It was a bizarre move by Pakatan… for all this while they are fighting for freedom of speech, and now they are, asking people to boycott the papers for their biasness. Such an irony.

I do read Utusan occasionally, and I know how pro-BN and racial biased they could be when reporting certain issues… but that doesn’t mean that they are liars.

Chinese papers are often bias when reporting some racial issues too… Hishammudin’s keris wielding for example was widely criticised in Chinese papers, while the Malay papers were more protective towards the same news.

Sometimes, there is no absolute answer to right or wrong in certain matters… it’s just about sharing different point of views, which is not really a bad thing for better understanding among Malaysians.

Besides, the blogosphere are more biased in favour of Pakatan than the mainstream media for BN… we are the worst when it comes to biasness. So, should BN supporters launch a boycott campaign against the bloggers in return?

So much so for freedom of speech.

He apologised to the non-Malays that the keris wielding has caused unease, while apologised to Malays for failing to uphold the Malay emblem as their symbol of heritage (video below)…

Thing is, most of the non-Malays have never denied the importance of keris as a symbol of Malay heritage… the non-Malays are offended because it was used at the wrong place, wrong function, and wrong timing.

And to add fuel to the fire, Hishammudin has in numerous occasions ridiculed the non-Malays for being too sensitive towards the keris issue instead of looking into the responds seriously.

In fact in this so call apology, he is trying to say that the non-Malays are scared of the keris as a Malay symbol, and as if the non-Malays are trying to take away a Malay heritage. Yet again the non-Malays are being ridiculed while he is trying to make himself a Malay hero.

The next thing he would say is that he has apologised, but too bad some of the Malaysians are not that forgiving… yada.

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said Sunday (Dec 23) the party viewed the matter seriously and that the case has been referred to the Disciplinary Committee for a decision on the action to be taken before it was to be brought to the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC). [Bernama]

Paranjothy is alleged to have issued a press statement to Malaysiakini claiming that he was not happy with Umno and the way Indians in the country were being treated. Excerpt from Malaysiakini…

In an audacious move, a notable Gerakan politician has taken Barisan Nasional coalition leader Umno to task for inciting racial sentiments among Malays to gain political mileage.

“They incite racial sentiments among their community in a petty attempt to further their political career,” Gerakan Youth vice-chief S Paranjothy alleged today (Dec 21).

Such attempts, he said, include taking potshots at other BN component parties which draw their support from non-Malay communities.

“Umno leaders are very found of picking on component parties and use them as their punching bag or stepping-stone to gain popularity in their community,” Paranjothy said in a hard-hitting four-page statement entitled ‘Discrimination from Womb to Tomb’.

He singled out Umno Youth Chief Hishammuddin Hussien’s keris waving and his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin’s claim that non-Malays would take advantage of a weak Umno leadership, as prime examples of racial posturing.

He also cited Khairy’s speech at the Umno general assembly last month, during which he blamed newspaper vendors for not wanting to work on Deepavali day. He made a pointed reference to the fact that the sector is predominated by Indian Malaysians.

Paranjothy also mentioned that Malaysian Indians are treated as fourth-class citizens; and that the government has practised double-standards in the issuance of police permits for public demonstrations.

Hishammuddin responded on Saturday by demanding an explanation from Koh…

“If the explanation given is not satisfactory, we are prepared to sever all relations with Gerakan. This is no laughing matter.”

What is racial sensitive?

I can’t agree with Paranjothy’s statement that Indians are treated as fourth-class citizens. There are some racial biased policies in Malaysia, but not to the extend that any particular races are being marginalized. The government is not doing enough to help the poor, but there are other factors and people that should be blamed as well. I will write a post later to share further thought on this.

What I want to raise here… is what kind of statements could be deemed as racial sensitive? After 50 years of independence, it’s pathetic to think that every word that question about racial issues in Malaysia is categorized as sensitive remarks.

Malaysia is a multiracial country… we need to be tolerant and careful with our action and speeches; but that doesn’t mean that we should keep quiet about every racial issue that has surfaced. If we do that we are just cheating ourselves and allowing problems to grow bigger instead of finding solutions for it.

Besides, what part of Paranjothy’s accusations is wrong? Hishammuddin’s keris waving has angered thousands of people, and he is finding his own words to justify his action instead of considering that his action might ignite racial discontent; Khairy’s Deepavali story is even worse… but why are these Umno people be allowed to continue raising the tension whereas the others are not allowed to speak up their mind?

Political scapegoat

Hishamuddin’s fast response is clearly to boost his own Umno political image and not for the sake of national unity. He knows that if he didn’t condemn Paranjothy fast enough… Khairy would speak about it and steal the spotlight instead.

The Umno leaders are constantly in tug-of-war for power and political future… and often used other political parties as the scapegoat to gain popularity in their community. Paranjothy has mentioned this in his statement, and Hishammudin’s threatening demand against Gerakan probably has just endorsed this.

I am disappointed that Koh Tsu Koon has given in to Hishammudin’s demand rather easily. Paranjothy might have broken the stupid political rank in BN, but Gerakan should at least show their pride to condemn Hishammudin’s arrogance before taking action against their own man. Gerakan are acting like cowards now… and it brings no respect from both Gerakan and Umno supporters.

Umno Government is not going to listen

MIC parliamentarian K. Devamany got himself into trouble in late November after saying that “the government was not doing enough for the (Indian) community” in response to the Hindraf rally… and this time it’s Paranjothy’s political future that is in jeopardy.

The government leaders are not listening to opposition parties obviously, and they are not allowing any comments from their own men that are against their policies… in the end nothing besides S kissing words are going to get into their ears.

Government is willing to listen to criticism? It has been proven as empty talk once again.

I accept that keris is a cultural symbol for Malays, for Malaysia in fact. Some people might not be aware, but we are seeing the keris almost everyday everywhere… with our Yang di-Pertuan Agong carrying it in his photo. There is nothing wrong with keris.

The issue lies in the person who carries the keris, and the agenda behind it.

UMNO youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein has made a decent statement at the 2007 general assembly that the kissing and hoisting of the keris symbolises the protection given to not only the Malays but also to other races in the country. [Bernama]

It could be a genuine statement, or probably just a PR stunt… but it doesn’t erase the fact that the ‘keris protect all Malaysians” ideology was not what he managed to portray when he played with his keris for the past couple of years.

I can’t blame too much on Hishammuddin though; it was a trend for UMNO youth to raise racial sentiment. Mahathir, Najib, Anwar etc. had all been criticized for their radical gimmick when they were in their early political days.

All these people need to build their network and support to move up the political rank… Hishammuddin won’t be the last person to play with sensitive issues in UMNO assembly.

Some Malaysians might not be happy about what Hishammuddin did, but there is nothing much to do against it besides ranting online or in coffee shops. Hishammuddin will march forward in his political career regardless of how we feel… we have to move on as well regardless of how he feels.