Back in November 2003, when Jeannie was still with us, we visited China. The kids and I would not have minded not making the trip if it was because of anything other than curiosity and the fact that our ancestors were from there. Firstly, we did not speak Mandarin and though daughter, Krystyn was fluent in Cantonese like Jeannie, where we were going (Beijing) the dialect was not in common use. I can hardly speak Chinese and son, JJ was worse. Jeannie of course spoke 4 dialects and Mandarin; she was the perfect interpreter in China! I think we were Malaysians.
Fast forward almost exactly 6 years I read Mahathir's latest senile rant on race, religion, nationality and country of origin (see below). Boy! He sure gave the rakyat a pre-Christmas present! It makes me wonder why organizations still bother to invite him to speak at functions. His latest rubbish is sure proof of his deteriorating mind and his desperation to try preserve his name in Malaysian history.
However, many chose to answer this latest nonsense from the old man in apprehension that there could still be people who took him seriously. I think two of the better replies I read is from Kee Thuan Chye and another from somebody with the moniker Tohkong Mosjid who rather creatively remonstrates to his God (both reproduced below).
Please read:
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Mahathir: Lupakan negara asal, kita rakyat Malaysia
PULAU PINANG, Dis 24 — Setiap orang di Malaysia harus mengetepikan Negara asal mereka dan mesti menganggap mereka adalah seorang rakyat Malaysia bagi menjayakan konsep 1 Malaysia, kata Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.Bekas Perdana Menteri berkata mereka harus melupakan negara asal mereka seperti India atau China dan menganggap diri mereka sebagai rakyat Malaysia.
“Mereka harus ketepikan negara asal mereka dan jadilah warga negara Malaysia bagi memastikan gagasan 1 Malaysia berjaya dicapai,” katanya ketika berucap pada majlis makan malam penghargaan Pertubuhan Muslim Kadayanallur di sini.
Beliau menggesa rakyat negara ini supaya membantu merealisasikan aspirasi kerajaan untuk mengukuhkan perpaduan kaum dan keharmonian sejajar dengan konsep 1 Malaysia.
Dr Mahathir berkata rakyat Thailand dan Indonesia masing-masing menganggap diri mereka sebagai rakyat ‘Thai’ dan ‘Indonesia’ tetapi keadaan itu tidak berlaku di sini.
Mengulas dakwaan bahawa komuniti India Muslim di negara ini dipinggirkan, beliau berkata mereka harus memilih sama ada untuk menjadi seorang Islam atau India.
“Negara ini sangat liberal dan saya fikir India Muslim akan diterima oleh semua sekiranya mereka memilih sama ada untuk menjadi seorang Islam atau India,” katanya.
Dr Mahathir berkata tiada perbezaan di antara kaum kerana semuanya adalah rakyat Malaysia.
“Perlembagaan Persekutuan memberi takrifan jelas mengenai Islam. Sekiranya mereka memilih untuk memeluk Islam jadi harus turuti perlembagaan itu,” katanya.
Beliau berkata sekiranya India Muslim di negara ini masih menganggap seperti itu, masyarakat akan berfikiran mereka masih mempunyai hubungan dengan negara asal.
“Masalah yang dihadapi komuniti India Muslim akan selesai sekiranya mereka memilih sama ada memeluk Islam atau seorang India,” kata beliau. — Bernama
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Kee Thuan Chye:
Firstly, most Chinese and Indian citizens of this country consider themselves Malaysians. I certainly do. I have no links whatsoever with China. I am committed to the idea of a Bangsa Malaysia and I gave my children Malay, Indian and Chinese names.
However, we cannot eschew our ethnicity and our roots. We practise Chinese customs but also integrate the best from other cultures, including the Malay culture. Many of us are not like Mahathir, who seems keen to deny his Indian origins. Even the Balinese of Indonesia retain their Hindu way of life.
Secondly, Mahathir is confusing race with religion when he talks of Indian Muslims having to choose whether to be considered Indian or Muslim. This is the great fallacy of this country, and it's shocking that he, a supposedly learned man and former prime minister, does not know the distinction between the two.
He is clearly resorting to his favourite subterfuge to deliberately fool the people. This is patently wrong.
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Tohkong Mosjid:
Dear God, please tell Tun Dr Mahathir..
