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Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Saturday 19 March 2011

Dr. M’s Memoir: the luxury of being Malay and un-Malay

oii bangsat..berapa banyak khairy jamaludin bayar engkau ni ??

Of all the comments on the articles I write, this is one I like most. Because it is the stupid man's way of wishing a problem away. It also represents one who hasn't got anything to argue with. The language used by this anonymous sob has all the hallmarks of a peddler of rancid and putrid curry, tumeric and chilies and all other spices that have gone through a cat's digestive system.

At one point in US history, psychiatry was used to put aside society's undesirables. Many blacks were committed to mental institutions or were locked way from society, to ensure society remains clean (meaning predominantly white). This was the clever and cunning man's way of doing away with a problem.

In Malaysia, the stupid and indolent man's way of sweeping away a problem, is to accuse your opponent as being a paid lackey. Or to cast aspersions of the persons morals. This last strategy can only be verified by asking the actual persons involved, not bloggers or spin health assistants (HAs ) who don't know what they are talking about.

Was it not quite recently that some bloggers quarreled among themselves because they suspect one another of sapu-ing the money paid to them for services rendered during by elections?

People need to understand the difference between the term blatant and political liar. To describe someone as a blatant liar, suggests that such behavior is an intrinsic part of the personality. Born liar comes to mind. Anwar Ibrahim for example has personal issues with Dr Mahathir. So he calls the latter, a blatant liar. I am not interested in personal fights and quarrels.

The term political liar suggests, you can be inherently good but manipulates your story in furtherance of retaining power. The art of securing and retaining power is politics. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah terms Mahathir a political liar, conceding (I suspect) that Dr Mahathir may and can be a good person. When no politics is involved that is.

Razaleigh knows Mahathir better than most of us- Razaleigh, Musa Hitam and Mahathir were all young men many decades ago. They may have similar hobbies, indulged in similar pastimes, ate food together, frequent the same watering holes, eye-balled the same dance hostess. Razaleigh must have known Mahathir as the person he truly was and is.

Here is a memoir written by a most revered person. There is no doubt that Dr Mahathir is an immensely popular person. I am impressed to hear 10,000 copies were sold in the first 3 days or so. But I certainly had no difficulty in buying the book. Then I remembered- it must be true: MPH which belongs to Syed Mokhtar buys 5000 copies and Borders which belongs to Vincent Tan buys another 5000 copies. Total 10,000 copies.

But- Reading the 62 chapters gives you the feeling, the author is putting up or weaving tales so as to justify and legitimize actions taken the past. It's a voluminous tract in an attempt for self-cleansing perhaps? Or maybe self-deliverance? Deliver us from the tangled web we weaved.

People say a memoir is a personalized story of one self and a deliberately skewed presentation of events and facts. Write your own memoir if you are not happy is the most common knee jerk response. That's a very disingenuous and tricky response because , in the case of Dr Mahathir's memoir, a person would have to be regarded as having standing if he were a former PM wouldn't he? No, you can still dispute what's said in a memoir even if you don't write one especially when description of political issues is specious.

Let's see. I read all the 62 chapters. I keep coming back to chapter 2. Why would a person proud to be Malay and extolling the virtues of the Malay people wasn't upfront about his ethnic origins? Of course he didn't say I have Indian blood but I am Malay in one sentence. But have you not heard of distilling what's written and said? You can't distill the essence? Of course you can't if your reading repertoire is confined to mills and boons, Beano and Dandy comics.

Mahathir is Malay and yet un-Malay. Malay because as he says its- he identifies with the Malays. Malay because he despises the characteristics of Malays that weaken them. He is UN-MALAY, when he uses the virtues that he fondly described the Malays as having to his advantage. Hence when the truer Malay like Tengku Razaleigh for example, makes way to Mahathir's seniority as a sign of polite deference as a Malay does, does he return the favour?

Ada ubi ada batas, ada budi ada balas. The real Malay does that. The Malay doesn't if he has un-Malay characteristic. Nope- he says, he leaves the decision of finding the deputy president of UMNO to delegates. He accepts the decision when it brought him advantage. Once there, he assumes his un-Malay identity.

He said it himself- the fact that a Malay has different blood in them, doesn't make him any less Malay. So why put up an admission that he has south Indian blood but doesn't know which part of the Indian subcontinent his ancestors come from? It's academic since it doesn't lessen his Malay-ness. Even if he knew or doesn't, and we accept that he and many others don't know where our ancestors come from, it doesn't make him less Malay.

He puts it up anyway and wants it to be known he has that ancestry to justify why at times, he behaves un-Malay.

We accepted people like Dr Mahathir as being Malay and will never discriminate against him even if he were known by a name which has peculiar sounding terms affixed to it. By the way Dr Mahathir defines Malayness in chapter 2, the Malays are simply incapable of vicious discrimination on him.

So why is Dr. Mahathir holding back? I don't think the Malays, who, by his own admission with their infinite capacity for accommodativeness and willingness to accept others will disown Mahathir even if they knew where his ancestors come from. My own opinion- this is opinion- is that that despite elaborate treatment of the virtues of Malayness- exceedingly polite, respect for elders, deferring to the opinions of elders, excessive respect for people with titles and so forth- Mahathir actually DOES NOT TRUST the Malays.

Two, all those virtues and characteristics of the Malays were seen as weaknesses which DR Mahathir can leverage and capitalize on. He can fall back on his un-Malay portion when he wants to deliver the coup-de-grace. He delivers this when he screwed up Tengku Razaliegh, he delivers this when generally chastising and mocking the docile and pliant Malays.

Being Malay therefore has its pros and cons. Good being Malay, when they accept Mahathir as Malay unreservedly. Bad being Malay when it nearly led them becoming a minority in their own country. Mahathir is a walking cost-benefit analyst. What's the cost and benefit to admit one is Malay? So when cornered he falls back on Malayness sentiments and treat his belonging to the Malay race as a safety net. When not cornered, the Malayness in him is not relevant.

