Najib moves to ease race tension

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today moved to smother the build-up of angst and confusion surrounding his One Malaysia concept, urging his Cabinet to view all citizens as Malaysians.

While he did not flesh out the concept during the first Cabinet meeting, he told his ministers to think of everyone in this country as members of the one team, instead of describing their constituents as Malays, Chinese and Indians.

This reminder was issued in the wake of a growing disaffection among non-Malays toward the Barisan Nasional government and a percolating debate among various groups in the country of what the One Malaysia concept really means.

Umno and Malay groups believe that the concept reaffirms the affirmative action programme but allows for help to be given to the underprivileged, regardless of race. The Opposition and non-Malays say that the policy means equality for all citizens.

Najib, who has made One Malaysia the theme of his administration, also told his ministers that everyone starts with a clean slate, and he was not interested in past performances or affiliations. Every one of them was a member of his team.

And what mattered was the key performance index set for each minister, warning them that there would be dire consequences if targets were not met.

Najib did not elaborate on what the consequences would be but it is understood that underperforming ministers could be shown the door by the end of the year.

Several ministers told The Malaysian Insider that the PM urged them to focus on the economy. He believed that BN’s fortunes at the next general elections will be decided largely by whether the government is able to chart a speedy recovery from the economic slowdown and how successful the government is putting money into the pockets of Malaysians.

In its latest report, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research said that it expected the economy to record negative growth of -2.2 per cent this year. Economists also believe that the rate of unemployment will spike to over five per cent in 2009, double the usual rate of unemployment.

After chairing the Cabinet meeting, Najib met senior editors of the mainstream media. He was expected to tell them to focus on bringing Malaysians of different races together, instead of highlighting differences.

1 Malaysia Not Same As “Malaysian Malaysia”

Bernama

By Syed Azwan Syed Ali

KUALA LUMPUR, April (Bernama) — While many have welcomed the “1 Malaysia” concept espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, some quarters are seen as creating confusion by saying that such a concept had been bandied about before.

They liken the concept to the “Malaysian Malaysia” ideology mooted by Lee Kuan Yew through the People’s Action Party, which led to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, while the concept continued to be promoted by DAP, the PAP offshoot.

Of late, some bloggers and media writers have made the “1 Malaysia” concept polemic, with them and their commentators asking whether this means that the government’s affirmative action will not be continued.

They are also seen as trying to question the special rights of the Malays and other Bumiputeras which are stipulated in the Federal Constitution, thus creating confusion in the public mind by portraying that the non-Bumiputeras are sidelined by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

“To allay such fears, the ‘1 Malaysia’ concept must be properly explained to the people as it involves governance,” said political analyst Dr Thock Ker Pong from Universiti Malaya when asked to comment on the matter.

So, what is the real motive of raising the issue? Is the “1 Malaysia” concept the same as the “Malaysian Malaysia” vision and how far has the public been confused with the concept?

Ethnic relations expert Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin said the “Malaysian Malaysia” ideology was not the same as the “1 Malaysia” concept although both were aimed as building one nation.

“The ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ ideology espouses that all ethnic groups have equal rights with none having special rights. This is against the Federal Constitution,” he told Bernama, while referring to Article 153 of the Constitution which stipulates the special rights of the Malays and other Bumiputeras as well as the position and rights of the other races in the country.

He said the “Malaysian Malaysia” ideology was also irrelevant in the Malaysian context as the national unity process was not in the manner of “unity in uniformity” but “unity in diversity”.

Shamsul Amri, who is also the director of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies (Kita), said this national unity happened through four processes simultaneously — assimilation, accommodation, acculturation and amalgamation.

“Mixed marriage, where a non-Muslim intending to marry a Muslim must convert to Islam, and which is most common in Sabah and Sarawak, is the best example of the assimilation process.

“As for the accommodation process, it can be seen from the festival ‘open house’ which is attended by all races, while acculturation is a way of life in Malaysia.