Dear God,
Thank YOU for bringing Tun Dr Mahathir to Malaysia and giving him a chance to rule this blessed nation for 22 years. During his era, I was thankful to YOU for giving me such a good Prime Minister. I trusted him so much, and I had the utmost confidence that whatever decisions he made, I believed he made for the rakyat so that his plan for achieving his vision of Wawasan 2020 would not be derailed. He promised us that our lives will be much better when that auspicious year arrives.
Maybe I was too naïve – I thought his plan would work without any doubt. I believed that he could make everyone on this land march hand in hand towards the year 2020. Hmmm, perhaps I was brainwashed to think that way, as YOU know humans YOU created were yet to discover the Internet then. I only got the news that Tun wanted me to know. Whatever that happened in the background was not known to me. God, sorry to tell YOU this, I actually thought he was YOU in disguise and he could do no wrong.
Dear God,
As I grew older, I started having doubts over YOUR decision to let Tun rule so long in Malaysia. Were there any specific reasons for this? Why? Why? Why? Never mind then, I thought I should have more faith in YOU that YOU’ll reveal the mystery bit by bit.
Tun was spending lavishly in the name of achieving Wawasan 2020. Was it really so, God? From what I see, everything that he was trying to do was just to stay in power and leave behind a legacy of glory of him in the record of world history.
Dear God,
I am really impressed with the confidence YOU gave to Tun Mahathir in making decision for 25 millions Malaysian. How could he possibly be so sure that Najib is the right Prime Minister for us, when the Pak Lah he chose for us was that lousy? How could we trust his decision again? Was it because of his ego, or was it the faith he had in Najib to make sure his Wawasan 2020 plan becomes a reality? God, what is it? Can YOU please tell me why? Or is there another hidden plot again?
How could YOU let someone so tainted become a Prime Minister? How could someone who let 2 Skyhawk jet engines go missing under his nose become a Prime Minister? How could Tun Mahathir, someone YOU awarded with a genius brain fail to see that he is a liability to the nation? God, why? Why? Why?!!!!
Dear God,
The situation in our nation is now very bad. We are not heading towards Wawasan 2020 as planned, we are heading towards doom. Now, we are more divided than ever and rampant corruption and a lawlessness culture has been adopted widely by the government. Good people are being victimized constantly. Evil people are being worshipped.
I have done a summary on how my blessed nation, Malaysia, has reached such a pathetic state today. Please advise me whether my observation below is correct.
Tun Dr Mahathir's motivation during his time was just to rule without opposition. Tun managed to do just that without realizing he had indirectly positioned Malaysia for a great fall instead of heading towards Wawasan 2020.
To stay in power, Tun did a lot of things which are inflicting damage on our country now. He created a hole; but during his time, he knew how to control the hole from getting bigger.
But he forgot that his successors might not have the skill to contain that hole, and the hole grew uncontrollably under Pak Lah. This hole is now a tumour. Instead of curing this tumour, Najib is using this tumour to stay in power which is very sad to Malaysia.
Now Malaysians have to live with this tumour. Because this tumour is so huge, the removal of this tumour may kill all of us at the same time. When PR tries to do anything with this tumour, this tumour will inflict immense pain on us. And the problem is most of us can't stand the pain...... and are therefore still willing to support BN.
Dear God,
If my observation is correct, please kindly help to wake everyone up in Malaysia to remove this tumour together with Pakatan Rakyat. Please give us the strength to endure the pain during the tumour removal process to allow our future generation inherit a cancer-free nation. Please help us.
I have faith that YOU are allowing the nation to reach this pathetic state for a reason. Perhaps YOU want to induce more pain as the situation is yet to be painful enough for the majority of us to be angry enough to start fighting and claiming back our nation from those ruthless politicians. Perhaps YOU purposely arranged that Datuk Seri Najib be our prime minister with the help of Tun Dr Mahathir so that he could help Pakatan Rakyat indirectly rise in power. I hope, I am speculating, but I don’t really know. I guess I just have to trust YOU. I have absolute faith that YOU will not leave us to the dogs.
But if there’s one thing that YOU can do now, I hope YOU can help us to please tell Tun Dr Mahathir to stop deciding for Malaysians in the future. It has been proven over and over again; his decisions hurt us more than it helps us.
Please God, I beg YOU.
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