Copyright Notice

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, at the address below.

Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Tuesday 11 May 2010

UMNO and the Royal Houses.

I have always been against the usage of a show of force to enforce opinions, thought, ideas etc. In this context for example, I treat with sadness the approach taken by a group of Perkasa young men, demonstrating in front of the PKR office. It was in effect a show of force, sadly unrestrained by the police nearby as they claimed to have received no instructions to intercede (sic). It also shows, those people who resorted to a show of force, have no reasonable answer to challenge Zaid's essay.

Stating that Zaid is disloyal to the king is also hurting UMNO's credibility because UMNO had also in the past clashed with the Royal Houses. UMNO's confrontation with the Malaysian Monarchy then was more severe and intense leading to widespread belief, that Malaysia was going the Republic way. Some of those people calling for the emasculation of the monarchy are still around today in UMNO, projecting themselves as shameless paramours of democracy for the people. What they meant was power unto themselves.

Even in this instance, the thunder was stolen from present day UMNO because the group that is now standing and being counted as defender of the King is Perkasa. It's led by the Pied Piper of Malaysian politics- one Ibrahim Ali. UMNO Selangor through its deputy head could only muster a feeble riposte by beseeching HRH Sultan not to receive Zaid. Why should the Sultan be dissuaded to see Zaid if HRH chooses to? The King is King to all his subjects- UMNO and non UMNO people. The King does not belong to UMNO.

I found one stupid trait among UMNO people as regards people not from the state but who have adopted their current state of domicile as their own. In Pekan for example where I come from, we have many Kelantanese voters who have stayed in Pahang for over 30 years. Whenever these people ask for land or assistance or facilities from the state, the UMNO people will always create a ruckus. Shamelessly, during elections, all UMNO people want are their votes ignoring and treating the state of origin of the voters as non issue. By his admission, Zaid says he has stayed in Selangor for over 30 years. On that basis, he is entitled to the same treatment and rights as Noh Omar who is a Selangorian and a ' fofesyional'. Zaid has as much right to see the King as Noh Omar has.

Needling Zaid on the royal house issue is counterproductive. First it will serve as opening up of old wounds inflicted on the royal houses by UMNO of 1988. Second, it exposes UMNO's weakness in the mosque centered activities department- UMNO is weak when it comes to carrying out mosques and surau based activities. UMNO people want to be office bearers because of the power therein and the social standing the posts confer; but are insignificant when it comes to prospering the mosques. All this while, aren't the mimbars and pulpits in the mosques employed to disseminate current issues of use and benefit to the government of the day? It's a tit to UMNO's tat. UMNO is now forced to answer this weakness by finding ways to enliven its own role in this department. Sermons by UMNO preachers are not endearing the devotees.

So when Noh Omar asks his rhetorical question, people ask back- why you are not doing the same. And don't hide behind the cloak of honoring the sanctity of royal commands. People already know what UMNO has done and is capable of doing to royal commands. Only when UMNO is weak, does it overplay its royal cards.

What did Zaid do? Zaid had opined that the statements given by HRH Sultan of Selangor were personal opinions and don't carry the force of law. The Selangor Sultan was said to have expressed his unhappiness at mosques pulpits being used as political platforms.

Those statements were quickly seized by UMNO people as royal command which, if met with non compliance or even contrarian viewpoint are tantamount to disloyalty and perhaps treasonable. By taking an early position on the high ground, UMNO sounds to the world, that only UMNO owns loyalty to king. In any case, isn't loyalty to the King enshrined in Article 3 of UMNO's constitution? Unfortunately such manifest expression of unrivalled loyalty to the King by UMNO, coming from self serving UMNO claims must be treated with circumspect.

Zaid says we don't live in a feudal society anymore where the word of the sultan is law. Even with regards to Islamic religion, the sultan needs to sit in council, which is the Majlis Agama Islam of their respective states, to have his opinions enforceable as law. In Kartika Sari's case, the King of Pahang was advised by the Majlis Agama and Fatwa Negeri Pahang.

Here is where we part company with Zaid. Zaid got it wrong when he wants us to think that it is only the monarchial system in Malaysia which represents the actual feudal system. The actual feudal system, my dear Zaid, is the one practiced by UMNO.