“Hence, it is not surprising to see a Chinese wearing a ‘baju Melayu’, a Malay wearing a cheongsam or an Indian wearing ‘baju kurung’ in Malaysia through the borrowing of each other’s culture,” said the anthropology professor.

He said the amalgamation process or the fusion of cultures could be seen in the form of dance, such as the “Machinda” dance which combined Malay, Chinese and Indian dance movements, now known collectively as the dance medley.

Shamsul Amri said the clear structural differences like in race and religion, as well as regional differences and the position of the country’s seven Malay rulers did not make it possible for the “Malaysian Malaysia” concept to be implemented.

“We are also a federalist and not a unitary state like France, Germany or Japan where the unity process took place through uniformity,” he said.

Najib in his maiden speech as prime minister, had on April 3 urged the people to work together to effect a major transformation in the country with no group feeling that they have been sidelined.

Political analysts opined that confusion over the slogan, “1 Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.” would not arise if it was explained in totality and not separately as “1 Malaysia” only.

“1 Malaysia should be understood by everybody,” said social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who also stressed that the formation of “Bangsa Malaysia” should be based on the Rukun Negara and Federal Constitution.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had introduced the “Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah” (Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy) concept when he was prime minister, and “Work With Me, Not For Me’ by his successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

However, another political analyst, Assoc Prof Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff, said the government must prove that it was putting into practice the new concept it preached by effecting major changes for the betterment of the people and country.

“If there are no changes, the concept will just be a meaningless political slogan,” said Mohammad Agus, who is also a political science lecturer at UKM.

— BERNAMA

I will decide, Malaysian PM tells coalition partners

The Hindu

Kuala Lumpur (IANS): Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said Indian and Chinese partners in the ruling coalition were free to air their views on government-formation but he would be the one to decide.

Razak, who took office April 3, is scheduled to chair his first cabinet meeting Wednesday.

Razak was responding to demands by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) for better representation and allocation of ‘senior’ portfolios and of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) for the post of a second deputy prime Minister.

“I am the one who will decide,” Razak was quoted as saying by New Straits Times Wednesday.

Along with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the MCA and the MIC are major partners of Barisan Nasional (BN) that has ruled the country since the independence in 1957.

Malaysia has majority Malays, 33 percent ethnic Chinese and eight percent Indians.

Three MIC nominees in the Razak government are Human Resource Development Minister S. Subramaniam and two junior ministers, M. Sarvanan and K. Devamani.

Media reports said Razak wants to begin his tenure by reviewing the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA).

“We want it (review) to be done very soon. I will discuss this with the home minister. I have some ideas but I will have to discuss them with him first. Then, we will announce it when the time comes,” Razak said.

Razak, on his first day as the country’s sixth prime minister, freed 13 ISA detainees and lifted the suspension of two opposition papers-Harakah and Suara Keadilan.

Those released include an Indian national with fake travel documents and two activists of the Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf).

Three more Hindraf activists, who staged a protest rally in November 2007, are still in jail under ISA. They are serving two-year terms.

‘I have been stripped bare publicly’ — Eli

The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, April 15 — The following is the full statement from Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson and Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong about staying on in her post and state seat:

These past two months have been more than an ordeal, one which I would never have wished for any citizen to have to suffer through.

I have been stripped bare publicly — both figuratively and literally — by force and against my will. My personal life has been violated and assaulted by none other than criminals. Even up to this evening, I continue to receive threats from unknown persons.

This is not a scandal, as some have suggested, but a clear criminal act. This is no less a form of criminal intimidation, a form of political violence, and one which, if I chose to retreat into silence, would in turn indirectly affect women, especially women politicians.

Gutter politics is not and should not be part of our political culture, and for those who depend on exploiting and supporting such a crime, is an indication of the kind of politicians and persons they are.

I stand for a person’s right to privacy. I stand for ‘New Politics’ — a politics that encourages intellectual discourse, reasoned polemics and ideological debates, not one which resorts to gutter-level politicking which seek to smear, to slander and to violate one’s privacy to score political points.

