Of racist remarks and Umno leaders

And the worrying thing is it’s not just “one or two leaders” who are making such remarks. Take a listen to speeches made at the Umno general assemblies year in year out and you get the picture.

By MOHSIN ABDULLAH, MySinchew

Last week 800 pre-schoolers made the largest 1Malaysia logo using 220,220 twenty sen coins. Here we go again I say to myself. Remember the largest national flag, the largest ketupat, the longest sandwich, the biggest this the largest that. I thought we’re through with all that. Obviously not. We’re still big in going big so to speak. The only thing is now we’re getting small kindergarten kids to do the big thing. What next? Getting babies into the big act? Anyway, on the day The Star newspaper carried that big effort by the kids, it also carried a report on remarks made by Prime Minister Najib Razak, on, well, racist remarks.

Speaking in his capacity as Umno president, Najib was quoted to have said that racist comments from “one or two Umno leaders” should be ignored because the majority of members in the party are not racists.

“Umno is not a racist party. From the beginning, we wanted a multiracial society. Don’t listen to one or two leaders talk, that’s different. Any party has leaders like them. But look at our policies from Day One”, Najib told delegates attending the Gerakan national conference in Kuala Lumpur Sunday Oct 31.

Wise words from a wise man. Something which all of us should pay attention to and take heed. By saying “Day One”, Najib was clearly referring to the day Umno was formed in 1946. However the “Umno policies from Day One’ would have been “gigantic’ and “momentous” had Dato Onn Jaafar’s proposal that the party open its doors to non-Malays was accepted. Instead it was thrown out and Dato Onn Jaafar, the father of Umno left the party a frustrated man. Sad. But that’s all history now.

Still the policies from Day One were accepted as good if not great. And there are many who still hold on to that belief. A policy to “safeguard Malay interests as well as others and without trampling the rights of non Malays.” Something to that effect. But being a Malay party the policy from Day One to the present is a “Malay first policy”. Nothing wrong with that. But then perhaps many in Umno, leaders and members are still having the difficulty in drawing the line between being “race based,” “racial” and “racist”. Even after all this while. Hence we hear of “racist remarks” coming out of Umno. Even so now as Najib himself has admitted.

And the worrying thing is it’s not just “one or two leaders” who are making such remarks. Take a listen to speeches made at the Umno general assemblies year in year out and you get the picture. Whatever their reasons might be, one thing’s for sure. It's hurting others. Non Malays and non Umno Malays. It’s hurting the BN and it’s ridiculing Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

So now we are told to ignore” them. That’s easy. The rakyat, Malays and non Malays can do that. Push them aside. Can even ostracise them. No problem. But as we’re still big in going BIG , then the big question to ask is this: Why are these one or two leaders as Najib puts it, making racist remarks and continue to make racist remarks? That is one big question for Umno to answer.

But the bigger question is if the rakyat are told to ignore them, then what is Umno going to do about it? Ignore them also? Apprehend and reprimand? Sack them? Let them be? Business as usual? Happily ever after?

That we want to know. Satu Malaysia mahu tahu (the whole of Malaysia wants to know). No. Make it Satu Dunia. The whole world awaits.

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Comments (18) Add Comment

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written by devious17, November 07, 2009 18:12:54

Talk is cheap najib! Do it! Do what Onn Jaafar wanted to do in the hey days of UMNO! Do it!

Dismantle mic,mca,umno and what not you have in the so called coalition of convenience! Register BN as a party! Be 1! Bring everyone in BN into a real BN! Can aaa? I dont think that can ever happen laaa, all you flers in umno/bn all syok sendiri with your phatetic statements laaa.

You are potraying yourselves as being dumb does not mean we have to act dumb like you okay?

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written by Kaneeneh, November 07, 2009 16:27:38

There was once a racist leader who the world ignored. You know what happened? BTW, his name was Hitler.

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written by sataysticks, November 07, 2009 15:57:05

99% of Malaysian hate UMNO!!!

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written by sataysticks, November 06, 2009 14:39:57

UMNO morons can never change because:
a. you need to be a racist to be a UMNO member
b. most UMNO members are uneducated or have bogus/fake degrees
c. to be popular in UMNO, you need to be a racist
d. UMNO members can say what you want and get away with it
e. most UMNO members get rewarded if you act and talk racists

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written by sydput, November 06, 2009 13:47:23

only in malaysia are racists tolerated and promoted by the ruling party.
elsewhere in this world, it is abhored and condemned.

