The expected contest between DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Umno Abdul Ghani Othman for parliamentary seat of Gelang Patah is going to be a real test of the Malays as to whether they are now open to the politics of PKR and PAS instead of the traditional racist Umno. Below is just an excerpt of a letter on MCA, but exceptionally lengthy on ex-MB of Johore, Abdul Ghani Othman, who has been described by K Temoc as contrary to what he has been portrayed as, 'well-liked among Chinese, moderate and humble'...
Excerpt from K Temoc's letter to Malaysiakini:
"There has been incorrect posturing of Abdul Ghani Othman as a courageous and well-liked person among Chinese because of his so-called moderate politics and humble self.
Firstly, there’s nothing courageous about his candidature. Abdul Ghani in the Umno scheme of things is already expendable cannon fodder to make way for Umno’s new rising stars in Johor. Without involving mention of the palace, every political observer knows Najib Abdul Razak wants a corps of younger Umno technocrats to run Johor and the all-important Iskandar Project. He already has in mind a younger Umno man to replace Abdul Ghani.
I dare say Abdul Ghani is being ‘volunteered’ [grin] by his no doubt smirking Umno colleagues. If he wins by the grace of Allah swt and of course more mundane ‘forces’ [a nudge and a wink], they will of course claim credit and pat him on his back. If he loses they will hail his perwira spirit, give him a golden handshake and put him out to pasture.
But I want everyone to recall late 2006, a mere 6.5 years ago when Abdul Ghani Othman rejected the concept of Bangsa Malaysia as totally unacceptable because he openly stated that a national unified identity was a threat to his cherished Ketuanan Melayu, or Malay supremacy. He saw the vital importance of continuing Malay political dominance and the special position provided for them in the constitution.
He dismissed the Bangsa Malaysia notion as fostering a rojak of races in the country, though we Malaysians know that rojak tastes a whole lot better than each of its constituent components. But obviously Abdul Ghani in his preference for racial purity had thought differently.
He warned ominously that the Bangsa Malaysia concept, if subjected to abuse, could threaten national stability, but he failed to define what he meant by ‘abuse’.
Abdul Ghani would only grudgingly allow use of the Bangsa Malaysia term provided it was only applied with the Malays as the pivotal race of the peoples of Malaysia - essentially upholding the non-negotiability of Ketuanan Melayu and its Aryan-like concept of Malay supremacy. Thus to him, there could be a Bangsa Malaysia and a bangsa malaysia, with the former capitalised to indicate his pivotal race while the latter in lower case would be the 'nons'.
Separated and stratified
We may thus take it that he wanted and we may assume, still wants the races in Malaysia to continue to be separated and economically and politically stratified.
As if that was not bad enough, Abdul Ghani then followed that up by insulting the hallowed memory of the most esteemed late Onn Jaafar when he launched the five-day Datuk Onn (Johor’s most illustrious son) National Conference at Persada Johor.
He said that if people understood why a Bangsa Malaya was rejected during Umno founder Onn Jaafar’s leadership they should also realise why any concept akin to it could not be accepted.
That was sheer nonsense because the late Onn didn't propose that.
Here was how this man twisted the events of history, by extrapolating a pre-independence Umno in the 1950s not wanting to open its doors to all ethnic groups as proof that 21st Century Malaysians also did not want to merge into a united nationality.
Then he said pointedly: “It is about everything being equal and this does not capture the hearts of Malaysians.”
Well, what can one say? According to Abdul Ghani Othman, Malaysians (rather than Umno members) do not want ‘equality’.
And then without batting an eyelid, he had the gall to aver: “We, as Malays, and even the non-Malays, should admit that Datuk Onn’s idea of kenegaraan should be inherited and practised. This is the idea that has united the Malays, and also the same idea that has given privileges to other races to be citizens, live together and share power and prosperity. Datuk Onn has left a heritage which is priceless and should be used as a guide for all generations.”
Abdul Ghani showed utterly no shame in twisting a good man’s vision, and insulting his exemplary name, to support his bigoted concept of a pivotal race, and blasphemed the illustrious name of the late Onn Jaafar, a man who left Umno, a party he founded and headed until August 1951, because he was so disgusted with Umno's communalist policies in refusing to open its membership to all Malayans and for Umno to be renamed as the United Malayans National Organisation.
That was one occasion when I wanted Hishammuddin Hussein to draw his keris to defend his grandfather’s honour and true policies!
Now, which Chinese had said Abdul Ghani Othman is seen by many Chinese Johoreans as a moderate Umno leader?
Could it be Liew Kin See (Liew Kee Sin?), the property developer who claimed Chinese have fared well under pro-bumiputera policies such as the New Economic Policy (NEP). Mind, I personally don’t recall benefiting from a seven percent discount when I bought my first house. I dare say I would have ended up, together with many other non-Malays, subsidising instead the seven percent enjoyed by bumiputeras buying houses under the NEP.
Or could it be Vincent Tan, or Francis Yeoh or young Jho Low?
So when the voters of Gelang Patah go to the polls, just remember who the real Abdul Ghani Othman is, the man who doesn't believe Malaysians should be equal and that the Malays must remain the supreme pivotal race."
K TEMOC is a Penangite who enjoys being an independent blogger and loves to share his opinion on Malaysian and world affairs without fear or favour, though currently is politically inclined towards DAP, only because the political party has thus far shown faithfulness to its promise of competency, accountability and transparency.
Source:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/226149
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