DEC 11 — In the days of strongman rule by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, nobody dared to use the word “racist” against any Umno politician. Now it seems the word “racist” is being used all over the place. In Parliament where the nation’s brightest are supposed to be found, they keep calling each other racist. The following are “racist”, according to their fellow parliamentarians — Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, M. Kulasegaran, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and many others. But the “father of all racism” is Dr Mahathir, according to Nazri.
All this because of BTN courses and Ketuanan Melayu. I don’t know what the fuss is about — I mean the word Ketuanan Melayu has been around a long time and is the raison d'etre of Umno. So why are people surprised that it is the core part of BTN?
I mean, why are politicians ashamed to be called a racist? People like Ibrahim Ali and the “cow-head” mob are at least honest about Ketuanan Melayu. I quote from one of the cow-head leaders, Ahmad Mahayuddin Abd Manaf: "Its proven historically that this is Tanah Melayu. Others are categorised as second-class citizens.".
Ibrahim Ali is reported to have warned the non-Malays to behave, if not then Malays would repay in kind. "If they are polite, we will be polite. But if they are not, neither will we. If they are kurang ajar (ill-mannered), we too can be kurang ajar….. We will not tolerate Bumiputeras losing face or our honour. Especially Malays and Islam, do not ever try to play around with these."
The reason why we have double-talk and confusion is because the racists here try so hard to appear to be non-racial. If only they were to admit to Ketuanan Melayu then there will be no problem. These closet racists are only creating problems because they say one thing in one language and say another in another language. They say one thing in public and say another thing in private. Isn’t this what is happening with BTN courses? On paper, its all about nation building and national unity but what actually happens is something else.
The other way of looking at this issue is that the closet racists know that Ketuanan Melayu as an ideology is morally, theologically and logically wrong. So they go to great lengths to hide it, and try to claim that it’s not a racist ideology. It’s a “historical fact”, as the saying goes. The ones with university degrees use another term — “social contract”. They will not engage in a debate because they know they cannot defend their positions in a logical argument so they hide deeper.
Look at the white supremacists in America, such as the KKK and Aryan Nation. They do not admit to being racists. They just want to be “separated” from the non-whites. Some even preach the concept of “separate but equal”.
The reality is racism is alive and flourishing in Malaysia. It is not official state ideology but many state apparatus subscribe to it in practice. Like racism elsewhere it is done in the name of protecting one’s race but in reality, it’s all about political power and maintaining it. It is so entrenched here that many professionals think that the only way to escape it is to leave the country. The end result is obvious and ironic — by leaving the country, only the racists are left in power, and therefore it strengthened their position. Vicious circle.
There is no easy answer because, as I said before, the real big-time racists are closet racist. They hide and some may even sound non-racial in public. The double-speak and hypocrisy is so deep that you will be surprised if they ever come out of the closet.
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