My recent article, Warkah To The People Of Terengganu, received several comments. In the spirit of free discussion, I have elected not to delete any comments however objectionable I find them.
Right from the beginning, I have said, only those that contained profanities and obscenities will be barred. Those with differing views are most welcome.
In Warkah for instance, readers can survey the range of views in the comments section. The gentleman by the name of Mr Navi has been a consistent objector to many of my views. But I think he deserves respect because he has been able to put forth his arguments civilly.
I accept the averment that RPK has valid reasons as Mr Navi pointed out that entitle him to voice his opinions. But I must hasten to add that concerns about the mismanagement of the goodwill money due to Terengganu or the revulsion towards UMNO for having failed to carry out humbler policies, are not the monopoly of RPK and his band of brothers.
But as Mr Navi also pointed out, we shall be remiss in our duty as a loyal party supporter to allow RPK to have the stage alone. What I am doing is to not allow RPK’s views go unchallenged. Loyalty to a cause, is something RPK and the vociferous PKR supporters and the legions of PAS yeomen and highly dependable foot soldiers can empathise and understand.
Yes, there are many things I find rotten to the core in UMNO and I shall in due course not recoil from giving my views. RPK and his band of brothers are not the sole voices of conscience able to see all the misdeeds of UMNO. Kuala Terengganu people must not regard RPK’s higher decibel ranting about the misdeeds of UMNO as being the ONLY TRUE voice of concern for KT people. Those misdeeds are collateral damages deserving of profound condemnations which UMNO people can also do.
The overriding mission of UMNO is to take care of the rakyat. That mission shall not be derailed by the collateral damages created which shall be addressed punitively if demanded. As to the overriding duty to take care of the people, UMNO leads the way. Since more than 50 years, UMNO has shouldered that concern with the other component parties and sometimes, UMNO alone has done more than its fair share. It would an insult to the intelligence of the Terengganu people allowing RPK who feels more at home at Restoren Ocean, than say Haji Hadi's Rusila or the masjid Bandar, to dictate the terms upon which to vote. All this talk about sending a clear message to the BN government is nothing, but a determined, vengeful and seditious mission to destroy UMNO.
That aim is not the style and character of Terengganu people. It goes against their practicality and pragmatism. The KT people must see through RPK’s true intention. Just to add another chip to his shoulder. To accomplish this single-minded purpose, the KT people are just cannon fodder.
Can Mr Navi now admit that I have the same standing to defend and voice my opinions that are different from RPK and his likeminded fellow bloggers( he included?).
As to the commentators that berate UMNO as having lost even the moral standing to govern and so on, they are entitled to their opinion. In particular I find it unconscionable to attribute all the ills suffered by the Malays to UMNO. To have it uttered by an UMNO man is treasonable!.
I have been campaigning tirelessly insisting the responsibility to uplift the Malays lies within ourselves first. As soon as we unconditionally surrender such responsibility to another entity such as UMNO, then we are abdicating our own responsibility. Where does that place the complainant? The answer is- the one lamenting and berating UMNO for having failed, shares the blame equally. If the same commentator thinks the responsibility of another party such as PKR is to baby care all the Malays from cradle to grave, that party will soon be condemned in the selfsame manner.
In my opinion, as long as there are still at least some voices of decency with unattached allegiances to interest groups in UMNO, UMNO is still worth saving.
I have also received a comment from a Malay blogger who goes by the name of Bumidaku. He has requested that his article on the KT by elections be published through my blog. It is written in Bahasa Malaysia. I have agreed to have it published. Readers can read it here. Please take time to hear the message from a less distinguished postmaster. Unlike RPK, he is a man of lesser standing. But he is one of you, Terengganu people.
Dato',
ReplyDeleteI have no political affiliations as I do not subscribe to any political ambitions. My concern is for the welfare of my family, my people the Malaysians and my country Malaysia. My comments were not meant to criticize for the sake of such, but to disagree on points raised in your eloquent compositions, the style of which I admire and wish I could replicate.
Before the advent of Dr. Mahathir as President, I had considered UMNO as the foundation of this country and many like me appreciate the initiatives taken by UMNO then. Under Dr. Mahthir, democracy in UMNO and the country was aborted in favour of what he termed guided democracy. Many of Dr. M's undertakings were positively accepted . But his tenure also saw the gradual disintegration of society and the opportunities of forming a truly Malaysian race. Human rights were disregarded in his hunger for physical and economical development of Malaysia. Forgotten were the spiritual guidance that was so necessary to have kept off corruption,abuse of power and racial ill feelings. Under Dr. M, UMNO lost its right to be 'leaders'. UMNO was not showing the way to greatness but to slow retrogression in morality.
You sir, say that the members of UMNO themselves are critics. I again disagree as the last 25 years have seen the same leadership continue and in fact the conditions have worsened. The members of UMNO have accepted the negative values expounded by the leadership and have been rather quiet until the recent set backs of March 8th, when a few voices has been raised. However, from the list of candidates for leadership in UMNO, there is nothing new, but the same mundane faces. Hence my statement that UMNO must die to rise again. New faces are needed, with new sets of values for UMNO to become what it was. I believe every organization should undergo change to keep up with time and UMNO is one that needs a complete overhaul to be acceptable hence my seemingly hostile statements.
Just like RPK, your comments are devoured and many are accepted as favorable to forge a truly great nation. RPK too has been very forthright in calling a spade what it is. I believe that he too is a patriot in the true sense but with a differing view from yours and I trust that his intention is to hasten the downfall of UMNO. Perhaps than, UMNO will rise once more as a party for the people and not a select few as is perceived now.
mr navi,
ReplyDeletenot at all. i dont find your comments hostile. they are valid criticisms, most of which i agree. but until 17th Jan, i on my part must do everything possible to get a win. i dont care abou wan farid, about even the coming pm who has a lot of baggage. i dont care about muhd muhd taib, a known violator of law, khir toyo who wealth is questionable,rahim tamby chiks of the world, etc etc.
i share the same angst as seeing jokers come into power- this malaysian tattler crowd.
thank you for your forthright comments.
Datok,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for enlightening us with your independent opinions, so refreshingly different from the mainstream UMNO thinking.
Dato, the problem is there are not enough UMNO members like you that can bring about a change. You can fight for a win in KT but after that, what's next ? The same people you have reservations about will still be running the show. When can renewal happen or can it happen at all?
Something radical has to happen before renewal can happen. The most radical that can happen is for BN to be the opposition after the next election. Then and only then perhaps change can come about.
Spectator
As I read your replies to the various critics of Warkah to the people of KT(1) I find it even more irrational.
ReplyDeleteYou dismissed RPK's accusations of UMNO misdeed as been hateful while you said almost the same thing as RPK and said it was done because you were noble and this was done so that others could see that UMNO has people who share the same stage as RPK.
You would reviled RPK because he "was not the sole voice of conscient". But your conscient only allowed you to euphemistically characterised UMNO's 52 years of rob and plunder and divide the nation as "collateral damage". This is utter nonsense.
In short your attempt at trying to steal the thunder from RPK had basically failed.
Gee...talk about irrationality this has to take the cake !!