brains , this Mamak has none . You are giving him compliments calling him a dinosaur , more like Mosquito thinking , going for blood everywhere ! No blood to suck , shit , shit , shit juice will do !

Kee Thuan Chye

In just two days – Sept 23 and 24 – three developments summed up the sorry state of the ruling establishment. And caused sensible Malaysians to lose further faith in the government. In the first, the deputy prime minister played the role of Pontius Pilate by washing his hands of a responsibility the public had expected him to fulfil.

In the second, a former prime minister showed his racist true colours and desperation when he said Malays would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat took over the government.

In the third, the police arrested a cartoonist, just hours before the launch of his latest book. On what charge? Wait for the government to decide.

What we are witnessing is not surprising. These three events are manifestations of dinosaur thinking, which by now should be extinct. But those who adhere to them seem to think they’re still effective, which must mean they cannot be qualified to lead a progressive nation.

Muhyiddin Yassin may have some fine print in some rules of procedure to back him up in regard to the Kedah school principal who uttered racist remarks to his students. On Sept 23, he said any action against the principal can only be taken by the disciplinary board of the Public Services Department (PSD), headed by the director-general.

However, the public is asking: “But you are the education minister. And also the deputy prime minister. Surely, you have certain powers to act on something as heinous as racism, to send out a positive message to the people?”

The public is also asking why the report by the Ministry of Education team investigating the incident is taking so long to be considered. It was given to the PSD on Sept 4. Has the time been mostly spent instead on digging up the PSD regulations to provide Muhyiddin with an escape clause?

If you asked any sensible Malaysian, they would tell you Muhyiddin has simply “copped out”. He is not thinking like a Malaysian Leader No 2, one who must do the right thing in the Malaysian interest regardless of other factors.

His action shows he is thinking as a party leader, bound by considerations of race. On that score, you might be able to excuse Umno – and Muhyiddin – for thinking that no action against the principal means no loss of votes for the party. Better that than appeasing other races and risk losing Malay votes. That’s dinosaur thinking of the second highest order. Very un-1Malaysia.

Meanwhile, what has happened to the case of the Johor school principal who allegedly told her Chinese students to go back to China and insulted the religion of her Indian students? It seems all quiet on the southern front. Which also happens to be Muhyiddin’s territory. And Umno’s.

Dr M, the top dinosaur

I alluded earlier to dinosaur thinking of the second highest order. What about dinosaur thinking of the highest order?

That honour must go to Dr Mahathir Mohamad. On Sept 24, he said that if Pakatan Rakyat came to power, even if the resulting prime minister were Malay, he would be a tool of others. As an analogy, he said when Mohamed Nizar Jamaluddin was menteri besar of Perak, “he followed the DAP’s orders”. He was heading “a Chinese government”.

This is actually nothing new from Mahathir. He has expressed these views before, in his bid to instil fear in the Malays that they will lose power and be overrun by non-Malays. Lately, however, he has been stepping it up. He is working more and more on conditioning the Malay mind into believing who the enemy is, even if it’s imagined.

This is dangerous divisive politics, but does Mahathir care? This is regressing to the politics of fear, which he generated when he was prime minister, but which many voters rejected during the 2008 general election. Again, does Mahathir care?

What seems clear from his recent sustained onslaught is that he’s getting more desperate in wanting to keep Pakatan out of Putrajaya. He apparently fears the consequences of Pakatan in government. From all the talk that has been circulating about aspects of his administration – and we’ve seen just an example in the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the VK Lingam case – he might be hauled up to answer some questions. Understandably, he would not want to live through that ordeal.

Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah Anwar of PKR has challenged Mahathir to a debate “to clarify if his ‘fear’ for the Malays is really about loss of power or, in reality, loss of wealth for the chosen few”. Would the old man of the past have the guts to take on the young leader of the present and the future?

Govt cuts off its nose

As for the third event, the arrest of cartoonist Zunar (Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque) has merely created a new popular hero in the movement for a better Malaysia. And it has made the government look worse for stifling free expression. Which is why it doesn’t make sense that it should resort to
that.

