How To Shoot Yourself In The Foot

It's amazing how some "intelligent" people can be counted on to keep shooting their own feet again and again... and again... and again. Even "common folks" like us can grasp the simple concept that shooting oneself in the foot is not only stupid but also incredibly painful. Yet, these "intelligent" folks keep doing it. Why????

I would like to refer to the recent meeting of 200 Malay NGOs which formed a coalition called "Majlis Muafakat Melayu Malaysia", purportedly to "defend Malay rights". Now, this is not a fake coalition of non-existent or fringe NGOs like what BN attempted to foist on a gullible public (or so they thought!) before the general elections.

This coalition includes Malay intelligentsia like Associate Professor Datuk Zainal Abidin Borhan, secretary-general of the Coalition of National Writers (Gapena) and Datuk Aziz Deraman, the former head of Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka. So, we are talking about at least some folks who have some active brain cells.

So what's wrong with them fighting for Malay rights? Well, it's fine and dandy if they are fighting for equal rights or against some kind of unjust discrimination. It's even understandable if they are fighting for their brand of racial apartheid. There will always be racists, even in modern times. Perfectly understandable.

What I do not understand is why they would also want to shoot the foot off their own people. It's really puzzling. I would understand if they want to fight for special rights to freebies and handouts. Heck, who doesn't like to be the favourite son/daughter of a generous and indulgent father?

What I do not understand is why they are insisting that their own race should be crippled against their will. Is it not enough that they be given special rights? Why insist on crippling them? Do you actually believe that crippling yourself will make your father pity you more and give you more handouts? Sheer stupidity.

Take a look at the list of demands that this new coalition "Majlis Muafakat Melayu Malaysia" has come up with :

Let me explain why these demands are stupid, and some are suicidal in nature.


Challenging any amendment to the Constitution and judicial system aimed at weakening the sovereignty and position of the Malays.

Harlo.... It's been years since I studied my General Paper but even I can tell you that it is NOT possible for non-Malay parties to change anything in the Constitution. To change the status of Bumiputras would require not only a 2/3 majority but also the consent of the Kings.

Until the recent general elections, only Barisan Nasional had the power to do that, and guess what, only Barisan Nasional has exclusively non-Malay parties!! Every party in the Opposition is now multi-racial. Even the Islamic party, PAS, fielded an Indian candidate (and a female at that) in the last election!

In any case, BN's loss of their 2/3 stranglehold has wiped out any possibility of the ruling coalition's ability to change the Constitution whenever they feel like it. It has also wiped out your first concern. In other words, your first demand is a stupid waste of your time to demand and for others to even consider.

Although it's amazing to see that such intellectuals would, at this age and time, insist on retaining racial favouritism in the Constitution, I'm pretty sure that our future generations will have a far more advanced mindset. I just hope they will not judge you too harshly for it.


Demanding tight control on the building of places of worship for other religions according to size of the community and the location.

Why stop there? Why not demand for practitioners of other religions to leave the country? Why not demand that all Malaysians must be converted? After all, that's what you really want, don't you?

Do you actually think God cares about who has more churches or mosques or temples? Do you think that God is so childish that He puts numbers above what's truly in your hearts? Yes, somehow I think that that is ultimately what you think God is.

IMHO, religion is a personal matter. It should NEVER be under the control of any government. What goes on between God and I are our PRIVATE and personal business. What gives you the right to decide how many places of worship should be built.. or where they should be built for that matter?

Why should other religions be restricted to a certain quota according to the size of their congregation and not YOUR religion? If we want to regulate places of worship, let's be fair. After all, God demands it of us. So, let's restrict EVERY religion to a certain number of mosques, churches and temples according to the size of their congregations.

Wait.. Now, wouldn't that result in a severe shortage of places of worship for the "other religions"? That's just it. The status quo is already severely AGAINST the "other religions". If you push too hard, they may very well start pushing back and insisting on parity according to your own words, "size of the community and the location".


Rejecting any move to bring multilingualism in schools.

In this age of globalization, people are trying to learn MORE languages to better compete. To insist on teaching FEWER languages in our schools would be tantamount to crippling our children. Now, that is not only stupid, it's suicidal.

Hey, if you want your children to learn only ONE language and no other, it's YOUR perogative and THEIR loss. But don't insist that everyone else must follow you off the cliff. We are not THAT stupid.


Rejecting the use of English in all tertiary institutions.

And you wonder why multinational companies (MNCs) do not want to employ our "graduates".

Compare the quality of the English language in our education system and the demand for our graduates by MNCs and you will see a remarkable correlation. Who wants to employ a graduate who cannot understand what you are asking him/her to do?

Our government's stupid exercise at national pride has already cost us almost 3 decades of damage to our command of the English language when they insisted that students be taught in Bahasa Melayu at the tertiary level. Never mind that our students were also forced to read books that are several years out of date by the time they are translated from English!

It is UNDENIABLE that the English language is the de facto language for science and technology. The latest information is usually available first in the English language. By insisting that English not be used in tertiary institution would be akin to asking all our students to read outdated textbooks.

Maybe you prefer to be treated by a doctor using an outdated treatment methods, as long as he/she can only speak or read Bahasa Melayu. Go ahead. It's your right. Just leave the rest of us ALONE.


Demanding that Mathematics and Science be taught in Malay.

See how stupid they are. They cannot even group this demand and the previous one together, even though they are virtually the same demand. I'm not going to repeat myself.


Rejecting the notion of multiculturalism.

How to reject a notion of the truth? We are a multicultural society, period. There's no way to reject the truth of that.

Well, if you want a single "pure" culture, then you will have to kill or chase all non-Malays out of the country. That includes your fellow Bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak.

After you do that, just make sure you also banish non-Malay food like roti canai, taufu, putu mayam, fried rice, tom yam, assam laksa, chicken rice, all kinds of koay teow, all kinds of noodles, burgers, pizzas, etc.

Then you can also banish all non-Malay vehicles like that shiny Bimmer or Merc in your garage, your wife's Honda Accord, your son's Mazda and your daughter's Volkswagen. It's time for you to adopt pure Malaysian cars like the Proton Perdana or Proton Waja. Wait... those were based on Japanese cars, so you will have to scrap that as well.

After that, cut off Astro's license so that other cultures cannot pollute your pure culture. Just be prepared to miss your favourite episodes of Desperate Housewives (yes, I know you watch it too!), Prison Break and all other multicultural drivel on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and even CNN.

Never mind about us. We, of the "other race, other religion" category, will long be gone because we value multi-culturalism, multi-linguism and equality under the law and God's eyes. Just make sure you get rid of everything that remotely smacks of multi-culturalism, multi-linguism and equality. Yeah la.... that includes your Benz and roti canai. Deiii... Just how stupid are you??

 

LOL! Well, it's true. Even my father, who was the HR manager for a steel manufacturer, always had a hard time finding candidates who can really meet their requirements.

 

The thing is what they are suggesting is SELF-defeating. It's like shooting the kneecaps off their own children.

 

Well, I don't think the others feel the same way. It's just that they "claim" to represent everyone else.. and they want to apply "their demands" on everyone. I think it's grossly unfair (and unkind) even to the people they claim to represent.

 

For those who think that these people really represents the Malays, well, let's see what some of them think about their new "reps"...

 

And what do real intellectuals like the Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz think about the so-called "Social Contract"?

 

And this is what M. Bakri Musa thinks...