This is the hardest decision that I have to make in my life and it is with the greatest humility that I accept the Selangor state’s offer to remain in office.

I wish to thank Mentri Besar and the Selangor exco, my staff, my fellow Aduns, fellow politicians from Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional, PKR leaders, the women’s wing of PKR and the grassroots, and my legal team for their support and guidance. I wish to thank my lawyer Derek Fernandez for his legal counsel and unwavering belief in me.

Respectfully, I wish to thank HRH the Sultan of Selangor for his guidance.

I am humbled by the encouragement and support shown by the media, my family and friends, the NGOs, the tens of thousands of people who signed the petitions on my behalf and who wrote to me, and especially my constituents who stood by me in these trying times.

I also wish to thank the police for their professionalism in addressing the issue at hand and I look forward to them apprehending and charging the criminals soonest.

My only wish is to serve my constituents and the state to the best of my abilities and with the help and cooperation of the people, to make this state, this country a better place for all.

The struggle continues, and our work has just begun.

Elizabeth Wong

Adun Bukit Lanjan

Exco for Tourism, Consumer Affairs and the Environment

Eli to stay on!

The Malaysian Insider

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, April 15 — Saying it’s the hardest decision of her life, Elizabeth Wong today confirmed she will remain in the Selangor government after it decided to reject her resignation, submitted two months ago when partially nude pictures of her were circulated.

She said gutter politics should not be part of the local political culture and it indicated the kind of people who depend and support such a crime.

“I stand for a person’s right to privacy. I stand for ‘New Politics’ — a politics that encourages intellectual discourse, reasoned polemics and ideological debates, not one which resorts to gutter-level politicking which seek to smear, to slander and to violate one’s privacy to score political points,” Wong said in a statement.

“This is the hardest decision that I have to make in my life and it is with the greatest humility that I accept the Selangor state’s offer to remain in office,” the first-term assemblywoman said, adding she continues to receive threats from unknown persons till today.

She thanked all those who supported her, including Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah who was saddened by the incident.

“My only wish is to serve my constituents and the state to the best of my abilities and with the help and cooperation of the people, to make this state, this country a better place for all. The struggle continues, and our work has just begun,” she said.

Earlier, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced that the state executive council had unanimously decided to reject her resignation from her government posts and Bukit Lanjan state constituency.

“She is a victim of the incident,” Khalid stressed after an executive council meeting today, adding the decision came as the police have yet to conclude their investigations.

He also said she should resume her duties as executive councillor for consumer affairs, tourism and environment with immediate effect.

But Khalid said that morality was important to the Pakatan Rakyat government and it would act if any wrongdoings surfaced in the matter. Khalid also said the government was serious about protecting the right to privacy in the matter.

He also said the Selangor sultan had been informed of the decision and had appreciated his stand that it was a political decision after the government requested his opinion.

Khalid last month extended Wong’s leave until today as the police have yet to conclude their investigations into the photographs believed to be taken by her former boyfriend.

Wong has been on leave since mid February, after partially nude pictures of her were circulated to the public. The case is still under police investigations.

The move to prolong Wong’s leave, for the second time, is seen as a strategic move to avoid a by-election at her Bukit Lanjan state constituency.

Wong had offered to resign both positions as an executive councillor and as an assemblyman to avoid being a burden to PKR and party insiders said she remains adamant about sticking to her decision.

The revealing pictures of Wong were sent to selected media outlets by unknown parties in early February. She lodged a police report and in the course of their investigations, police obtained a warrant of arrest for her former boyfriend Hilmi Malek.

Hilmi, 32, was issued a notice under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code to come forward and record a statement by March 19, but to date, there has been no word from him.

Meanwhile, Selangor Umno chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo welcomed the decision, saying the coalition can exploit it while accusing Pakatan Rakyat of practising double standards for being inconsistent by allowing Wong to retain her post and seat.