What’s even more damning is that there was no clear indication of what Zunar was being arrested for. According to his lawyer, Latheefa Koya, the authorities were not sure whether to charge him under the Sedition Act or the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

In this age of the Internet and speedy communication, arresting someone for producing a book of political cartoons is reflective of dinosaur thinking. Even if the cartoons are critical of the government, it speaks better for the government to tolerate its right to be published and disseminated, and to acknowledge that its creator enjoys the freedom of expression.

This is guaranteed in the Constitution, and we are supposed to be living in a democratic state. So let a thousand flowers bloom, let a thousand voices vie for attention in the marketplace. Perkasa is given their voice, why not Zunar?

Is it due to the fact that he is Malay and therefore more of a threat, because his ideas might appeal more to the Malay masses? Is it because cartoons transcend language and can express in one picture what a thousand words might not?

Whatever the reasoning, it overlooks one crucial point. Zunar is not alone. There is a resistance movement. Not an organised one, but it’s there. And it’s like the mythical Hydra. If you cut off one head, another will grow to take its place. Perhaps more.

So, to put it idiomatically, the cutting that has been done in the Zunar arrest is not quite what was intended. It is more a case of the government cutting off its nose to spite its face.

That’s what happens as a result of dinosaur thinking.

The humbug that is Dr Mahathir and the BN's dilemma

The humbug that is Dr Mahathir and the BN's dilemma

OMG that Mamak !!

Mahathir - now seen as a destructive force

Mariam Mokhtar

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's warning that “Malays would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power”, is not his first racist rant since his retirement. He delights in taking pot-shots at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration and excels at instigating unrest.

Why would the Malays lose power under Pakatan? The Malays lost whatever power they had under 22 years of Mahathir's rule.

Mahathijavascript:void(0)r is racist, but Najib would not dare charge him with sedition. Mahathir certainly acts like he is the 'co-premier' and his flirtation with extremist NGOs like Perkasa, must embarrass the current administration.

At times, we can be forgiven for thinking that he must be the second most powerful person in the government. His ruthless desire to cling onto the reins of power and pretend to speak out for ordinary Malays must create chaos in government circles. He is great at divide-and-rule.

If he is the 'Father of Modernisation', then he is out of touch with the people of 21st century Malaysia. Most Malaysians would be open-minded and accepting of one another, but for the politicians. I would accept a non-Malay prime minister of either sex and sexual preference, provided that person is a strong and capable leader.

Malaysia's riches lie not its mineral wealth or its agricultural produce; its most important resource is its people. Why can't we set aside racism and simply move forward?

We are a hardworking nation but Mahathir's policies, perpetuated by his successors, have degraded us. With 10 years left until 2020, by when he hopes Malaysia becomes a developed nation, we still bicker over which race does what, where and when. Instead of emulating our neighbours, we behave like children squabbling in the playground.

Isn't it a bit rich for Mahathir to suggest that Pakatan leaders might be a bunch of self-serving and racist politicians?

Mahathir and the other politicians in the BN coalition have already proven themselves to be self-serving and racist.

Research has shown that politicians are the least trusted group of people. The history of politics is the history of lies, and Mahathir could be considered the most professional in this group.

Once people like him have tasted power and climbed the ladder of authority, the lies, deceit and cover-ups have a cumulative effect.

He hates ordinary Malays to get on with their non-Malay counterparts and yet his chums are powerful Chinese tycoons.

Absurd claim

Mahathir is vehemently against the west and accuses it of undermining countries. However, he was happy to offer George W Bush his full support and cooperation in the aftermath of the Sept 11, attacks. He used this tacit approval to tighten his grip on political dissenters at home, using the ISA.

He has a problem with western values and their concept of 'absolute freedom' and told the US Congress in Washington: “The west is very impatient. You want overnight change.”

And yet, for 22 years, he altered the Malaysian landscape with his policies which polarised us, increased corruption, worsened nepotism and created the systematic destruction of our institutions.

His argument is that the Malays would lose power under Pakatan. That is absurd. He leaves the non-Malays with a persecution complex or the Malays feeling victimised.

This man is prepared to sacrifice the ordinary person to protect his, and his cronies' domination of wealth and power. Malaysians from all walks of life are left frightened, angry and worried.

