Home TA Online 2014 TA Online Mandarin schools, Anwar trial and other controversies

Mandarin schools, Anwar trial and other controversies

Allah controversry protest
People are easily swayed through the use of issues related to religion, race and culture - Photograph: themalaymailonline.com

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Tota shines a spotlight on a number of hot-button issues that have emerged of late.

Allah controversry protest
People are easily swayed through the use of issues related to religion, race and culture – Photograph: themalaymailonline.com

The vernacular Mandarin schools came into existence through a provision in the Federal Constitution. This was the ‘Social Contract’ agreed upon by the royalty, Umno, the MCA and the MIC prior to independence in 1957.

Lately, extremists and Islamo-fascists have called for the abolition of these schools. But the Mandarin schools are no longer catering to only Chinese Malaysian students. There are currently 80,000 Malay Malaysian students in Mandarin Primary schools. There are also many Indian Malaysian students in these schools.

All over the world people recognise China as a great economic power. Currently, great attempts are made in the USA, the UK and other EU countries to teach Mandarin at school and university levels.

Malaysians must realise that the dim-wits who call for the abolition of Mandarin schools are a serious threat to national survival and must be countered.

Tell the truth and flee the country

Private investigator Bala went into exile in the UK. Raja Petra came out with his version of the murder of the Mongolian model.

Now Ali Abd Jalil, an activist, accused of insulting the Johor royalty, has sought political asylum in Sweden.

And Tan Lai Soon of Gerakan has been suspended from the party for putting forward a theory on the origins of the Malays.

When Najib went to the village in the Celebes from where his forefathers came, an obscure title was put on his head. In appreciation, he said that he felt he had returned to his roots!

READ MORE:  Anwar's tried and failed strategy to woo Malay voters

Retired judges serving as lawyers

On 15 March 2014, the Bar Council passed a resolution that a retired judge of the superior courts should be prohibited or restricted by law from appearing as counsel in court. This resolution does not have the effect of law, and so it is Sri Ram’s right to represent Anwar.

Gerakan Youth Chief Tan Keng Liang and MIC Youth chief Sivarajah have taken the Bar Council to task for their inaction.

But these two ‘characters’ have maintained a ‘deafening silence’ about the qualification of Shafee Abdullah as lead prosecutor. On 3 January 2014, the Attorney General’s Chambers issued an order to investigate Shafee for having possibly made a false affidavit in response to Anwar’s application to disqualify him, and that investigation is still on-going. The accusation against Shafee was reportedly made by former CID Chief Mat Zain Abdullah who claimed that Shafee’s statutory declaration contained falsehood.

Blogger Kim Quek raised some pertinent questions:

  1. Why did the attorney general allow Shafee to be a prosecutor when he is under criminal investigation.
  2. Why didn’t the attorney general inform the Court of Appeal that Shafee was under criminal investigation?
  3. If Shafee is found guilty, would it not nullify the conviction of Anwar on 7 March 2014?
  4. The police took a statement from Mat Zain Ibrahim, the ex-CID Chief, on 19 May 2014 – after Anwar’s conviction. Why then is Shafee allowed to be prosecutor in the current Appelate Court?

The attorney general’s failure to bar Shafee as prosecutor and the inexplicable delay in the investigation of Shafee may be perceived as connivance and collusion – to fix Anwar?

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What do Tan Keng Liang and Sivarajah have to say about this?

Malays lazy?

I have always hated ex-PM Mahathir for talking down to the poor Malays.

In his half-past six book, ‘The Malay Dilemma’, he propounded a discredited and discarded theory of the genetic weakness of the Malays. Mahathir criticised the Malays for depending on government handouts and predicted that if they did not change, they would go from economic crutches to wheelchairs.

Now he says the Malays are lazy and some of his staff were untrustworthy. He is repeating the despicable British view that the Malays are lazy and untrustworthy. The British said similar things about native peoples under their rule. Dr Syed Hussein Al-Atas debunked the theory of the lazy native. Now Mahathir is resurrecting the theory – all because some Malay employees in his bread chain, the Loaf, embezzled money. He has swept all Malays with one broom.

The Malays are no different from the Chinese and Indians, Kadazans and Dayaks. They are capable of hard work, educationally and economically, if the opportunities are provided. They can compete and progress.

Tun, many of the poor Malays are the victims of Umno’s rotten politics and policies. Umno uses the government-controlled print and electronic media in an attempt to indoctrinate and brainwash them with religious and political propaganda.

“Meritocracy” is a dirty word and it is put out as an evil plan by non-Malays to take over the country. The non-Malay bashing by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian is endless. But in a globalised world, rejecting meritocracy is suicidal.

READ MORE:  Mahathir's 'Malay Proclamation' underestimates Malays' common sense

Umno has used various means and strategies to keep some Malays ignorant, misinformed and out of touch with the realities within the country – and outside, literally trying to keep them like frogs under a coconut shell.

The easiest way to hoodwink people is through religion, race and culture. Umno has camouflaged its intentions by portraying themselves as defenders of “Agama, Bangsa dan Negara”.

Umno’s greed for power and wealth is limitless. Many perceive that Umno could not care less for what the Malay community will become – making many of them forever dependent on the government and suffering a serious inferiority complex.

Some believe that Umnoputra and their cronies hijacked the NEP to amass great wealth, in the process creating one of the widest income differentials within the Malay community among all communities in Asia.

Now the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment programme (Beep) will create “limitless possibilities” for the Umnoputras to enrich themselves once again.

Tun, Umno has ruthlessly and mercilessly manipulated and exploited some of the trusting Malay rakyat.

Tota is the pseudonym of an occasional contributor to our Thinking Allowed Online section.

Originally published on aliran.come on 8 November 2014

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

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charleskiwi
9 Nov 2014 8.27am

The one and only thing existing in Malaysia in favour of the Chinese is the Chinese schools but don’t rush in to thank the present leaders of MCA or Gerakan for this. They were there because of the initiative MCA leaders and all the partners during that time. Of course the present leaders of MCA and Gerakan will claim credit for their existence. If the Chinese community are to expect to have the Chinese schools for the present days there wouldn’t be any Chinese schools around to day. So is DAP especially … LKS and all the present days opposition leaders. One interesting question I have here is why are there so many, as many as 80,000 Malay children in the Chinese schools? Surely the parents of these 80,000 Malay children are not stupid … 80,000 thousands are not small numbers ! I might add that to say that even Najib had his son sent to China to learn Chinese, yet you have a few ultra Malays or to gain political support are advocating for the Chinese schools to be banned from this country. On the… Read more »

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