The message is this. What's so bad if I had Indian blood and accepting me as Malay, when you stupid Malays accepted Chinese and Indians into this country and it nearly cost you your own country? So don't question my Malayness and what I have tried to do to you, when your own stupidity could have led to annihilation?

Dr Mahathir seems to be conscious and even overly so of his ethnic origins. So he devotes so many pages writing on ethnicity of Malays and their virtue of not basing ethnicity just on bloodline. Everyone can become a Malay and once he becomes one, enjoy the same rights and privileges and deserves the same treatment. Meaning, Dr Mahathir will feel offended if he is regarded as being less Malay when he is already one.

Whereas we in UMNO are not making a fuss about it for the simple reason, our identity is more based on history and culture. Dr Mahathir says so himself on page 31. So why does a person who acknowledges that Malays in general are accommodative and liberal in outlook, had to devote a great many pages on discussing the subject of ethnicity?

Here is my theory. Maybe because for so long Dr Mahathir has been hiding his ethnic roots for fear of being rejected? He doesn't trust the Malays after all even after conceding the Malays are not inherently racist. Onn Jaafar didn't hide his Turkish ancestry. Tengku Abdul Rahman didn't hide his Siamese ancestry. Maybe Dr Mahathir wasn't sure of Malay acceptance of his ancestry after all.

If a person like Kadir Sheikh fadzir and Azeez Raheem were to position themselves among Pahang Malays for example, from appearance and physiognomy alone, no one will call them Malays. But because we look more at shared history and shared culture, we accept them as Malays. We are not bothered by their ancestry. So what if Dr Mahathir has Indian roots and actually has a kutty behind his name- he is accepted as Malay. When I was growing up in Kuantan, I had many schoolmates with kutty behind their names; we regarded those as oddities but never regard as being other than Malay. They may behave different, apply different hair oil, eat different but delicious food- they were Malays.

Because of this fluidity, dr Mahathir can feel free to criticize Malays for whatever reasons- lack of the proper values, taking things easy. Yet Dr Mahathir says in chapter 2 that he fully identifies with Malays.

Why? Because as Dr Mahathir says it- Malays have this infinite capacity to accommodate. Now everyone is Malay. It's like Dr Mahathir says- Malays are never obsessed with purity of the blood. Malays are generous and willing to work with anybody. We Malays are even willing to give up our rights and privileges to accommodate others. We accept them as one of us. We certainly did with Dr M.

69 comments:

Ayurvedic Liver Treatment 19 March 2011 at 08:18  

The last sentence summed it up dato.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 08:57  

and because of this very malay trait, the malay will eventually lose heir own country....to the 'new' malay.

OZserver,  19 March 2011 at 09:24  

A good and fair presentation on a very difficult topic. I am a lot less generous than you, not just because I am Chinese. I grew up with Malays on both sides of our house, and played games like flying kites, marbles, trapping birds with them. They were so much better than the Chinese kids and I look up to them as leaders.

They were innovative, they pounded the glass into finer grain, and used different sources of glass material, they then coated the threads with the pounded glass using boiled and melted 'cow hide glue'. In a kite fight, you entangle your opponent's kite so that your thread are rubbing against his, and then both would release the thread as quickly as possible. This way, the cotton threads with a better glass coating would cut through the opponent's. My Malay friends would win most of the time.

I reckon that these skills could readily be transferred to advantage on the shop floor, or in designs of computer systems. Why aren't these happening?

I can only put it to how the Malay kids are challenged to perform on a consistent basis.

What have Mahatir done to encourage the Malays to perform? He has scolded them for not working hard enough like the Chinese. He has even made them feel they are inherently inferior to the Chinese, like when he said he could not get as good results at his medical course as the Chinese.

I remember listening to Zain Asrail (wrong spelling?) in English, I still can't remember anyone speaking as well, except for Keating, Clinton, Blair and Obama.

So Mahatir's claim that Malays are inferior are BS of the highest degree! (he has probably retract from that position now, and put a diiferent spin to that). What has he done, in his 22 years as PM to address one of the core causes of Malay uncompetitiveness?

Proton Saga is just a scheme of lining the pockets of Umno and cronies. The twin towers are show over substance, although it has come to identify Malaysia.

What about family education? What about a constant reminder to make Malays proud of themselves instead of constant belittling. What about constant challenge to Malays to perform, even like him, to study hard and become doctors, or like Zain, master the English language and become a good speaker, or like P Ramlee, a good actor/director.

He has even systematically destroy budding good Malay political leaders like Tunku Razaleigh, Musa Hitam, and Anwar Ibrahim. In all these acts he is definitely unMalay.
In their place, the country now have Najib as PM, Muhyddin as Deputy PM, Hisamuddin as Interior Minister and so on. The quality and substance of these people are way below. That's one of his legacy - he destroyed good Malay leaders, not for the good of the country but his own greed for power and wealth.

His worst legacy, the culture of corruption, and the subordination of Judiciary, PDRM, EC as mere instruments of a dysfunctional Executive with the sole purpose of keeping it in power. How can Malaysia get out of this dire situation other than by revolution a la Egypt, Tunisia or Lybia - A Malaysian Dilenma?

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 09:37  

The way Mahathir behaves when he was president of Umno and PM shows his un-malay character. These are a few egs.

1. He cast aside Tengku Razaleigh like a hot potato, who shld have been his DPM.
2. He orchestrated the humiliation and sacking of Salleh Abas.
3. He cheated in winning the Umno's 1987 Presidency election.
4. He taught his ministers to be corrupt so that he has a hold on them.
5. He abused his office to benefit himself, family members and cronies.
5. He humiliated, sacked and orchestrated faked sodomy charges against Anwar.
6. He orchestrated the clipping of powers of the malay Sultans and publicly humiliated them by showcasing to the world their misdeeds and lavish lifestyles. Hussein Onn showed his malay character when dealing with the Sultans. Hussein wld just called up the Sultan and privately reprimanded them.

These are a few egs. In actual fact, mahathir was and is never a malay by definition of Art.160.Fed Const. His behavior doesn't conform to malay customs; a prerequisite to be classified as malay.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 10:03  

I agreed with Mahadhir that Malay is willing to accommodate everyone. Even the black negro are being well welcome by the Malay into their family. Pretty soon, Black Malay will emerging in Malaysia. Look at how we welcome the Pakistani, Bangladesh et ect. Now the Malay also giving away everything to win political position (regardless ruling parties or opposition)

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 10:10  

Sak,
No mater what, if you have indian blood , you cant hide it.It doe'nt equate and it doe'nt not change you into a malay.Deep in his heart Mahakutty knew he was indian all the way.If he wants to pretend to be malay nothing much an idiot can do! He will always be a half breed and not a malay!

Wenger J Khairy,  19 March 2011 at 10:14  

Wow Dato!

When you were quiet for a few days, we were on pins and needles. But you came back and showed those rancid karis how silly and out of depth they are.

This article really explains this entire issue. Mahathir plays it both ways - he is biologically some one else but calls him Malay. Which is fine - its no big deal until the Mahas make it a big deal WHEN THEY CANNOT DEAL WITH THE TRUTH.

This is the issue. Maha's will force you to believe that black is white because MAHATHIR TOLD THEM SO.. When you show the proof, and tell them, that actually is white, but lets not make a big deal about it, they rant and rave because MAHATHIR TOLD THEM IT WAS WHITE

Most people accept that Dr. Mahathir is smart and cunning. He used, abused and betrayed those who "berbudi" to him and was PM for 22 yrs. After he was shown the exit, he realized just how surplus to requirement he really was.

Even worse, he sees how much people hate him. This is the long list in attempts Dr. Mahathir has tried to clean up his image. Remember that awful Maha-documentary (I did not bother to watch judging by the producer), remember Tun the Musical play and now this poor excuse for a book!

And btw, Borders is bankrupt. All those compliant Mahas should shut up and just go and buy as many copies of this fiction.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 10:29  

Very interesting dissection of Mahathir's thoughts.

Mahathir is of course no different from a chameleon. If this country belongs to Indians, he will call himself an Indian and be proud of it!!
He can Indian and unIndian himself as he Malays and unMalay himself.

All that matters to him is POWER and the accompanying advantages.
This guy must be hanged by his ba**s.

katdog,  19 March 2011 at 10:33  

So if anyone willing to call themselves Malay then they can have special rights? So when AMCJA proposed that all Malaysian citizens be referred to as Malays, why did UMNO oppose it? I mean, ancestry is not the issue right?

Do you think your revered former PM would be so eager to declare himself Malay, if there were no special privileges to be had? If Malays didn't care about ancestry, do you think Dr. M would be so insistent on hiding his Indian roots?

Dr. M is nothing more than a Mercenary Malay. He didn't become Malay because he identified with it and loved the culture. He became Malay because of the convenient advantages and benefits it bestowed him. It was easier for him to get ahead in life by just being a Malay than being an Indian muslim.

If we are not obsessed about ancestry than why the need to declare oneself a Malay? Is it so important that we have a Malay PM instead of an Indian muslim PM? If Dr. M was an Indian muslim PM, would he have done anything differently? I think not. He would have still done everything his way. Being a Malay or Indian muslim would have changed nothing.

meorUSA,  19 March 2011 at 11:22  

i was not half way reading you piece when i feel light headed and think a stroke is imminent.Why?.
I am not fond of you or DrM in person....but my physiology is not easy with your analysis.
There is a viral marketing to it.
Again this is a response to your writing (this peculiar one) not the subject.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 11:40  

"The language used by this anonymous sob has all the hallmarks of a peddler of rancid and putrid curry, tumeric and chilies and all other spices that have gone through a cat's digestive system."

Very beautifully put.
This description fits the sob Defense Minister who hurled all sorts of false accusations against Tony Pua as being a former Singapore MP who was arrested but released because of some connections.
This is the modern Malay way of replying to questions on some shady Ministry's purchases.
The arrogant Malay does not know how to engage opponents views intelligently.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 14:09  

It's not easy to decide who is the best loved prime minister of Malaysia, but the most hated is undisputable.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 14:52  

"Ada ubi ada batas, ada budi ada balas. The real Malay does that. The Malay doesn't if he has un-Malay characteristic."

Sorry to take it out of context. Doesn't that sentence imply that (un)non-Malays are incapable of showing gratitude towards kindness?

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 15:02  

Wah!
Bijak betul, Sak baca otak Melayu Celup tu.
Pasal politik la TDM, sekejap Melayu, sekejap mamak, sekejap pariah.
Rakyat Melayu tulen biasa dah lama tahu apa yang Sak tengah tulis ni dan tahu apa agenda TDM dan anaknya.
Yang masih tidur dan bengap ialah orang-orang NGO-NGO, UMNO dan BN yang dapat habuan dan susah nak lepaskan.
Tengok sekeliling, berapa ramai Melayu tulen yang berjaya? Yang ada nama Melayu yang berjaya pun semua Melayu celup.
Sampai bilakah, rakyat Melayu tulen ni nak diperbodohkan?
Kesian jugak kat orang-orang kampung yang selalu diperdaya ibarat "Menang sorak Kampung tergadai".
Tu lah, politik Melayu yang dipermainkan sekarang?
Jangan ingat rakyat bangsa-bangsa lain tak nampak semua ni? Mereka sebenarnya memang mempercayai negara perlu pemimpin Melayu tulen sejak Almarhum TAB, TAR, THO yang tulus dan berjiwa rakyat. Tu lah sebabnya mereka sanggup mengundi PAS tahun 2008 atau apa-apa parti selain BN. Tak nampak ke? Ataupun masih nak percaya kata-kata TDM kekalahan BN kerana TAB.
Kalau UMNO nak hidup balik, kenalah bersihkan dahulu Melayu celup dan Melayu tulen yang korup sebelum pilihanraya. Susah sangat ke?
Tak hendak buat pun tak apa, cuma bersedialah tunggu masa saja untuk lain parti memerintah suatu hari nanti.
Masa tu, baru nak berubah? Ibarat tunggu orang Portugis, Belanda, Jepun dan Inggeris lepaskan kuasa dahulu.
Jadi bijaklah sadikit wahai pahlawan Melayu sebenar! Yang suka berteriak-teriak "Aku Melayu la, NEP la, Islam la, Bahasa Melayu la, AP la, Ketuanan la, Artikal Perlembagaan No sekian-kian la, Serumpun la dan macam-macam lagi, tolonglah selidik sikit apa agenda politik mereka sebenar.
Jangan jadi bodoh lagi! Jangan diperkudakan oleh orang berpolitik persendirian dan tamak harta benda.


