Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Saints galore in PKR

It seems Tian Chua is not the only martyr Malaysia has. We have been blessed with another and more prominent one- dear Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Wonderful Anwar informed the BBC that he has no choice but to return to politics where he had once ruled at the apex of the UMNO juggernaut.

He said Malaysia was ready for a change (and presumably he represents that 'change'), because Malaysia has lost its competitiveness, corruption is endemic and racial tension is far worse than before (presumably 'than before' referred to a time when he was the anointed heir to Dr Mahathir).

“…racial tension is far worse than before …”?

Well, I won’t deny that overt racism had been prominently displayed during the recent UMNO general assembly, but as for the “… worse than before …” part, I do wonder, because I am reminded of what Saifulbahri Kamaruddin, a malaysiakini reader, and self-confessed former Malaysian journalist wrote regarding the
ethnic credentials of Anwar Ibrahim.

Saifulbahri wrote that letter after a malaysiakini reporter
Luk interviewed Anwar Ibrahim, where the world's greatest political reformer and acclaimed mediator of inter-ethnic problems, accused Dr Mahathir Mohamad of using subtle racist tactics when the latter was in power. According to Saifulbahri, Anwar was less subtle.

This was an extract of his letter which I posted last year in Anwar: "Wei, Cina balek Tiong Sun lah"?

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I was a journalist in the mainstream media for over 20 years, and very often I covered Anwar's functions, especially involving Umno, its youth wing and Abim (Islamic Youth Movement of Malaysia). I had never heard of one speak with so much disdain of the Chinese before. We, the journalists, knew that Anwar was trying to be all things to all people, so when he addressed ‘kampung’ people with a skewed view of inter-communal affairs, he would tell them what they wanted to hear.

The reporters would duly file their stories to the editors, who then would mangle the reports to make Anwar look good, even if that meant less accuracy. Yes, indeed - Anwar appointed most of the editors in the mainstream media, and he certainly did not mince his words when it came to relations with Singapore or the ethnic Chinese. At one Umno youth rally in 1987, he ranted and raved, urging Chinese Malaysians to ‘go back to China’ if they were not happy in Malaysia. But, of course, that was not published for fear of damaging his image.

So, now the former deputy prime minister is trying to be an angel, supposedly innocent of everything that occurred when he was in power. It was the same with his accusations of the government being corrupt, the very institution of which he had been part of for 15 years and had enjoyed its largesse and dispensed patronage in a way typical of Umno even now.

It insults my intelligence to read of him accusing his former compatriots and colleagues of being what he himself was wholeheartedly.


all above underlining are mine

********
Hmmm, maybe I better not grouped Anwar Ibrahim with Tian Chua, much as they both belong to the same political party.

One is an absent-minded saint, and the other an admirable-masochistic saint - you decide who is which!

Related:
ST Tian Chua or S&M Tian Chua

8 comments:

  1. ktemoc:
    although I am not that old to know all the happenings back in 80s and 90s, but the vague memory or impression that I had upon DSAI was that he ain't an angel too (was it a lot of stories during his time as Minister of Education?). But of course the time has passed, and internet was not there yet to do all the writing like now all the bloggers do, people are quick to forget and forgive...

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  2. thank god for saifulbahri's letter - it remind people of how anwar was way back. i never like anwar and don't believe in his crap of restoring racial unity or whatever crap. his agenda is for himself only.

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  3. Anwar Ibrahim was once a "Super-Ultra", as far out racist as anybody has been. But I can accept that he has made fundamental changes in his view of the world.

    Spending years in a prison cell can be a life changing experience.

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  4. agree with kittykat

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  5. In case I am wrong or we have forgotten, who was the one who uttered the words "kaum pendatang"?

    I am still suspicious of him projecting himself as if he will set things right as in my opinion, I don't think a leopard will ever change its spots.

    Maybe I could be wrong since he have been the recipient of the rough treatment...God could have shown him the light that contentment could actually be achieved from doing good for the masses even though it means no personal gain.

    If that is the case, the Malaysian masses might be able to see the rainbow ...

    As an idealist, I pray that will be happen but as a realist - it will ONLY happen in my dreams.

    so sad lah when goodness cannot prevail.

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  6. aiyoyo, so it boils down to:
    "To trust, or not to trust?"
    Let's say:
    1) If we trust him, do we have anything to lose?
    2) If we don't trust him, do we have anyone else?
    anymore possibility?

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  7. A choice of Lesser Evils...
    it's always the same ol...

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  8. anonymous,

    i too would like to believe that his harsh treatment has 'enlightened' him. but if that's the case, i'm sure he has become a near-saint-bigger-man, so there shouldn't b any problem for him to CATEGORICALLY DISAVOW AND APOLOGISE for what the 'old AI' had said before, n make it LOUD N CLEAR that he was STUPID, he made MISTAKES (hey, he was an UMNO members, we can forgive that), n he's NOW DIFFERENT.

    but if he's SILENT, y should we give him the benefit of the doubt??? i'm not even sure if he wanted this benefit of doubt!!

    so far, what i've heard from his ceramah is all that "when i was in gomen, i did EVERYTHING RIGHT, BUT they din like it, so i had to carry on doing my own way reluctantly, blah blah blah..." he STILL MAINTAINS that he WAS right!!! he was NEVER wrong!!!

    now, if u r a truly great statesman, there's nothing wrong for u to APOLOGISE when u have made mistakes!!! if u don't even have the moral courage to sorry, u expect us to believe that u have the CONVICTION to upbold 'justice', n the backbone to STAND UP to the big n powerful n root out corruption???

    for me, all he needs is to APOLOGISE N DISAVOW. "i'm sorry, u lot from tongsan. please stay." it's that simple. i might not forget, but i can forgive.

    - IIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFF he shows that he SINCERELY wants us to forgive.


    mich,
    i still refuse to make that choice. i won't vote for a lesser evil.

    i'll just spoil my vote, until a HUMAN (non-devil, but no need to b a saint either!!!!) appears on the ballot box.

    otherwise, we'll only get politicians who only aim to achieve the 'lowest common denominator' - n we'll forever b running in circles.

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