Look at the essence of UMNO power hierarchy. Just like William the Conqueror, UMNO's power structure was based on similar principles. King William and the Normans rewarded his chiefs, vassals and others with land in exchange for loyalty and for the supply of military and material support when facing common wars. Everyone owed allegiance to his immediate superior. The King was at the apex demanding and receiving allegiance from the 190 ketua bahagians, who demand and are owed allegiance by the many many ketua bahagians and ketua bahagians demand and are owed allegiance from ketua cawangans. The bottom was occupied by the rakyat who are herded and corralled. Each successive leadership levels is help captive by the promises of material reward.

Wasn't it UMNO in the 80s which went around cutting the clips on the monarchy here in Malaysia? Indeed I can still remember, Musa Hitam announcing to the world at large, the presence of UMNO's 7 heroes including at that time Anwar Ibrahim and Dato Seri Najib? He made that announcement in Batu Pahat I think. He regarded the 7 as the magnificent seven.

And so, if suddenly now, UMNO rediscovers the value of an institution that preceded its own deliverance to the world today 64 years ago, I say, all praises be for the Almighty.

26 comments:

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 00:07  

Dear Dato,

You are a true 1Malaysia citizen.

Hope those Umno goons will wake up from mistakes and be a good citizen.

I'm for 1Malaysia too.

sniper,  12 May 2010 at 01:25  

Sir

Without The Kings and the Malays, Umno, PKR, PAS and PERKASA will not survive.

Without Umno, PKR, PAS and PERKASA, the Kings and the Malays can still survive.

Visit Brunei.

flyer168 12 May 2010 at 02:52  

Dato',

"...treat with sadness the approach taken by a group of Perkasa young men, demonstrating in front of the PKR office. It was in effect a show of force, sadly unrestrained by the police nearby as they claimed to have received no instructions to intercede (sic)." Unquote.

Isn't it obvious that they are the "Machais" of Big Brother UMNO BARU Leaders who would resort to these "Alternative Tactics" of Ketuanan Jaguh Kampung Gutter Politics & the Law of the Jungle.

Doesn't the UMNO BARU Leaders realise that these "Mini Napoleon Hooligan" are a "Disgrace & a Slap in the Face" for UMNO BARU/BN, our Malaysian Culture, the Race & the Muslims!

They are definitely giving "Bullets" to the non Malays & the Foreign Media to "Classify" these "Malay Hooligan Mini Napoleons" as "Ill Bred/Kurang Ajar" & condoned by the Powers that be...

Lagi2 Melayu & Muslims get the Bad Image.

Haven't we seen enough of the Ketuanan Jaguh Kampung Gutter Politics & the Law of the Jungle charades?

Malays provoking the other races, religions including Islam, etc...

Again, Malays involved with Azilah & Sirul, Kugan, Teoh, Aminulrasyid, etc

Sad indeed to AGAIN see Malays Provoking Malays with such "Childish & Immature" Threats/Intimidations, etc.

I am ashamed that the UMNO BARU Leaders & PDRM are not even "concerned" to break up the "Protest Group"...or are they in "Cahoots with this Hooligan Group?"

It would be an Impossible Task to compare or bring UMNO BARU back to its Glorious “Original, Honourable, Respected, Dedicated & Accountable Organisation Days with Tengku & his 1st Cabinet members of Distinction & Integrity from pre 1957 until 1969 when the Ketuanan issue started…

I cry for Malaysia...

bornfree 12 May 2010 at 06:26  

"It would be an Impossible Task to compare or bring UMNO BARU back to its Glorious “Original, Honourable, Respected, Dedicated & Accountable Organisation Days with Tengku & his 1st Cabinet members of Distinction & Integrity from pre 1957 until 1969 when the Ketuanan issue started.."
flyer168 Umno Baru can never bring back respect cos Umno Baru is created by TDM. Period.

Pak Zawi 12 May 2010 at 06:54  

Dato',
Another great piece from you. UMNO is licensing PERKASA to do it's dirty job but the trails all leads to its door.

bat8 12 May 2010 at 09:47  

Dato Sak,

1. Satu tulisan yang mantap.

2.Jika kita teliti komen-komen dalam blog yang membicarakan isu raja-raja kita - saya menjadi sedih membaca komen-komen kurang ajar menghina raja-raja kita untuk mempertahankan UMNO(baru).

3. Saya percaya komen-komen ini datangnya dari anak-anak muda melayu kita yang buta atau mungkin dibutakan sejarah tanah air kita terutama bila melibatkan kepentingan UMNO(Baru).

Apatah lagi sejarah sebelum kemerdekaan, bagaimana kita merdeka, peristiwa sekitar penentangan malayan union, sejarah penubuhan UMNO dan UMNO(baru) "dipolitikkan" untuk kepentingan diri segelintir pemimpin melayu kita hanya untuk mengekalkan kuasa.

