The Use and Misuse of Whataboutism.

1. Whataboutism or whataboutery is a technique in arguments used by persons and propagandists to discredit the story or Testony of another party. It is done by berating, cannibalising and besmirching the latter without actually disproving one's own guilt.

2. For example when the Russians are asked about their Gulags, labour and forced camps they will say what about the American slavery, lynching and Jim Crow laws?

3. When you are asked to account for your corruption, you start telling about what Mahathir did. Mahathir or his son are not on trial here. You are an asshole!

4. You are accused of pillaging, suddenly there is a huge conspiracy to trap you. Why would we conspire to enable you to steal billions to trap you. That's preposterous!

5. You are accused of embezzling billions, you berate and cannibalise a witness. The witness is not on trial. You are!

6. You are sacked from office. Then you start washing dirty linen. If that is your emotional disposition you deserved to be sacked from any office.

7. It is also whataboutism when a man who stands accused of massive corruption suddenly asks sanctimoniously what about the corruption alleged about guan Eng's dam project in Penang?

8. Most repressive is using whataboutism to justify oppression and a boxed in attitude. A speech by Zahid Hamidi typifies this attitude.

9. In a speech in Gombak recently, in a show of extreme brinkmanship, Zahid weaponised hate towards the Malaysian Chinese.

10. The price of Malays being kind is to create ungrateful, arrogant, biadap and kurang ajar but wealthy Malaysian Chinese. So said Zahid.

11. 'What about the Chinese' is used to justify oppressive policies and uber nationalism across the board. Example. Economic nationalism. Economic pursuits named for Malays but grabbed by Malay elites.

12. We must at once recognise that the speech was incendiary and flammable. It's setting off one Malaysian community against the other.

13. It seems that Zahid cannot accept open contest and competition unless UMNO wins. It ropes in Malaysian Indians isolating Malaysian Chinese as public enemy number one.

14. Zahid's use of whataboutism has enabled hate and bigotism and communal racism to prosper.

15. What essentially he has done was to incite. As a response we need strict laws on incitement. Zahid should be hauled in for incitement.