Similarly, the Umno cohorts are also fearful of what will become of them when Pakatan gains power. We, the taxpayers of Malaysia, want them jailed and our money returned.

Mahathir and other extremist leaders imagine we're living in a Malaysia where the Malay reigns supreme for life.

Ideas like these will cripple the nation. This is the power that Mahathir has over easily-influenced and unprincipled Malays.

Malaysia is financially insecure. Our civil service is shored up with injections of cash even though large swathes of it are overstaffed and inefficient.

Mahathir has turned the Malays into a work-shy part of the Malay community. The country is suffering economically and our most gifted people seek jobs abroad. Talk of Malay rights just distracts Malays from valuing hard work and rewards.

The anomaly is that Bangladeshi fishermen are invited to take up 6,000 jobs in our fishing industry. Why? What happened to our once thriving fishing economy? Where are the government policies to modernise our fishing fleet and lift our fishermen out of poverty?

Taxpayers' money is indiscriminately spent on divisive projects like the Biro Tata Negara (BTN, National Civics Bureau) or the unpopular National Service (NS). A few months of NS are insufficient for promoting unity. The BTN indoctrination traps Malays in a dependency culture.

Power-mad talk

Racial harmony and unity is an ongoing process, best started as early as possible in life. Mahathir's racist policies are myopic. They have neither made Malaysia better nor improved the lives of the Malays, or any other poor Malaysians.

Let us not kid ourselves. Mahathir is not making the Malays 'gain power' or 'have power'. He is merely referring to Umno's (and BN component partners) hold onto power, over us. It is for their own ends - and certainly not ours.

What happens if people did not vote Pakatan? By Mahathir's reckoning, the Malays will still have power.

'Power' is meaningless if people still don't qualify to tender for contracts, have to pay a higher road-toll, are at the mercy of trigger-happy policemen or racist school principals, don't trust the judiciary, cannot afford cars or houses, and face escalating prices for petrol, electricity and basic foodstuffs?

Who will the Malaysians blame then? It won't be Pakatan. It will be Mahathir, his cronies and Umno.

Mahathir's power-mad talk has only managed to cause tensions to rise. As a retiree who has caused irreparable damage to race relations, why doesn't he just stick to making the bread rise in his bakery business, 'The Loaf'?

Alas, the talent of the Malay youth to loaf or lepak, is well-known.

Dr M warns Malays to lose power if Pakatan defeats BN

What can you expect from a senile old man still living in the eighties and with his body 5 feet 10 inches in the hole .

September 23, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — While declaring he was not a racist, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appeared to play the race card for Umno today by warning Malays that they would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) came to power.

He also implied that a Chinese or an Indian could become prime minister if PR took federal power because there was no constitutional restriction on race for the position.

The former prime minister (picture) claimed the political marginalisation of the Malays had already become a reality in PR-controlled states even though those administrations were led by Malays.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Dr Mahathir has offered his expertise to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to deliver a big win for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general elections which could be held as early as next year.

His remarks to Umno Online today suggests he will play a big role in Umno’s campaign to consolidate support among conservative Malays and win over fence-sitters uneasy with PR administrations.

The former Umno president, who still commands widespread influence among Umno members and larger Malay community, pointed to the former PR mentri besar in Perak Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin as an example of how Malay politicians had been sidelined by PR.

“We see Nizar in Perak...even though he was Mentri Besar he followed the instructions of DAP until he fell. The Chinese claim this was BN’s move to bring down a Chinese government.

“So they called it a Chinese administration and is it not possible that we can have a prime minister like Nizar, Malay in name and a Muslim but not really independent and a tool of others,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said that while Nizar represented PAS which supposedly champions Islam, he was actually used to get Malay support.

He pointed out that there was no requirement for the prime minister to be a Muslim or Malay. All that was needed, Dr Mahathir said, was that the person had the support of the majority in Parliament.

“There is no restriction in law. In our Constitution there is nothing to stop a Chinese or an Indian from becoming prime minister. What is needed is support from the majority. If the majority agree there is nothing we can do,” he said.

In a thinly-veiled reference to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Mahathir said that PKR did not champion the Malays but was set up to realise “one leader’s” ambitions of becoming the prime minister.