4. Sedih kerana mereka-mereka inilah yang akanmembawa amanah kita dimasa depan untuk meneruskan kelansungan bangsa melayu.

bat8



4.

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 10:17  

This is an excellent piece. You have shredded UMNO to smithereens. Exposed its lies, deceit, hypocrisy, , greed, avarice, unMalayness and godlessness.
I remember vividly Mahathir going around the country literally condemning the Monarchy and they (the sultans) in turn retreated into their holes like worms.
Not a single UMNO member resigned in protest against such an onslaught against the Royalty.
Not even Ibrahim Ali.(I am not sure if was in UMNO then as he was jumping from UMNO to Berjasa, to UMNO, to Semangat 46 and then to UMNO, sacked and now a quasi-UMNO leader).
UMNO knows how to use the race card and the royal card as and when it pleases. And the Royalty, allows UMNO to shamelessly use them as toys.

Paranoid Android 12 May 2010 at 10:47  

Dear Dato,

I have been a fan of your blog for a long time. You have an eloquence and an intellect that is so rarely matched by other pro-government bloggers. I may not agree with you on every issue, but your rationality and logic is reflective of the amount of maturity and reasoning you put into every issue plaguing the nation.

Perhaps the change that the nation requires is not Pakatan. It could be a new BN, a truly reformed BN which starts off by a reformed UMNO headed by people like yourself. I could only wish that PM will take notice and dare to give prominence to the people that appeals to the young voters, that attracts to the power of reason instead of base sentiments. Keep up the good work, Dato'. You continue to reassure me that there might be some hope in our country after all.

Thank you.

Ir. Hanafi Ali 12 May 2010 at 12:24  

It is an exercise in futility, saving this country the conventional way.

A radical and no-nonsense approach is needed and required.

Who dare to make the first move?

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 12:52  

Salam Dato' SAK,

Post yang mencelik kan mata, membuka hati dan menerobos minda Marhaen seperti Saya. Keep it up untuk kenyataan dan kebenaran.

2. Ulasaan saya " semua keturunan adam, dilahirkan dalam keadaan lemah dan telanjang. Gelaran, kasta, lapisan kuasa adalah fatamorgana ciptaan manusia, kerana ingin berbeza dan berkelas. Apakah firma ALLAH SWT "'surah Al-Hujurat, ayat 13: Wahai umat manusia ! Sesungguhnya Kami telah mencipta kamu daripada lelaki dan perempuan dan Kami jadikan kamu berbagai-bagai bangsa dan puak supaya kamu berkenal-kenalan di antara satu sama lain. Sesengguhnya semulia-mulia kamu di sisi Allah ialah orang yang lebih taqwa di antara kamu ( bukan yang lebih keturunan atau bangsanya). Sesungguhnya Allah sangat sangat mengetahui lagi amat mendalam pengetahuan-Nya ( akan keadaan dan amalan kamu'". tidak menjelaskan kedudukan perkara nya?, kenapa masih berdegil dan keras hati dan buta mata hati.

TQ.

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 13:18  

Sir,
It is people like you and Tunku Razaleigh who can make a difference.
but you can do only OUTSIDE UMNO.
In it both of you can do nothing.
You can do the country good if only you disassociate yourselves from UMNO.
Don't love UMNO, love your country more.

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 13:31  

News reports today - UMNO celebrates 64th anniversary. This is WRONG history.

It should read as UMNO(Baru) celebrates 22nd anniversary. The UMNO formed in 1946 died in 1988. The founder of UMNO (Baru)is mamak kutty (membership no. 0000001), the grandson of an Indian immigrant from Kerala. Let us not be misguided like some of the false hadith.