He pointed out that former Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam was forced to resign because of a moral indiscretion but Pakatan was bending the rules for Wong.

He added the decision to retain Wong was because Pakatan was afraid of holding a by-election in Selangor.

Bubar Dun Perak jika BN kuat

Harakah Dail

“Kita mencabar jika benar-benar BN / Umno masih lagi diperlukan oleh rakyat Perak”

Harakah Daily

IPOH, 15 April (Hrkh) – Dewan Pemuda PAS Kawasan Ipoh Timur (DPPK IT) terkejut dan kecewa dengan kenyataan Dato’ Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir di dalam media cetak mengatakan kemenangan PAS dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang baru-baru ini tidak mendapat sokongan sebahagian besar orang Melayu sebagai menafikan mahkamah rakyat bagi memilih pemimpin yang bersih dan adil.

Demikian dinyatakan oleh Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Ipoh Timur, Salmah Salleh dalam kenyataan medianya hari ini sebagai mengulas kenyataan Menteri Besar Kudeta BN Perak, Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Menurutnya, DPPK IT juga kecewa dengan dakwaan pemimpin pemimpin Umno/BN yang mendakwa parti itu mendapat sokongan besar dari orang Melayu, dalam masa yang sama menyifatkan kemenangan calon PAS, Dato’ Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin yang menewaskan calon BN, Ismail Safian di Parlimen Bukit Gantang adalah kerana PAS mendapat sokongan dari orang Cina yang telah terpedaya dan terpengaruh dengan dakyah PAS dan DAP.

“Keputusan Pilihan raya Kecil Bukit Gantang baru-baru sebenarnya petanda jelas menunjukkan rakyat tidak bersetuju dengan cara BN mengambil alih kerajaan Perak pada awal Februari lalu. BN sebenarnya menguasai kerajaan tidak mengikut peraturan dan Perlembagaan negeri serta membelakangkan undang-undang,” katanya.

DPPK IT melihat contoh sebelum ini seperti kenyataan Dato’ Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali pernah menawarkan diri untuk meletak jawatan sebagai Ahli Dewan Undangan (Adun) Pengkalan Hulu bagi membuktikannya bahawa rakyat tidak menolak BN pada pilihan raya umum ke-12 baru-baru ini akan berulang lagi dengan kenyataan yang sama.

“Kita mencabar jika benar-benar BN / Umno masih lagi diperlukan oleh rakyat Perak, Zambry boleh menjemput Nizar sama-sama memohon perkenan mengadap DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Sultan Perak bagi membubarkan DUN Perak jangan hanya membuat kenyataan-kenyataan yang tidak bertanggungjawab yang akan menyebabkan pelabur takut untuk datang ke Negeri ini,” katanya. – mns_

Key suspect in Mumbai attacks heads to trial

MUMBAI, India (CNN) — The main suspect captured alive from last year’s deadly terror attacks in India’s financial capital goes on trial Wednesday, nearly five months after the siege killed more than 160 people in Mumbai.

Soldiers patrol in Mumbai on the eve of the trial of a key suspect in last year’s attacks in the Indian city.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, is accused of being the only one of 10 gunmen to survive the late-November, three-day siege, which targeted victims at hotels, hospitals and railway stations in Mumbai — formerly known as Bombay.

The Pakistani national faces more than a dozen charges, including murder, conspiracy to wage a war against the nation, and terrorism.

Prosecutors last month accused him of trying to delay the trial by insisting that the 11,000-page document detailing the charges against him — which was written in English and the local Marathi language — be translated into Urdu, the official language of Pakistan. The court rejected his request.

An Indian court appointed one defense lawyer, Anjali Waghmare, just two weeks ago to represent Kasab.Wednesday’s trial will start in a makeshift court set up in an Indian jail where Kasab — who has been communicating with the judge via videolink — is being held.

Indian authorities have long blamed the Mumbai attacks on Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based militant outfit, but the group has denied responsibility. The violence heightened tensions between the two nuclear states in its immediate aftermath.