Dah Terjaga

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 15:05  

"...It's like Dr Mahathir says- Malays are never obsessed with purity of the blood. Malays are generous and willing to work with anybody. We Malays are even willing to give up our rights and privileges to accommodate others. ..."

When he finally admits that, we shall get buckets of tears from him. After which time the Nehru jacket wardrobe will be up for auction!

Forget it! Syed Mokhtar will outbid you.

But lest we forget, orang putih can bleed his heart for an orang hitam who will for an orang kuning and who in turn for any orang, of any shape size or stripe.

Red Alfa 19 March 2011 at 15:22  

Salam Dato'

With due respect to the context of your point, for so long we have practiced and (you may be pardoned in stating it so loudly) be proud of our Malayness, the global think/practice/pride on the subject has since moved past us!

I am personally reminded of this. On 2 occasions I had given engineering specialists one from USA and the other South Africa who my company had to engage and in completing the forms as are required under our laws, they were made to state their respective races.

I was amazed and also felt ashamed that they had felt greatly troubled in stating their race on our forms!

They said in their respective countries they are not allowed and would be committing an offence to state their race in such documentation. They then had asked me to plead on their behalf that they be excused to state their race.

Dato', where are we headed with our preoccupation on race?

Tiger 19 March 2011 at 15:30  

perhaps he knows that his time is coming to an end, and however much his ill-gotten wealth and influence still cannot be used to put his Mukhriz as PM.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 16:08  

I think you should write about something else, already 3 posting about this memoirs.Whatever you write about the man he is still the Mahathir, ever so confident.What he wrote in his memoirs is credible and convincing to me.He is proud here,humble there,unsure,sceptical just like any other human being.Of course he was very frank and blunt which he himself admits.I'm an ordinary person and me and my family lived ok under his premiership.We ordinary malays if we follow his advice going about improving our lives we would surely have lifted our standard of living.Rather than bitching about and berating others we might as well do something else beneficial.
p.s. i don't worship him.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 19:47  

Who cares about what his ethnicity is? It's his sociopathic-like behavior that concerns me the most. Doesn't he get tired of lying or playing the race card?

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 20:50  

nice one dato.good 4 the soul.peace 2 all good man.

Suci Dalam Debu 19 March 2011 at 22:24  

Sir,

Sometimes I really don't know what to say?

Meaning: This has been going on for so long. What's that you may ask?

Well, the Malays have been "hijacked" by the many mamaks, malays bagai kerbau dicucuk hidung. The mamaks took and continue taking full advantage of the situation and derive the most out of it.

Worse still, they blame it all on the Chinese & Indian Malaysians. If that is not enuf, they blame it on the Mat Sallehs too!

This modus operandi is so obvious to all except the Malays.

That fella cucuk us for more than 22 yrs and still continue to do it from the rear now. His sons is now FULL Melayu and are not ashamed to take full advantage of the NEP. Strangely his daughter always articulate things quite opposite to his father.

Anonymous,  19 March 2011 at 23:10  

Dato,

What do you call a man who consistently claims he forgets the facts and feigns selective amnesia in a court of law? A blatant liar or a political liar? Whether the man is a blatant liar or political liar, he lies to achieve his own agenda and that he makes him untrustworthy, dishonest and a LIAR.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 00:42  

one question dato.

can ridauhn tee be a Malay and enjoy the same privileges as Mahatir?

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 01:42  

When someone is ashamed of his or her own father's ethnicity and lineage for one reason or another, he or she is despicable, contemptible and scornful !

didi,  20 March 2011 at 02:39  

Anonymous 00:42,

Is Ridhuan Tee not a malay already? Have you ever read his articles? He always say "we malays...". I don't know how it's possible to change race within one's lifetime, but I guess in Malaysia people equate converting to Islam as conversion to malay. He's even an UMNO member. So he has to be a malay right?

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 02:57  

15 th most richest man, Twin towers, F1, plus highways, Dep minister who lost party elections....We will remember u Tun Mahathir.

dahseriknganCM 20 March 2011 at 04:11  

Dato, regarding malay and un-malay i really have nothing to say.

But what happend between mahathir and ku li, id like to know.

if its possible to accomadate my request, could you write a piece on the team a and team b situation, a personal point of view from your prespective dato, the whispers on the ground at the said time. Your take on the situation when it happend, and the eventual split into semangat 46. And y did ku li rejoin umno?

details dato....if and when you choose to write about it....id like to thank you in advance :)

Pure Malay,  20 March 2011 at 08:10  

Dato', I'm sure alot of pure Malays by heritage (Pekasa & Umno purist) are feeling stumped ..what are they going to say now .. whose 'Malay' rights are they trying to fight for? Your last sentence sums it all. It is spot on. I could never understand why non-heritage Malay-wanabees and people like KIMMA are so obsessed with Malay rights than we pure Malays by heritage are. Many pure Malays have moved on to fight for universal rights like effective & efficient government, good governance, social justice, rule of law, stop corruption, stop wastage.

Quiet Despair,  20 March 2011 at 08:17  

Come on everybody, out with it. Admit it, you all love or hate Mahathir, based on your self-interest or selfish reasons.