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written by asguard, November 06, 2009 13:38:45

Well...to be frankly speaking...the PM is no better than any of racists UMNO idiot! In fact they are all in same boat... and 1malaysia means nothing but racists policy will continued... it not about you and me...its about them... always!

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written by Richfyf, November 06, 2009 13:11:06

Check this out.....

Published: Friday November 6, 2009 MYT 8:56:00 PM
10yrs for man who raped daughter of woman he was going to marry, THE STAR

Former Taman Aman Umno branch secretary Hamdan Ahadluddin, 49, was jailed 10 years and ordered to be whipped six times after he was found guilty of raping the teenager at her home in Lembah Subang

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written by mob1900, November 06, 2009 11:04:39

Instead of calling us to 'ignore' these '1 or 2' racist leaders,
just show us 1, yupe, 1 Good UMNO leader.
There's none.
Not even 1 UMNO leader which is consider good with the consensus of all.

P/s: Please don't 'perasan' and count yourself as a good leader, Najis.

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written by KingSolomon, November 06, 2009 11:03:41

Is not wearing the costume of their race a display of racism? If not, does any delegate dare wear anything different? None of them dare to be seen as not of their race.

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written by onnetline, November 06, 2009 10:26:08

Maybe, the rakayt needs to know that there are many UMNOS leaders and their cronies who are poor or retarded and needs NEP assistance ( multi millions RM contracts) to survive !

They are not merely racists but just very corrupted only !

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written by Takiaki, November 06, 2009 10:26:02

Talking about coins...yes they are like two faces of a coin. One day najib says UMNO are for all races, tomorrow he says UMNO is the champion of the malays and no other race can challenge their supremacy.
Today he says 1malaysia, tomorrow he says the malays are given 'handicaps' just like golf players, then he flips again, saying the malays are at par with other races and should not depend on the govt...
1 malaysia my a**....nothing but PR gimics!!

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written by jason, November 06, 2009 10:24:41

Isn't Najib one of them who has uttered racist words way back in 1988?. Is he saying now we should ignore him. Good, we all should ignore this white brow idiot with the fat mama penguin. Right?.

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written by CHOWKITMAN, November 06, 2009 10:15:25

Hello, Najis just told you all that UMNO is not racist oK?? I caya sama lu smilies/cheesy.gif

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written by storm62, November 06, 2009 10:01:30

1 or 2 umno racist......can tolerate
1 or 2 umno theives ....can tolerate
1 or 2 umno rapist......can tolerate
1 or 2 umno robbers.....can tolerate
1 or 2 umno cow heads...can tolerate

so many umno murderers and racists....how to tolerate?

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written by cheemengwong, November 06, 2009 09:55:14

1Malaysia is all about:-

1. Different universities for different races. Non Bumis cannot get into UITM!

2. Quotas being used discrimately for entry into public universities. Doing well for a non bumi does not guarantee going into uni of his/her choice and aslo the courses or field of study. A aspiring medical student who is a non bumi will not be offered medical course compared with his counterpart who does less well but a bumi.

3. Civil service are not for non bumis. 97% of civil service personnels are bumis and I dread going to any government office on a Friday!

4. End lots in housing projects are reserved for bumis with 10-15 % discounts

5. There are no equal budget allocations for mosques, churches, temples within any community!

6. There are no special Mara loans for non bumis. Why?

7. There are unit trusts like Amanah Saham only for bumis. Why leh?

The list goes on..,

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written by cheekhiaw, November 06, 2009 09:50:28

Of racist thieves and the rest of the thieves...

xxx

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written by advocatusdiaboli, November 06, 2009 09:47:55

We still have not forgotten that smiling big mouthed jack-ass Kerismuddin's keris waving antics and the UMNO delegates who were cheering him on. So that's one or two UMNO members only? We still have not forgotten what you yourself did at Raja muda Stadium in 1987. Does Operasi Lalang ring a bell you bloddy lalang? We still have not forgotten your Ketuanan Melayu rhetoric. We still have not forgotten Altantuya. So Najib, stop taking us for fools. We know your true colours. Hope you will slip in your bathroom, and get a heart attack. You will have hell to pay for.