Quiet Despair,  12 May 2010 at 13:36  

No worries there, Saudara Sak. As long as Najib is in power, the monarchy will be alive and kicking.
After all he is an Orang Istana by virte of being Orang Kaya Besar Berempat Pahang (The four top territorial cheiftains).
But I wish he had the clout of his dad in his dealings with royalty. When Tun Razak talks, the Sultans listen.
I wonder if Najib ever try to contain the ongoing Kelantan Royal Household turmoil.
Najib will never be like plebian roots Mahathir and Musa who had clipped the royal wings.
It was them who told the people to learn how to be a bit "kurang ajar."
I still remember how my dad and my gradma (now aruahs) cringe when they heard this.
Yep, Musa was riding high with his Magnificient Seven speech in Batu Pahat. The seven included Najib, Ajib (Johor), Adib or is it Rahim in Melaka) then.
At the same event Tun M said; "Orang kata salah, kita kata betul, maka jawapannya betul juga lah."
I don't think what Ibrahim is doing really gets the sanction of the powers-that-be.
After all, he has been going in and out of the Selangor palace to get the Sultan's support for Perkasa.
UMNO is just letting him off the hook. What tey cannot do, Ibrahim can do the doing.
So Ibrahim is useful, for that matter.
Don't mind him, he is pushing himself into oblivion.
Biarkan Si Luncai turun dengan labu-labunya.
He is an honorable lepak King who needs something to do.
Can credit him for ingenuity. Organising the Bangkit Melayu rally in KT this week-end with Tun M speaking and the Bumiputra Congress which Najib has been invited to officiate on May 29.

Yesterday at Aspan's blog I congratulated UMNO on being 64 with The Beatles song When I'm 64.
Today I dedicate three songs from the Wizard of Oz to UMNO.
1) If Only I Had A Brain,
2) If Only I Had A Heart, and
3) If Only I Had A Nerve.

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 15:11  

You said this about zaid long time ago

http://sakmongkol.blogspot.com/2008/06/law-minister-and-his-frolics.html


Why want to defend zaid this time?

Ariff Sabri 12 May 2010 at 15:31  

anon 15:11

i dont know how to say this any other way: dont flatter yrself, i am not defending zaid here. i am talking about UMNO. be that as it may, in this instance, Zaid too deserves fair treatment.

Quiet Despair,  12 May 2010 at 16:48  

Anon 13.18

You and some others before you have been baiting Sak to quit UMNO and join PKR.
That will not happen. Sak is a committed and staunch UMNO believer.
He knows well that it's better to fight from inside than outside.
Look how far Ku Li went with his Semangat 46, as an UMNO alternative.
Sak is never one to sokong membawa rebah. He will also never be a person who burnt bridges with UMNO but still thriving in Najib's era.
For me I value more if a party member criticised my party rather than an outsider.
I can criticise my family but I hate it if he others who have no business with my family do it.

Sak, you don't need a spokesman.
But am I right?

Ariff Sabri 12 May 2010 at 19:55  

quiet despair,

you r right. i criticize UMNO but believe in the party. but i also praise UMNO when its right to do so.

Anonymous,  12 May 2010 at 23:28  

dato
which comes first? country or party?MALAYSIA OR UMNO?
Is that a catch 22 situation?I know u love this country as much as all sensible malaysians do, but then what are you doing besides blogging for a change?
Are they(UMNO) listening to you and reading your blog? have any of your ideas and suggestions taken into account or noted?
If the answer is no then WE ARE DONE FOR. UMNO only listens to UMNO.Sadly if they dont even bother to listen to a smart guy like you, dato, then i guess thats the end of the story.

Anonymous,  13 May 2010 at 03:49  

What I don't understand is that Umno leadership knows they hated right now because of the corruption. The way of doing business during the Mahathir era is over. If we had a booming economy, where the pie is huge, nobody minds. Wasn't 2004 election results a eye-opener with the highest amount of seats in Parliment> a never before seen scenario. Unfortunately instead of cleaning up the mess leftover from Mahathir, the exact opposite happened, bigger feeding frenzy, total disrespect of the feeling of non-muslims- with body snatching and what not. HOW? YOU SLAP THE FACE OF THE SAME VOTERS WHO VOTED FOR YOU. GILA KAH? Instead of cleaning up and learning their lesson, same-o same-o continues. COME NEXT ELECTIONS, UMNO IS OUT. Btw the country is ready for another may 13, but this time, it is going to be MALAY BROTHER AGAINST MALAY BROTHER,Than you have the Umno proksi- PARIAH,oops perkasa, WTF is that? malay rights being threatened? what are they talking about, GOVT IS MALAYS, GOVT SERVANTS ARE MALAYS, UNI. PLACEMENT- MALAYS, SCHOLARSHIPS- MALAYS, CONTRACTS -MALAYS. what has changed? maybe a few collapsed mosques, stadium, hospital rosak and wht not, the list goes on and on. Put yourself in the shoes of those ex-BN supporters, you slap us, than you want us to kiss your feet? Bolihkah? Change or be changed, if the clowns up there think they will get away with a slaughterhouse of a May 13 scenario, think again, those warlords of Rwanda, Liberia, Yugoslavia, Cambodia etc, the will not have very far to run before they have to face international courts.