To borrow a Pahang phrase kalau kena cangkuk masing-masing.

The nons especially the Indians want him to acknowledge himself as Indian so you can go ah that's why he's so smart.

And you all will be too happy to say he's Indian, that's why he's forever chastising the Malays for being stupid or lazy etc.

But for us, he has always being accepted as a Malay. Married to a true-blue conservative and rather well-known Selangor family.

He was always in UMNO. Never in Kimma or in MIC like the late S.O.K. Ubaidullah, for example.

Maybe his name Maha is Indian because Malays don't name their child which means supreme and God's attributes. Another is his face which looks Malayalee.

But to all intents and purposes, he is our own. A better Malay than most of us so called pure Malay.

In this oh-so-fashionable political correctness times, it's taboo to call ourself I am proud to be a Malay first.

And Mahathir is the only one now going for special rights of the Malay with emphasis on ketuanan Melayu. He is always reminding us this is our land.

Who now dares to mention Tanah Melayu or even Keretapi Tanah Melayu. A constant reminder lest we forget, who we are in our zest for 1Malaysia.

And during the constitutional crisis, weren't you all nons happy that Mahathir clipped the wings of the Sultans. Remember how you all go cheering.

And there were many Malays, traditional royalists, who were sad that the special privileges of the Sultan were being teared apart. To them, the worse is sullying the image and dignity of our Sultans.

And they go, oh dia bukan Melayu. Tak reti beraja, tak ada adab etc.


These are examples of how Mahathir is always relevant according to the issues at hand.So don't try to shoo him away. Or even think of pissing on his grave.

He's like an Arab stallion which he breeds.

Maybe he's a political liar to some. But aren't politicians liars most of the time.

Better a political liar than a congenital or blatant liar like that saddle-king (fave brand of jeans when my dad was young) fella.

John the evangelist in the bible says: "If anyone says, 'I love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar." That sounds like Anwar, dudes.

Anwar has always played safe. Always mum when it comes to issues of race. A pretend liberal he is.

But Mahathir will cry for his race. Some of you will say, it's crocodile tears. Oh yeah, at least he's earnest in his love to see the Malays made headway in their own country.

Oh and aren't you guys looking forward to his revised version of the Malay Dilemma?

You don't like the old Malay Dilemma. But the revised version will be hailed by you all as hey Malays, see how you are reprimanded again for always being behind us in all aspects.

P.S. OZserver. It's Zain Azraai, a gentleman of gentlemen. A consummate diplomat who according to my dad will always say by your leave.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 10:06  

Ridhuan Tee is just being as opportunistc as Mahathir, if Japan occupies Malaysia again , RT will immediately work for the Japanese military .

I bet he will have nothing to do with anything Malay anymore and desperately trying to be a Japanese and says "... bokutachi nicchuukantougou..." meaning ' ...we Japanese...'. and pledge his loyalty to the Japanese Emperor.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 10:41  

How not to be obsessed about being a malay when being a malay means having "special privileges"? It is even a greater obsession to be an UMNO malay because it guarantees these "special privileges" which means not having to work and think and yet be able to reap (rape) in millions of ringgits in contracts. No wonder the likes of KIMMA, Ridhuan Tee, Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Africans, etc are all clamouring to be malays simply by learning to eat, speak, sleep and dress like a malay but most important of all, shout at the top of their voice that they are more malay than the natural born malays themselves.

If TDM had did away with the NEP, special privileges and his racial polarisation agenda, I bet the obsession of being a malay would never have arisen. And I can also bet that TDM will be well remembered for his legacy of creating a united Malaysia instead of now being forever remembered as the man who destroyed Malaysia and its people. TDM chose to remind everyone that he is a malay first and last rather than reminding us he is a Malaysian first and last. This is a sign of a man with an inferiority complex.

NON,  20 March 2011 at 11:54  

Quiet Despair,
I do not like Mahathir because he created a system where foolishness rules. And when any one says anything in response, the first question is "whats your race."

Mahathir transformed Tengku's vision into a land of Malays and Non's where people hate each other. Its a sad state of affair.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 12:17  

Quiet Despair,

Most people knows that Zain Azrai is a consummate diplomat and a fine gentleman. The fact that your father can recognize one shows how intelligent your father is compared to you.

Most people regard Mahathir as a dirty politician and an evil person. I really don't know what your father's views are on Mahathir. But I guess being an intelligent man, he would have the same opinion of Mahathir as the rest of us here. Beats me what can someone see in that evil man. person.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 13:19  

Quiet Despair.. posted.

"And Mahathir is the only one now going for special rights of the Malay with emphasis on ketuanan Melayu. He is always reminding us this is our land.

Who now dares to mention Tanah Melayu or even Keretapi Tanah Melayu. A constant reminder lest we forget, who we are in our zest for 1Malaysia."

What is special rights may I ask?

CAn you in your opinion , elaborate what do you mean compared to what we mean by the word "special " rights.
Maybe perhaps you get your mentor (most probably BTN ) to explain . Those guys dared not debate on it.

About "Tanah Melayu" . If I am not mistaken it was coined by the British for a brief period of time. Malaya is the name more appropriate.

The moment Malaysia was formed, it became irrelevant because then Singapore, Sabah and Sarawar were not "Tanah Melayu". It became Malaysia for Malaysians.

Now TDM is trying to spin, Malaysia belongs to one race. How senile.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 13:45  

Quiet Despair,
Madhatter is not your own race .He is a pariah half breed indian.Get it ? Nothing gonna change our mind when he croaks! There will be people lining up to pee on his grave!Prehaps you should be the one to lie on his kubor to slurp those pee!

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 14:14  

Dato,

Looks like there are three classes of Malays(ian)s.

Malays, unMalays, nonMalays.

Funny and sad. Wonder what would come next?

