Let Good Sense and Truth Prevail
Aliran supports the general call by many organisations and parties in Malaysia, including UMNO Youth, for a meeting with Suqiu to resolve the 17-point appeal controversy that is raging across the nation threatening our fragile unity. This move hopefully will help to defuse the emotion-charged atmosphere and help to restore sanity and goodwill.
This is a classic example of how easily unscrupulous people can distort the truth and disrupt our harmony for selfish ends.
It is deeply regretted that the media had not conducted itself responsibly. It is a great pity that they opted for profits instead of nailing the lie that was being peddled.
Why did they play up the issue of special privileges as though it was really under threat and in imminent danger of being scrapped? They kept the issue alive instead of putting out the communal flame that was being lit.
Dr Toh Kin Woon of Gerakan was right in stating "that Suqiu's demands did not touch on the abolition of the special privileges of bumiputras as alleged by some quarters � "
And Dr Mahathir, the leader of the Barisan Nasional, the President of UMNO and the Prime Minister of Malaysia, had confirmed that "Suqiu had never explicitly stated that it was demanding for the Malays to be stripped of their special status � "
In any case, when has a demand yielded anything? Demands have never deprived anybody of anything unless the government gives in. Has the government given in to the Suqiu's so-called demands?
It is worth remembering that citizens have been demanding the abolition of the ISA for 40 years but it is still here. For sometime now there has been vociferous demands for Dr Mahathir to step down as Prime Minister but he is still around.
Let good sense and truth prevail in the larger interest of the nation in the spirit of tolerance and goodwill as we celebrate Christmas, Hari Raya and welcome the New Year. Let's leave behind the acrimony and animosity of the past as we enter the new millennium with renewed hope and determination for a bright future.
P Ramakrishnan
President
23 December 2000