India has urged Pakistan to destroy what it called terrorist infrastructure in that country. The two counties are longtime rivals who have fought three wars since independence, and conducted countering nuclear weapons tests in 1998

Kami pun faham Bahasa Melayu — Leslie Lau

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 14 — It is an old and tired formula of Malaysian politicians, both from Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition, to say different things to different audiences.

Chinese political leaders have in the past frequently given interviews to Chinese language newspapers in which they would make certain remarks which could be deemed by their Malay colleagues to be sensitive in nature.

So when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister and Umno No 2, gave an interview to Mingguan Malaysia which was published two days ago, he may have thought he was only addressing a Malay audience.

One of the questions posed to him, reproduced verbatim here was this: “Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?”

His answer, among other things, was this: “Ya, kadang-kadang kita berasa terpedaya juga kerana zahirnya nampak macam ‘ok’, sambutan dengan tepukan gemuruh tetapi mungkin sudah ada tertanam dalam hati iaitu sesuatu tidak mudah hendak berubah, pokoknya masalah isu Perak terutamanya di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang mungkin telah dipengaruhi dengan sentimen simpati kepada Datuk Seri Ir.Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, kononnya dia ‘dijatuhkan’, lepas itu kononnya dasar memberi pegangan tanah selama 99 tahun dilihat dasar yang menguntungkan.

“Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi.

“Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.”

Today, the DPM blamed the Chinese media for wrongly translating his remarks.

The offending remark which appears to have drawn the ire of the Chinese community, including leaders from BN, is this: “Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi.

Translated, without being pedantic, the last four words would mean “they should be grateful”.

Muhyiddin is not doing himself or his boss Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak any favours by continuing to defend the remarks.

The prime minister most certainly would not have wanted such a disastrous start to his tenure.

Najib has committed himself to project an image of being a leader of all Malaysians.

His deputy has now succeeded in alienating the Chinese community.

While it is true that Chinese voters have thrown their lot behind Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties, such remarks will not help BN recapture the votes.

Muhyiddin claimed today that what he meant was the Chinese appeared unappreciative. He denied saying the Chinese were ungrateful. But the damage is already done.

Perhaps all political leaders should learn a lesson from Muhyiddin’s experience.

It is probably safe to say assume that nearly all Malaysians have at least a rudimentary command of the national language. Since the national language was made the medium of instruction in schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s, all Malaysians who have gone to school would have a fair to excellent command of the language.

But the lesson is not just limited to the national language.

Up to 10 per cent of the 600,000 children enrolled in Chinese primary schools, where the medium of instruction is Mandarin, are non-Chinese.

A majority of the non-Chinese pupils are Malay.

This means Chinese leaders also cannot go around making racist remarks in Mandarin.

Jadi Tan Sri sepatutnya tahu bahawa kami pun faham Bahasa Melayu.

Jangan mudah melenting – Zulkiflee Bakar

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 15 – Apabila Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin melahirkan kekecewaan berhubung sikap sesetengah pengundi Cina di Bukit Gantang yang tidak mengundi Barisan Nasional (BN), kenyataan tersebut yang disiarkan dalam wawancara dengan Mingguan Malaysia bukan sahaja diputar belitkan oleh akhbar-akhbar Cina, malah beberapa pemimpin kaum itu turut ‘melenting’.

Mereka menganggap kenyataan Timbalan Perdana Menteri itu tidak wajar. Malah ia juga dijadikan ‘peluru’ oleh pihak-pihak bukan Melayu untuk menyerang Umno termasuklah kolumnis dalam sebuah akhbar berbahasa Inggeris.

Tidak cukup dengan itu sebuah saluran radio berbahasa Mandarin milik kerajaan turut menjadikan ia sebagai polemik apabila selama satu jam membenarkan pendengar memberi maklum balas dan kesemua mereka ‘membelasah’ Muhyiddin.

Persoalannya, apakah kerana perkara yang dinyatakan berkaitan dengan masyarakat Cina atau India, maka mana-mana pemimpin Umno tanpa mengira setinggi mana pun kedudukannya dalam kerajaan tidak boleh membuat teguran?

Kenapakah perlu pihak-pihak tertentu terlalu sensitif dengan teguran yang dibuat. Kalaulah mereka betul-betul berjiwa sensitif, mana-mana pemimpin bukan Melayu terutama dalam MCA atau Gerakan tidak akan tergamak menuding jari ke arah Umno apabila BN mencatatkan prestasi buruk dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 tahun lalu.

Mereka menganggap Umno menjadi punca sehingga Gerakan kehilangan kuasa di Pulau Pinang manakala MCA tewas dalam kebanyakan kerusi yang ditandingi akibat penolakan masyarakat Cina terhadap parti itu.

Justeru dalam keadaan sekarang, tidak perlulah mereka terlalu berjiwa sentimental sehinggakan seorang berjawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri pun tidak boleh bercakap sesuatu mengenai kaum lain.

Sebenarnya, biarpun mungkin mereka mengetahui kenyataan Muhyiddin sudah diputar belitkan tetapi pemimpin-pemimpin berkenaan tidak mahu menunggu dahulu bagi mendapat penjelasan beliau, sebaliknya mereka terus dengan sewenang-wenangnya membuat kenyataan balas.

Sikap tergopoh-gapah mereka itu turut dilakukan oleh sesetengah kolumnis dalam sebuah akhbar berbahasa Inggeris yang turut mengungkit pelbagai perkara berkaitan Umno. Seolah-olah dalam apa juga perkara yang memungkinkan wujudnya kelemahan sokongan kaum Cina kepada MCA dan Gerakan, ia berpunca daripada Umno.

Sebenarnya soal ungkit-mengungkit ini tidak akan menyelesaikan masalah kerana kalau Umno mahu mengungkit jasanya kepada bukan Melayu ia sudah terlalu banyak malah terkumpul sejak sebelum merdeka lagi.

Tetapi Umno lebih tepat lagi orang Melayu bukanlah satu kelompok yang dilahirkan untuk mengungkit segala jasa yang dilakukan. Umno sentiasa berpegang dengan prinsip persahabatan dalam BN dan cuba menyelesaikan apa juga masalah melalui perbincangan serta rundingan.

Namun senario selepas Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 telah mengubah segala-galanya. Kaum bukan Melayu dalam MCA, Gerakan dan MIC sudah berani menyuarakan sesuatu yang bertentangan dengan semangat BN malah ada ketikanya menyentuh perasaan orang Melayu.

Ketika itu tidak pula, pemimpin-pemimpin berkenaan memikirkan kesannya kepada orang Melayu. Tetapi, apabila Muhyiddin bercakap soal membalas budi, kaum bukan Melayu kononnya terasa tersinggung dan terhina.

Mereka menggunakan istilah seolah-olah kaum mereka digambarkan meminta-minta atau mengemis bagi mendapatkan sesuatu daripada BN.

Hakikatnya sikap sensitif tidak bertempat ini harus dihentikan. Kalau pemimpin-pemimpin MCA terutamanya tidak mahu tersinggung, mereka juga jangan mudah menuding jari kepada Umno apabila tewas dalam sesuatu pilihan raya.

Dalam kita bercakap soal membalas budi, Muhyiddin berkata dalam konteks yang benar tetapi ia bukanlah bermaksud masyarakat Cina tidak tahu mengenang budi seperti mana yang diputar belitkan oleh akhbar Cina.

MCA sendiri pun pasti memahami apabila permintaan pengundi di dalam sesuatu kawasan pilihan raya dipenuhi, sudah tentulah mana-mana parti yang memenuhi permintaan berkenaan akan mengharapkan mereka akan mendapat sokongan.

Tetapi di Bukit Gantang, keadaan berlaku sebaliknya, begitu juga di Bukit Selambau apabila sekolah jenis kebangsaan Tamil dibantu tetapi BN tetap juga tewas. Apakah situasi ini tidak mengecewakan MCA atau MIC?