Pure Malay,  20 March 2011 at 14:16  

To Quiet Despair and others who say we have to be thankful to TDM for championing the Malays eventhough he now admits to being half-Malay and half-Indian by bloodline: I and many other Malays by bloodline have no inferiority-complex vis-a-vis other races/ethnic groups. We went to school with Chinese and Indian classmates and studied in universities and competed with the rest of the students from all over the world on par and scored straight As. In the global workplace, we succeed because we are the best in our field. So STOP trying to stigmatise us Malays by creating some kind of inferiority complex. It's not us who has a problem. It's those with deep-rooted psychological inferiority-complex unresolved problems who have who keep harping about the failures of the Malays and of reaching our potential. We've had enough!

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 16:10  

makin banyak ko tulis makin banyak kebodohan ko tonjolkan.

Wenger J Khairy,  20 March 2011 at 16:54  

Anon 1610
Mukhriz pun dah kena beri komen disebaban kontroversi yg tercetus setelah memoir Tun dikritik cukup2 oleh pelbagai pihak. Nampaknya semacam Mahabloggers hanya erti memberi komen curi ayam, tapi tak erti nak berhujah. Sumbangan dia orang takat sumbangan 3M iaitu Makan, Minum dan Maki hamun!

Jawa tegar,  20 March 2011 at 20:10  

Sak,

I don't care to study the article pertaining to Malay race.

The only thing I know for certain, Mahathir is not a Malay. He has all the advantages. If he feels disgusted with a Malay he will claim himself to be a person who has an Indian blood.

On the other hand if he wants to cling to power he will be a Malay, more malay than you and me.

He has a wide split in personality. And actually he chose to be a Malay when it is needful for him to do so.

Mahathir is an evil politically and loves deceiving the Malays. To him every Malay is his toy.

AND the Malays believe him. It is shameful isn't it?

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 21:02  

APA KOMEN KHAIRY JAMALUDDIN? KHAIRY PUN ADA DARAH INDIA. IBU KHAIRY ORANG PENANG. RUPA KHAIRY PUN HANDSOME MACAM ORANG INDIA. MALANGNYA MAHATHIR CAMPUR TAK SUKA PADA KHAIRY CAMPUR WALAUPUN KETURUNAN MEREKA DATANG DGN SATU KAPAL.

APA KATA ZAMBRY PERAK PULA? ZAMBRY TAK BOLEH KELENTONG SEBAB DIA NAMPAK SANGAT KEINDIANNYA. SAMA SEPERTI SHEIKK KADIR DAN RAMAI LAGI....


MANUSIA MENGIKUT ISLAM HARUS TERIMA HAKIKAT BAHWA MEREKA TEDIRI DARIPADA BEBERAPA KAUM. TAK PAYAHLAH KITA HIDUP BERPURA-PURA....

TERIMA SAJA DNA KITA DAN BANGGALAH DENGAN APA YANG DIBERIKAN ALLAH.

Anonymous,  20 March 2011 at 22:02  

I'll look forward to your memoir to see if it'd be interesting, inspiring and worthwhile reading.

Quiet Despair,  20 March 2011 at 22:22  

Tun's book is the number one best-seller in MPH for the week. I checked on Borders and Kinokuniya and they said it's the same showing.

Conversations with Mahathir by Tom Plate earned number two spot in MPH.

At Tesco and Carrefour, even the mak chiks and housewives are buying the book. Haha guys, the money you gave for grocery are used to buy the best-seller!

Thank you guys, for buying a piece of history.

I predict the book will be number one for at least six weeks. How come you guys are not buying the Barry Wain book?? So much for not liking Mahathir ya.

Sure the 22 years of Mahathir rule did amount to something.

You all should record appreciation to him for bringing Anwar to the forefront, from a nobody to somebody. If not you will not know him, let alone idolize him.

Tun M is still the best ever PM we have ever had. The late Tun Razak could topped him if he lived longer.

To generations X and Y, they know of no other leader. Open their eyes to the world, and there was Mahathir.

You all will not like him now. But in the future you will, as history is always being rewritten.

Look at Bush. Now Americans are seeing him in a more favorable light. Same for the disgraced Nixon who is now regarded less harshly by some Americans.

Wenger J Khairy,  21 March 2011 at 00:13  

Mahathir = Bush
Good one Quiet Despair

Tahrir,  21 March 2011 at 00:53  

Quiet Despair
I bought the Barry Wain book. No, my family, friends and I don't idolise Anwar (like other humans, he too is flawed). He was already popular with student groups before he joined Umno. In fact, all Islamic groups were against Anwar's disastrous decision to reform from inside but instead, he became influenced by Umno until his ousting in 1998. What happened to him since is what opened people's eyes and brought ordinary people & the opposition together. Anwar is a catalyst but the movement towards greater democracy, freedom from fear tactics, good govt is happening everywhere, not just in Malaysia.

didi,  21 March 2011 at 00:59  

"Look at Bush. Now Americans are seeing him in a more favorable light. Same for the disgraced Nixon who is now regarded less harshly by some Americans."

Which Americans? Warmongers and the sycophants on Wall Streets? Even the republicans that I know don't have favorable view on him. I guess you must have talked to the Tea partiers who will never accept a black man as a president.

It's nice to know that you equate Bush and Nixon with Mahathir. One is corrupt and one is a warmonger. Fits the bill very well.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 03:10  

Quiet Despair,

You adore and equal TDM to Bush !!!!!

LOL ..... - Bush!

Bush was a disaster ! hahahah good one Quiet Despair.

Btw, we have challenged you to state what is so great about TDM and what has he done for the country or even your race!!

Have Malays generally improved and able to compete freely after so many years of his "help" or rather "freebies" ?

Until now you cannot mention even one other than "ketuanans" you were talking about and that makes him great? I pity your level of judgement capabilities.

Like I said before , if a book had been written by "Hitler" that book would make Harry Potter's sales like tame.

If you do not understand this very simple anology and understand why his "rubbish" is selling well (not well actually in real terms) there is no much we can tell you.

Dont try to spin here.