Aspan Alias 13 May 2010 at 09:48  

You have written a very concise article but it covers all essentials of as a 'what an UMNO member should be and should not be'

While UMNO is lost in the woods, it is soothing to read your article as it reflects that there is still a member who still has the soul or REAL UMNO man should be.

I think you will smile last and the sweetest. Time will tell.

Anonymous,  13 May 2010 at 11:06  

If you smile the last and the sweetest, please walk the talk.

A lot of UMNO people, before getting the position and power, talk about perjuangan and wanting to put things right for the benefit and better life of all the citizens of this country.

But sad to say that once they have some position and power, the perjuangan becomes more for personal benefits. I have seen it all over the years.Look at the PKR frogs, they jump because of personal benefits and nothing to do with perjuangan. This is reality of Malaysian politics.

In UMNO, if you are not corrupt, you will not go far e.g to win a ketua bahagian post, you need to spend millions. This is fact. Where does the money come from? People will not simply spend millions if it is from their hard earned money obtained through hard work and sweat.

Therefore, you have to be corrupt because you need the corrupt money to buy votes/support from the poor Malays. With a few hundred ringgit, the Malays will vote for you because they are poor and feel 'terhutang budi'. So, if UMNO can keep the Malays poor, the better the chance for the rich and elite corrupt Malays to remain be in power.

Yes, very true....another May 13, if any, will be between the Malays. The lower class and poor Malays against the the rich and elite corrupt Malays. Believe me. If things are not addressed and corrected, somewhere in the future the clash will happen. Only time will tell.

The vicious circle goes on.

Anonymous,  13 May 2010 at 11:15  

I am a Malay. I will not fight my fellow Chinese citizens. They are not to be blamed.

I will fight the Malays that are in the corridors of power who has betrayed my own race by being greedy and corrupt...the so called Brahmin Malays who abused the power that ordinary Malays gave them for personal benefits and enrichment.

Anonymous,  13 May 2010 at 11:48  

The Malays/bumiputera are a majority in this country. How come a majority race be under siege mentality? How come the Malays feel threatened by the Chinese? It does not make sense.

The govt/PM are Malays, the Sultans are all Malays, the police and army are over helmingly Malays, the civil servant are Malays. The malays has become kiasu. If the Malays are weak, it is because of their attitude and the inability of the Malay leaders to instill the right values. Nak kaya cepat. Nak senang tanpa kerja keras. Nak harap biasiswa. And the leaders are happy to provide these largese as long as they can remain in power and make money for themselves.

walla 13 May 2010 at 18:29  

"I found one stupid trait among UMNO people as regards people not from the state but who have adopted their current state of domicile as their own."

That's hardly surprising. Some of them have been doing even more than that to other Malaysians.

.......................................

And one wonders about the ability of Umno to defend the sanctity of our Royal Houses.

Does Umno even defend the sanctity of our judicial process where defense can be disallowed from getting the complainant's statement? How is any defense to be mounted if the complaint is not known precisely?

After all, wasn't it only recently said that we must henceforth be 'more precise'?

Arguing that it's not necessary to know because the charge now carries reduced penalties doesn't smack of generosity; it smacks of stupidity born of conspiracy.

.......................................

So if we can choose our standards in such a way that people of the same race can be made different just because they were born in another state, how can we not expect even greater discrimination if the people were of another race?

And if we can practice discrimination in all but name, how can we in unity rally to defend the Royal Houses which have called for our combined loyalty?

And how can we overlook such a moronic contradiction when we are all reminded that the right to withhold permit to congregate resides with the law and this time the law shall be silent on a congregation to remember racism?

And how can we be confident that unity is here to stay because racism is banished if the very judicial foundation to protect our confidence is itself subject to suspect persuasions?
.......................................

We maintain the sanctity of our Royal Houses. It is symbolic of something.

But right now ...precisely...what is it symbolic OF?

So, if Umno wants monopoly as gatekeepers to the Royal Houses, will it be taxing less the people who pay taxes that contribute to the upkeep of the symbols of our nation?

Like that S500 in the workshop, the one without a roadtax?
.....................................

...this post, mostly questions.

BaitiBadarudin 13 May 2010 at 21:15  

Kudos for having the guts to dissect the ailing body poliitics

Anonymous,  13 May 2010 at 23:13  

walla
Well said ,yet again.but sadly to no avail.dato sak and you can go on and on and on.But those fellas dont give a damn.
Lets menang comments aje lah di sini.cheers anyway walla!

  © Blogger templates Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP