POHON MAAF (2)

1. I had hesitated about writing the Pohon Maaf article even. I thought I would surely be misunderstood. I would be accused of being a racist.

2. Sure enough, although many agree with me, some felt sad that I had become a racist, others merely use nasty words against me.

3. When the opposition did very well in the 2008 elections, foreign observers talk about a wind of change in Malaysia; about how racialism had been rejected, how Anwar, their favourite would soon take over the Government.

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Snippets

“Pohon Maaf”

1. Baru-baru ini Kerajaan dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri serta Menteri-Menteri sibuk memohon maaf kepada orang Cina dan India kerana apa yang dikatakan kata-kata yang dianggap sebagai terlalu perkauman (racist) yang telah disebut oleh beberapa pemimpin Melayu.

2. Sebenarnya orang Melayu sekarang amat takut jika mereka diberi label “racist”. Mereka menulis dalam akhbar yang orang Melayu bukan racist. Demikianlah ketakutan mereka sehingga apabila hak mereka di buruk-burukan dan diserang, mereka tidak berani mempertahankan diri mereka.

3. Malang bagi TPM dan Kerajaan Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi setelah memohon maaf secara terbuka permohonan maaf daripada pemimpin tertinggi Umno ditolak oleh pemimpin-pemimpin kaum berkenaan. Mereka menuntut supaya orang yang perkatakan perkataan yang dilabel “racist” sendiri memohon maaf.

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Snippets

Media Truths

1. “Hold strongly to the principle of truth as the credibility of an institution depends on it” said Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi, the PM.

2. Does he really believe in reporting the truth or in spinning the truth?

3. When reporters met me during press conferences, I asked them why they are interviewing me when they know very well that anything I said would either be blacked out or spun so that I seem to say just the opposite of what I said.

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THE SO-CALLED EMINENT PERSONS PANEL

1. Suddenly, in the aftermath of the disastrous Permatang Pauh by-election an announcement was made that a panel of retired judges from India and Pakistan and lawyers from Australia and Malaysia had been set up to review the 1988 judicial crisis in Malaysia.

2. The Panel was set up in August 2007. Yet until now there had been no news about it and its work. Now we are given its report mainly to blame me for what it termed Malaysian Judicial Crisis and the removal of Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President of the Malaysian Courts in 1988.

3. This is a new idea by the Bar Council to invalidate the findings of the Tribunals set up according to the Constitution of Malaysia, the Supreme Law of Malaysia. It is a negation of the rule of law and a slap in the face for the Malaysian King, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

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Snippets

Kebebasan Media

1.Selepas pengumuman Barisan Nasional kalah di Permatang Pauh pemberita datang ke Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana dan mendesak supaya saya adakan satu sidang akhbar.

2.Dalam sidang akhbar itu saya secara terus terang berkata sidang akhbar tidak berguna kerana mereka tidak akan dibenar melaporkan jawapan-jawapan saya melainkan yang boleh diputar supaya ternampak saya menyokong Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan Kerajaannya.

3.Seperti yang saya jangka laporan yang dibuat berlainan dengan apa yang saya perkatakan.

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MENGINGATI PEJUANG-PEJUANG KEMERDEKAAN

1. Jeff Hamaz menarik perhatian kepada pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan Malaya sebelum UMNO. Saya bersetuju kita harus beri tempat kepada orang-orang seperti Ibrahim Yaacob, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Hj Mohammad, Dr Burhanuddin Helmi dalam perjuangan ini.

2. Tetapi saya tidak bersetuju bahawa UMNO adalah pro-British. Kelainan antara pejuang-pejuang KMM (Kesatuan Melayu Muda) dan MNP (Malay Nationalist Party) ialah tentang cara dan pendirian. KMM sanggup menyokong Jepun dan ramai yang menjadi Heiho, angkatan separuh tentera yang didirikan oleh Jepun sementara Malay Nationalist Party mirip kiri dan bersimpati dengan Komunis yang hampir semuanya terdiri daripada orang Cina yang telah bermusuh dengan orang-orang kampung selepas Jepun kalah.

3. Pemimpin UMNO pula tidak kiri dan tidak kanan. Mereka utamakan orang Melayu yang akan hilang tanahair mereka jika Malayan Union ditubuh. Tak dapat tidak UMNO terpaksa menentang British. Hanya yang tidak dilakukan oleh UMNO ialah perjuangan ganas melalui perang gerila.

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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

1. Affirmative action by its very nature must involve discrimination.

2. Affirmative action is about correcting imbalances between groups. But in the process, the interest of individuals would have to be sacrificed. It is unfortunate for the individual concerned but if no one’s interest is to be sacrificed then corrections cannot be made. The status quo would remain and this would mean there would be no affirmative action. Simply said, no corrective action would be possible unless there is some discrimination against someone.

3. Golf is a great game. But like other games the poorer players would be given handicaps. Otherwise golf would be very boring as the good golfers win every time.

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