Sedangkan pengundi Melayu yang tidak mendapat apa-apa peruntukan meningkatkan sokongan mereka kepada BN dan Umno. Kalau begitulah sikap pengundi bukan Melayu, lebih baiklah segala peruntukan diberikan kepada pengundi Melayu, lagipun bukankah MCA tidak mahu pengundi Cina dilihat seperti ‘meminta-minta’.

Oleh itu, jika MCA ingin terus bersama-sama BN, maka mereka juga perlu memegang teguh prinsip BN dan bukannya hanya bijak mencari salah orang lain terutamanya Umno apabila kalah dalam pilihan raya.

Kepada kaum bukan Melayu pula, tidak kiralah setinggi mana pun kedudukan mereka, apa yang mereka nikmati sekarang adalah hasil perjuangan Umno.

Memang betul Umno adalah parti induk orang Melayu tetapi Umno mempunyai semangat kerjasama dan setiakawan yang tulen dengan parti-parti komponen BN yang lain.

Malah dalam pemerintahan negara, biarpun Umno menjadi pemimpin utama namun kepentingan kaum lain tidak dipinggirkan. Atas sebab itulah Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak memperkenalkan gagasan Satu Malaysia, Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan.

Ia bertujuan untuk memastikan tiada mana-mana rakyat di negara ini ketinggalan dalam apa juga bidang, mereka akan menikmati keadilan dan kesaksamaan.

Hakikatnya, kaum bukan Melayu tidak boleh melupakan jasa Umno, kalau mereka tidak mahu dituduh tidak tahu membalas budi.

Sejak selepas pilihan raya umum lalu, kaum bukan Melayu seolah-olah mendapat suatu kekuatan baru apabila melihat orang Melayu berpecah. Justeru mereka membuat tuntutan yang bukan-bukan dan ketikanya mahu dilayan sama taraf dengan kedudukan orang Melayu.

Pelbagai permintaan dilakukan sehingga ada antaranya mahu sejarah mengenai negara ini ditulis semula kononnya atas dasar bagi mengiktiraf jasa kaum bukan Melayu.

Sebenarnya, Umno dan pemimpin Melayu negara ini tidak pernah melupakan jasa bukan Melayu dalam membangunkan negara ini tetapi ia tidaklah bermaksud sehingga terpaksa membenarkan kaum berkenaan mengamalkan sikap ‘beri betis hendak paha’.

Selepas 52 tahun kita merdeka, sepatutnya perkara-perkara yang dipersetujui bersama tidak dibangkitkan lagi, tetapi secara jujurnya apakah selepas pilihan raya umum lalu perkara itu masih dipertahankan oleh parti-parti komponen BN atau hari demi hari, ia semakin diganggu gugat?

Oleh itu, bagi mengelakkan perbalahan, perpecahan dan perpaduan kaum di negara ini tergugat, parti-parti berkenaan harus bermuhasabah. Jika mereka mahu Umno dan orang Melayu menjaga hati mereka, maka mereka juga harus tahu menjaga hati orang lain.

Sri Lankan troops have resumed their offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast at the end of a 48-hour ceasefire.

Telegraph.co.uk

A military spokesman said security forces restarted operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  

The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said both sides began exchanging rocket and gunfire as the military’s unilateral two-day ceasefire ended at midnight.

After losing large swathes of territory they once controlled, the remaining guerrillas are now boxed into a narrow strip of jungle in the northeast where they are vastly outnumbered.

A rebel demand for a permanent truce was rejected by the government.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse, who called the ceasefire only to coincide with the traditional New Year on Monday and Tuesday, said his troops were on the verge of total victory.

The Tigers have been accused of holding tens of thousands of civilians in the shrinking territory still under their control as a human shield. 

The government had wanted the Tigers to free civilians during the break in fighting, but military officials said there was no large exodus over the past two days.