“Unfortunately Umno dropped this person and in anger his chance was gone, so he set up another party. His struggle is not for race, religion and country but to become prime minister.

Dr Mahathir added that the public should not be swayed by PR because he said the opposition coalition’s aim was only to bring about the downfall of BN.

The former PM claimed that his remarks were not racial in nature but were being made for the sake of restoring stability.

Singapore was cause of Malaysia’s racial problems, says Dr M..... Really ? ? Talking cock and bull story !

September 14, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that racism in Malaysia was clearly the result of Singapore’s short membership in the country, and not because the island was “turfed out” as suggested by the republic’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew recently.

“Can we really believe that if Singapore had not been ‘turfed out’ Malaysia would have no racial problem?

“While Kuan Yew talks about his belief that all ethnic communities should free themselves from the shackles of racial segregation in order to promote fairness and equality among the races, he also said that “once we are by ourselves (out of Malaysia) the Chinese become the majority,” said Dr Mahathir in a posting on his blog.

In an interview with the New York Times, Lee argued that if Malaysia had accepted a multiracial base much of what had been achieved in Singapore would have also been attained in Malaysia.

Lee, Singapore’s longest serving prime minister, claimed that if Singapore had not seceded from Malaysia, the country would have improved inter-racial relations and an improved holistic situation today.

“Now we have a very polarised Malaysia — Malays, Chinese and Indians in separate schools, living separate lives and not really getting on with one another. You read them. That’s bad for us as close neighbours,” he had said in the interview according to the transcript made available on the website of the Singapore prime minister’s office.

The remarks by the two retired prime ministers come ahead of Malaysia Day on Thursday.

Singapore joined newly-independent Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963, but was subsequently expelled in 1965.

Lee’s and Dr Mahathir’s comments also come amid a heightened race debate in Malaysia, as a result of plans by the Najib administration to roll back some of the country’s affirmative action policies favouring the Malay and Bumiputera communities.

In his blog post, Dr Mahathir pointed out that Singapore’s population was made up of 75 per cent Chinese and that the community owned 95 per cent of the economy.

“It is therefore not a truly multi-racial country but a Chinese country with minority racial groups who are additionally much poorer,” he claimed.

Lee had said in his interview that all ethnic communities should free themselves from the shackles of racial segregation in order to promote fairness and equality among the races.

This, he said, had been his greatest satisfaction in helming Singapore.

“We made quite sure whatever your race, language or religion, you are an equal citizen and we’ll drum that into the people and I think our Chinese understand and today we have an integrated society.

“We will not as a majority squeeze the minority because once we’re by ourselves, the Chinese become the majority,” he said.

Lee also took a dig at the Malaysian scenario, pointing out that the Singaporean Malays were English-educated and were no longer like the Malaysian Malays.

Dr Mahathir’s stand contrasted sharply with that of Lee’s. He argued in his blog post that Singapore was a country dominated by one race and not really multiracial.

“Whether the PAP admits it or not, the party has always been led and dominated by ethnic Chinese and have won elections principally because of Chinese votes. The others are not even icing on the cake.

“If Singapore is a part of Malaysia the PAP can certainly reproduce the Singapore kind of non-racial politics because together with the Malaysian Chinese, the PAP will ethnically dominate and control Malaysian politics. No dissent would be allowed and certainly no one would dare say anything about who really runs the country.

“Amnesia is permissible but trying to claim that it is because Singapore had been ‘turfed out’ for the present racist politics in Malaysia is simply not supported by facts of history,” said Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir also asserted that there was less racial politics in Malaya before Singapore joined the federation.

“In 1955, the Malays who made up 80 per cent of the citizens gave a large number of their constituencies to the few Chinese and Indian citizens and ensured they won with strong Malay support. As a result the Alliance won 51 of the 52 seats contested.

“The Tunku then rewarded this willingness of the Chinese and Indian citizens to support the coalition concept by giving them one million unconditional citizenship. This reduced Malay majority to 60 per cent.”

He claimed that it was because Lee had subsequently reneged on a promise that his PAP would not take part in politics outside the island that sparked racial tension.

Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first prime minister, was forced to expel Singapore because racism had taken hold, Dr Mahathir claimed.

This, Dr Mahathir suggested, led eventually to the 1969 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur.