COMMENTARY
By Leslie Lau
The Malaysian Insider
SEPT 7 — Once again, Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi has shown that he is unable to keep in check his party politicians.
If racial tensions have risen in the past few weeks, the blame should lay squarely with him because he is the good man who did nothing while Datuk Ahmad Ismail postured and capitulated himself from an unknown regional politician to the national stage by standing up to his party president.
But it is not just Umno politicians he has failed to keep in line.
He also allowed anger to mount among Chinese parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, to the stage where both the MCA and Gerakan are facing pressure from within to pull out of BN.
Now he is asking everyone to cool it. He says it is the collective responsibility of all Malaysians to preserve racial harmony.
But that is not likely to end the debate.
The man who says he is the prime minister of all Malaysians is finding it difficult now to really be one.
He is now stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Stuck between the pressure of staying in power in Umno, and the reality that most non-Malays in this country perceive Umno to be racist.
When Ahmad, the Bukit Bendera Umno chief, said that Chinese were squatters in this country, it merely reinforced the view among the non-Malays of the feeling that Umno is racist.
Regardless of the facts, that is the perception among many non-Malays.
That is why so many voted against the BN coalition. They abandoned support for MCA, Gerakan, and MIC and placed their faith in the hands of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR), which while trying to portray a multiracial front, is also a Malay dominated front.
Chinese, Indian and other non-Malay voters would rather place their faith in an alliance which included PAS, a party whose avowed mission is to form an Islamic theocracy, than in an Umno-led BN.
Perhaps what Abdullah should consider is that significant number of Malays are also choosing to vote for PR parties, including the DAP, a party whose secular aims include the removal of affirmative action for Malays.
The significant Malay support for the opposition could perhaps explain why race relations among ordinary Malaysians is still relatively comfortable.
After all, few took the bait when students from UiTM rallied against a proposal from the Selangor Mentri Besar for their university to be open to non-Malays.
And so far, the Chinese squatter debate has been confined to a fierce quarrel between Umno, MCA and Gerakan.
Even former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad realised his mistake when he initially appeared to support Ahmad's position in refusing to apologise. He must have read some of the responses on his blog from Malays who expressed disappointment with him.
The next day Dr Mahathir wrote that what he meant was that Umno leaders should not apologise on Ahmad's behalf. Dr Mahathir said that he did not like what Ahmad said and that the politician should face action.
Ultimately, Abdullah has made Ahmad a hero for all those who want him to resign earlier than later as Prime Minister.
He has also made it very difficult for BN to start the difficult task of regaining the votes they have lost to the Pakatan Rakyat.
If racial tensions have risen in the past few weeks, the blame should lay squarely with him because he is the good man who did nothing while Datuk Ahmad Ismail postured and capitulated himself from an unknown regional politician to the national stage by standing up to his party president.
But it is not just Umno politicians he has failed to keep in line.
He also allowed anger to mount among Chinese parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, to the stage where both the MCA and Gerakan are facing pressure from within to pull out of BN.
Now he is asking everyone to cool it. He says it is the collective responsibility of all Malaysians to preserve racial harmony.
But that is not likely to end the debate.
The man who says he is the prime minister of all Malaysians is finding it difficult now to really be one.
He is now stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Stuck between the pressure of staying in power in Umno, and the reality that most non-Malays in this country perceive Umno to be racist.
When Ahmad, the Bukit Bendera Umno chief, said that Chinese were squatters in this country, it merely reinforced the view among the non-Malays of the feeling that Umno is racist.
Regardless of the facts, that is the perception among many non-Malays.
That is why so many voted against the BN coalition. They abandoned support for MCA, Gerakan, and MIC and placed their faith in the hands of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR), which while trying to portray a multiracial front, is also a Malay dominated front.
Chinese, Indian and other non-Malay voters would rather place their faith in an alliance which included PAS, a party whose avowed mission is to form an Islamic theocracy, than in an Umno-led BN.
Perhaps what Abdullah should consider is that significant number of Malays are also choosing to vote for PR parties, including the DAP, a party whose secular aims include the removal of affirmative action for Malays.
The significant Malay support for the opposition could perhaps explain why race relations among ordinary Malaysians is still relatively comfortable.
After all, few took the bait when students from UiTM rallied against a proposal from the Selangor Mentri Besar for their university to be open to non-Malays.
And so far, the Chinese squatter debate has been confined to a fierce quarrel between Umno, MCA and Gerakan.
Even former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad realised his mistake when he initially appeared to support Ahmad's position in refusing to apologise. He must have read some of the responses on his blog from Malays who expressed disappointment with him.
The next day Dr Mahathir wrote that what he meant was that Umno leaders should not apologise on Ahmad's behalf. Dr Mahathir said that he did not like what Ahmad said and that the politician should face action.
Ultimately, Abdullah has made Ahmad a hero for all those who want him to resign earlier than later as Prime Minister.
He has also made it very difficult for BN to start the difficult task of regaining the votes they have lost to the Pakatan Rakyat.
Source: The Malaysian Insider
18 comments:
he is good, he allow freedom of speech and continue testing the level of tolerance among M'sian.
he make lucifer look like an angel, he allow isa to be use to curtail freedom of speech & continue to push umno small-time politicians & msnm to incite racial discord.
***crackodollah
The country is sinking...
The Prime Minister needs to sit down and really think about his actions (or his lack of actions) for this country.
He is a liar
No lah, he's a bad wee miserable specimen of a sapien who is only good for bad things, like causing misery to the people by raising fuel prices
So where are we haeding now? Datuk Ahmad refuss to resign and is now a folk hero among the Malay hardliners. The Chinese are digging in for an apology. And Abdullah cannot even discipline the guy who defied him all the way. To date there has been no settlement or reconciliation.
He is good.
He is good in making himself rich.
He is good in making his in-laws and out-laws rich.
He is only good to himself.
The best way for Pak Lah to recover support from the non-Malay component parties within the BN and rein in the Malay hardliners at the same time is to put Ahmad Ismail under the ISA.
That way, he will show all and sundry - both within UMNO and outside - that he will not brook any nonsense and incitement of racial hatred, regardless of political leaning. Operation Lallang had the same effect.
Crackodollah,
He is lost; he is unsure of himself.
Hopeful,
The PM can't think. He is in a dilemma.
Hopeful, you changed your web address. Now only I found out.
Artchan,
He is unsure of himself; he didn't lie; just didn't know.
Bayi,
We are heading southwards!
Moo,
He is surely good to himself.
Purple Haze,
I surely agree absolutely with you. But I don't think PM has that kind of courage.
http://www.kulitpisang.com
PM yakin dapat kurangkan defisit tahun depan
KUALA LUMPUR 4 Sept. — Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkeyakinan bahawa fiskal defisit negara dapat dikurangkan kepada 3.6 peratus pada tahun hadapan dari unjuran 4.8 peratus tahun ini, dengan melaksanakan pelabagai pendekatan ekonomi.
Perdana Menteri berkata, berikutan pertambahan dalam perbelanjaan mengurus dan pembangunan, kedudukan defisit fiskal telah bertambah kepada RM9.6 bilion bagi tempoh Januari hingga Jun 2008, berbanding lebihan sebanyak RM975 juta bagi tempoh yang sama pada 2007.
Faktor ini akan menyebabkan defisit fiskal kerajaan meningkat kepada 4.8 peratus bagi tahun 2008, katanya.
“Ini adalah defisit yang berlaku tidak berulang…untuk tahun ini sahaja, dan dengan pendekatan ekonomi yang kita akan ambil untuk tahun hadapan, kita akan turunkan kepada 3.6 peratus,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Majlis Kewangan Negara hari ini.
“Kalau tak kerana dulu kita berusaha untuk mengurangkan defisit, dan dengan itu membuktikan bahawa urusan kewangan kita adalah urusan yang penuh prihatin dan berkhemah, kita tidak akan dapat lakukan apa yang kita cadangkan dalam Bajet tahun ini,” katanya.
Abdullah berkata beliau juga tidak kecewa dengan pandangan sesetengah ahli ekonomi yang beranggapan bahawa defisit fiskal pada tahap 4.8 peratus sebagai terlalu tinggi.
“Saya tidak kecewa dengan pelbagai pandangan ahli ekonomi mengenai apa yang mereka dengar dari pengumuman dalam ucapan belanjawan baru-baru ini, kerana kita telah pun mengambil kira aspek-aspek seperti itu,” katanya.
Ditanya mengenai ringgit yang semakin lemah, Abdullah berkata adalah penting mata wang itu berada dalam keadaan stabil bagi tidak merisaukan rakyat.
“Pada waktu ini, nampaknya nilai ringgit kita berkurang tapi belumlah sampai tahap yang membimbangkan. Kita tidak mahu nanti rakyat akan berada dalam keadaan kelam kabut pula,” katanya.
“Pasal dulu masa ringgit kita naik pun, macam-macam desakan untuk buat itu, buat ini. Sebab itu kita cukup berhati-hati bila ada hubung kait dengan nilai ringgit kita,” kata Abdullah.
Menurutnya, yang penting ialah walau pun dalam masa naik dan turun, ringgit harus kekal stabil dan tidak (berubah secara) mendadak.
— BERNAMA
i dont think Pak Lah is really that bad as much as his haters potray him to be.
people can start talking more freely towards sensitive issue since he took over the country after Tun Dr.Mahathir.i mean that can be seen as a good thing since sensitive issues are taboo during Dr.M's era.
it's not fair just to blame Pak Lah for all the thing happened in this country.he's just a normal human being like us all.Ahmad was the one who opened his mouth but it's unfair that Pak Lah have to take all the beatings.
most of all i dont think MCA and Gerakan just wanna walk out from BN over a petty thing.they all have been together for so many years now.
owh...satu lagi artikel tentang Pak Lah.
Ahmad yang buat hal tapi Pak Lah yang kena.tapi betul juga lak apa yang Pak Lah kata iaitu cuba remain calm.kalau kita kecoh-kecoh sangat nanti lain pulak yang jadi.tiada sapa mahukan keadaan jadi lebih keruh.
Pak Lah pun dah minta Ahmad untuk minta maaf tapi Ahmad yang tidak mahu minta maaf kerana dia berkata sudah menerangkan segalanya pada Pak Lah.silap kita juga kerana tidak dengar dari pihak Ahmad sendiri tapi lebih percaya bulat-bulat kepada media.tapi Ahmad juga silap kerana tidak tampil lebih awal dalam menerangkan hal yang sebenarnya.
yang sudah itu sudah lah.kita buka muka surat baru.kalau hendak diungkit perkara yang lepas-lepas memang tidak akan berakhir isu yang sensitif ini sampai bila-bila.
punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!! punish the culprit!!
AND then the nation will be united, and AAB will be seen as a determined man.
if Ahmad refuse to apologies, don't we have law for it? He should be sacked from BN and that the court deal with him.
Not fair that the whole BN has to go down the drain with this guy.
kulitpisang,
Thanks for the article.
Youth Attack,
I appreciate your observation and I share your thoughts.
However, he is the PM and no excuses; he has to correct the weakness and rectify all defects. We do not expect miracle but we expect to observe empirical progression and improvement; instead we are reeling in disgust.
Jeremy Adnan,
Say setuju degan pandangan awak.
Kulitpisang,
Thanks for the article; please just post the link and the article caption and I can view it at your blog or at the media. Appreciate.
Jeremy Adnan,
Thanks and I agree with you.
Tak boleh kita nak persalahkan Pak Lah 100%. Tindakan sesetengah pemimpin dalam UMNO yang bersikap racist ini yang patut dipersalahkan. Tindakan yang mereka lakukan itu tidak menunjukkan yang keseluruhan parti bersependapat dengan mereka.
Tak payah kata UMNO racist. Sorang je yang cakap macam tu, takkan nak label satu kapal macam tu. Bila dah jadi macam ni, mesti ada pencacai2 yang akan gunakan benda ni dengan bersungguh2 untuk merosakkan BN.
If not much action taken on... There will be more same stories coming soon. Take it serious to prevent future similar tragedy happen.
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