Quiet Despair,  21 March 2011 at 09:42  

Didi, didi, didi, the new kid on the blog. A regular contributor on Din Merican blog who share the same hatred for Mahathir and UMNO leaders with everyone there.

A blog where everyone cheers for each other and consider themselves superior for being anti-government.
Sort of applauding each other and patting yourselves on the back. Smug people. Ego trip really.

Never bother to comment on that blog since I see many pro-UMNO commentators who did so are in for a tough beating.

And it's so obvious many anti-Anwar postings are deleted.

It is a self delusional blog which panted a picture as though Pakatan is the IT party. It's a portent of things to come where opposing views are unwelcomed. No wonder Pakatan will never be in power.

So welcome to Sak's blog where you are lucky to be given a voice.

Didi, that's the beauty of all UMNO men. They allow people who are anti-government to say their views, no matter how acrimonious.
So you can expect UMNO to be in power for a long long time.

That goes for Wenger Khairy too.

Do not put a spin as though I am saying Mahathir is equal to Bush. No, not by a long shot.

Mahathir is way above in mental capacity. He is not hated like Bush.

It is just an example of how people changed perception of their leaders over time.

Only fools will think highly of the tea-partyers and what they think and do.

I brought Nixon and Bush as examples since they are the most hated American presidents ever.

Mahathir is much loved by people who matters - the real voters in the Malay heartland.

Not people like you - the ones who sit and weave yarns at Starbucks or Delicious.

The ones who are ashamed to be Malays.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 10:24  

Personally I think Mahathir is a curse upon Malaysia.

It was during his premiership that corruption hit through the roof and still is until today.
He perfected the art of corruption, cronyism and nepotism and brought it to great height.
He implemented so many "piratisation" projects which were lopsided and only favored the concessionaires.
He practically screwed everybody by PLUS and other toll highways ; even the poor folks who don't drive are paying as all goods and services incur an element of transportation cost.
So much money and resources were wasted and squandered by him and his cronies .
He indeed laid down the road leading Malaysia to the like of Zimbabwe.

He systematically dismantled the many check and balance that was built into the system by our forefathers.
The judiciary lost its independence and integrity after he orchestrated the tribunal for the five judges and subsequently the removal of the then Lord President and two Federal Court justices.
It still has not recovered from that assault.

He pitched and still pitching the various races against one another for his own selfish objectives.
He fanned and still stirring racial sentiment to create racial disharmony amongst Malaysians.

In short Mahathir is despicable and evil.

Quiet Despair,  21 March 2011 at 10:28  

Anon 03.10

Ketuanan is a dirty word to you. A vulgar word. I hate the word too.
What ketuanan when we are kulis in our own country? That is what Mahathir was thinking too.

Giving supremacy to the Malay poor especially. They have enjoyed a higher level of income and improved standard of living. But more needs to be done. Is that wrong?

The problem is what we have, you want more. You are greedy like the animal you eat.

This Wednesday the SPM results will be out. And we will have the meery-go-round of Chinese tiger mums complaining and crying to porn star Chua that their kids did not get JPA scholarship.They have never voted the MCA!

Why deprived the poor of scholarships when the rich Chinese can easily financed their kids abroad.

You want to wipe out all the little privileges enjoyed by the Malays like discount in houses and other benefits.

Yet at the same time, you go boasting you pay more income tax than the Malays. That you have have emigrated in droves because of DEB policies.

Dont flatter yourselves. Mahathir had created many middle class and wealthy among the Malays. He had craetad world-class entrepreneurs too. But as usual, the Chinese taiko opportunists have benefited too.

We too have competed internationally. But we don't make a song and dance about it. We have Malays in NASA and Silicon Valley.

So don't be too smug in thinking you are far superior than us. You don't like suptemacy for the Malays. But you do like supremacy for your race.

Tahrir

Glad you do not idolized Anwar. He has traded his capal and kurta for Zegna suits.

But he's still nothing. Just form, not substance.

Dont talk of him being like UMNO man. He only brought in alien culture like street demos.

And he's still dreaming of leading the country which he tries hard to ruin.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 10:29  

Dato'

Looks like most intelligent writers here are opposed to Quiet Despair.

No surprise that he is not at all perturbed as he is well and truly gone as far as intelligence go.

I would suggest however that people here do not respond nor consider trying to convince him for YOU DO NOT WANT TO WRESTLE WITH A PIG.




Joe Black

Red Alfa 21 March 2011 at 12:22  

Salam Dato'

If one does feel not minding if not aspiring to belong or to be associated with the group who abuse their positions of power corrupting and are corrupted, who are unremittingly proud and feeling unrepentant in betraying the trust given to them and who regarding themselves too highly are ever insensitive and dismissive of the rights and faiths of others?

If one knows his Islam, one should be very ashamed and afraid!

The New Malay Dilemma: Would I being that Malay by Mahathir's reckoning?

didi,  21 March 2011 at 12:29  

Quiet despair,

UMNO men? Don't you mean UMNO man because I don't think Dato' Ariff represents the whole of UMNO. He could be the only UMNO member who would allow people to speak their mind but that's because he is an intelligent man. I can't say the same about the other clowns in UMNO.

As for anti-Anwar comments being scrubbed from Din Merican's blog, maybe that's because your folks are using derogatory words? To you maybe it's a norm to be using profanity on people you don't like but not to most civilized people.

mpn kadaram 21 March 2011 at 13:12  

Dato,keep writing it's satire and humour all mixed. You forgotten the pasumbor,nur mohd yaakop together with kadia.

mpn kadaram 21 March 2011 at 13:13  

Dato,keep writing it's satire and humour all mixed. You forgotten the pasumbor,nur mohd yaakop together with kadia.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 15:33  

The corrupt, racists, fascists and the fooled love Mahathir!

Hidup Mahathir!

Wenger J Khairy,  21 March 2011 at 16:35  

Quiet Despair,
The real voters in the Malay heartland gave their support to Dr Mahathir. They also gave their support to Pak Lah. And they had given their support to Tun Razak. I think their support more has to do with the party than the individual.

The issue really is not about who supports Dr. Mahathir and who does not. The issue as was brought out in the 1st posting is whether or not Dr Mahathir is a political liar.

Some argue that Dr Mahathir is responsible for so much development. I think ascribing it to Dr Mahathir belittles the sound foundations that his predecessors had created. Like most think that Dr Mahathir was responsible for the electronics industry when instead big firms like Intel had invested prior to his premiership.

The greatest impact of Dr Mahathir's rule should be seen in the legacy of the institutions left behind.

And btw, I prefer The Coffee Club to Starbucks.

Quiet Despair,  21 March 2011 at 16:42  

So guys did you hear about the video of Anwar allegedly making love to a Chinese girl.
It seems PAS and DAP leaders were today invited to view it at a special club.
The video is allegedly taken at a spa.
So Mahathir's allegations that Anwar is a womaniser is true. So is Ummi Hafidah's claim that he had an affair with Azmin's wife.
My verdict: If true, hebatlah lelaki ni. AC/DC power lor.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 17:43  

When you write a memoir, you want it to be accurate. When you admit that some of the information is not correct, it is not very flattering. How much else is not accurate is the question.

We had a good laugh when he claimed that he was stood up by President Sheares. You mean the author doesn't check the archives for facts ?

What about the meeting with the opposition leaders before Operation Lallang ? Another lapse of memory ?

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 19:23  

No matter how he argues, many still see him as half indian and half malay. i.e he is an indian malay. or Mamak.

Anonymous,  21 March 2011 at 20:43  

To Quiet Despair,

Instead of doing something productive like earning a day's honest wage, you hang around bookshops and the supermarkets spying on who is buying your idol's book. Come on lah, what does it matter if your idol's book is on the #1 list for the next decade. People buy your idol's book for many reasons. Some buy it because they want to be seen as apple polishers (like yourself) while some buy it just to hide a hole in their bookshelf wall. But there are many who bought the book and put in their toilets so they can piss on it from page to page starting from the photographed cover.

Just like the ex-general dictator of Pakistan Zia-ul-Hag. He was so over the moon when the Pakistan post office informed him the new stamps bearing his portrait/face were sold out within minutes of launch. Little did he know that the Pakistanis were buying the stamps to spit on his portrait.

So Quiet Despair, it's best to remain quiet and despair alone than to let the whole world know how stupid and dumb you are.

meorUSA,  21 March 2011 at 22:08  

Do not discount Mahathir or Bush yet.
By the way , it start snowing again as i look through my window....two days of 70's and that 4 feet of snow in the yard nearly gone .....there come the snow again!!!!!!Duuuuch.
Both of them are the product of the society....more them some of us waanaabe.

Anonymous,  22 March 2011 at 08:21  

he is not malay, he is a snake from india.

not even one good thing he ever done in favour of the malay.

Anonymous,  22 March 2011 at 08:58  

Quiet Despair,

I salute you for going against the Anwarista's. Keep it up and never give up because these jokers including Arif are a bunch of frustrated people who hates Mahathir' s gut!

Cheers

Anonymous,  22 March 2011 at 11:46  

Quiet Despair,

Are you jealous of Anwar because you claimed he is an AC/DC? Or are you jealous because your idol wrote he likes guys and gals? You know you can be better than Anwar by sodomising a goat.

Anonymous,  22 March 2011 at 12:43  

To Quiet Despair,

So you have answered what TDM have done for Malays not Malaysians.
i.e. to create a large Middle class Malays.

Now again you are very very shallow in your thoughts as usual.

First and foremost, how much should a middle class in Malaysia earns ?

Now Malaysia was at par with Singapore then today an average Singaporean Middle class earns US40,000 while an average Malaysian Middle class earns US7,000 a year.

Now we do agree today you see a lot of rich Malays too driving cars even most Chinese cannot afford. That means these are super rich ones and that means the real average income of the middle class Malays (I am not talking about Chinese Middle class) is very much lower!

You call that achievement ? Now if TDM had not run Malaysia and say another not so senile and stupid one, can easily gets us say half of what Singapore will get that is US20,000 per year. Under that non crony system the number of super rich Malays will not be many and that means the average Malays will surely be US20,000 per year.

You just do not know how much you have lost. You only know, you get discounts, scholarships, jobs etc etc while the nons do not and you are happy. The consequences of such actions you cannot even see!

Btw your middle class , most of them where are they working? As years pass by do you think the govt can continue to absorb the huge numbers of graduates most of which are from such universities like UiTM.

The Chinese no problem. They can still work overseas , in high demand and do their own business locally and overseas. Within the Chinese community there is an economy within an ecnonomy. This economy is very much independent of the overall Malaysian economy.

Yes, whatever you say... if you think giving Malays say 100% employment here and there is good , go ahead. I know it destroys your future actually by being perpectually being employed.
This is because the brightest of the Malays will also be "Yang Ikut perintah" kind of officers.

So far NEP has degraded the overall competitiveness of the country by killing the golden goose the lays the golden eggs. You now get rotten eggs now. The bests are not around and the bests would want to join you. No one is so stupid to have racial ceilings impeding his/her own potentials. These people (both employees and employer ) are help other countries grow and grow.

As it is, our second best can still outperform you because your bests are locked up in the "Yang Ikut Perintah" class.

Okay ... anymore issues that you think TDM has helped Malaysia (or the Malays)...please do let us know.

Anonymous,  23 March 2011 at 13:03  

Hey Dato' Pulse.

A path less travelled. Another great article and analysis! Again the subject matter is a minefield, but that did not stop You.

Plese do not waste your energy with the "critics" who cant string a sentence, let alone present a logical counter arguement.

Stay well and warm regards.

Special Agent MBond.

Anonymous,  1 April 2011 at 08:09  

saya nak tahu dalam memoir dr.mahathir tu adakah dia menceritakan tentang tindakannya kepada bekas mufti selangor Allahyarham ustaz Ishak Baharom

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