Was a plan being hatched and, if so, what and how?
January 12, 2008
On the eve of the Hindraf rally, I had put up a post entitled ‘Why I will not walk this Sunday and why the walk must not proceed’.
In essence, I had sought to explain my reasons why I would not walk to support the cause and why I felt the rally should not go on as scheduled.
In respect of the latter, this is what I had said :
The organisers of the Hindraf rally are expecting Malays to attend their rally, but not in the spirit that held sway on 10-Eleven.
In his letter to the PM dated 20/11/2007, Uthayakumar pointedly states that ‘a malay muslim group and Indian gangsters together with the police Special Branch are trying to disrupt our said peaceful assembly and create chaos and possible violence on 25.11.2007. Please investigate this matter and take the appropriate action accordingly’.
It is becoming increasingly plain to me that the Hindraf rally planned for this Sunday will present to UMNO and BN the perfect stage to resurrect their ‘May 13′ bogeyman, blame the ‘chaos and possible violence’ that Uthayakumar himself anticipates on the recent call by civil society to allow the right to peacably assemble, demonise the struggle for greater democracy as that which is plunging this nation into racial tension, and trumpet again that BN is the only one that can maintain racial stability in this country.
A day after the rally I posted ‘Sorry, I was wrong to…’ . Having first confirmed from the MSM and the various internet news portals and blogs that there were no reports of ‘inter-racial clashes or incidences instigated by agent provocateurs’, I had unreservedly apologised to all of you and admitted that I was ‘ wrong to fret unnecessarily and without good reason that any skirmishes in the course of the rally that might be successfully spun as inter-racial clashes and hyped as the prelude to another ‘May 13′ might drive civil society back into its ’slient majority’ days, undoing the little progress we have seen of late’.
Yesterday, in a Malaysiakini report entitled ‘Racial action plan : UMNO says no such thing’ , it was reported that Umno leaders had denied that there was a written directive signed by UMNO sec-gen Radzi Sheikh Ahmad about a ‘racial issue action plan.’According to the Malaysiakini report, PAS’s Salahuddin Ayub has filed a police report in Kuala Lumpur over the letter in question and urged the police to determine the authenticity of the letter as its contents could threaten national security.
Malaysiakini offers the following translation of the main text of the letter in its report.
“I take this opportunity to announce the supreme council’s decision which met on Dec 19 that state liaison committee secretaries and division chiefs have to ensure the implementation and the success of the ‘racial issue action plan’ together with the help of BN (Barisan Nasional) component parties.“
The (BN) state liaison chiefs will give a briefing on how to carry out this ‘racial issue action plan’ which has been agreed upon by BN component parties that met on Dec 6,”
The fact that in his police report, Salahuddin alludes to a possible threat to national security gives you an idea of what he makes of this ‘racial issue action plan’.
Let’s be fair, though.
‘racial issue action plan’ does not necessarily have to be something negative. For example, it could have been a plan to diffuse any negative racial sentiment arising from the Hindraf rally. That would not be negative. That might even be seen as very responsible.
Since Radzi is supposed to have signed the letter, he will have to confirm what this ‘racial issue action plan’ is all about.
Problem is, Malaysiakini reports that Radzi could not be reached for comment and other Umno leaders have since denied the letter.
Malaysiakini also reports that a BN source said there was no meeting held on Dec 6 and that UMNO supreme council member Norza Zakaria said he was not aware of any such letter or plan.
Add to this statement by Seremban Umno division chief Ishak Ismail that his division and other divisions in Negeri Sembilan did not receive the letter and that of Dungun Umno division chief Rosli Mat Hassan that it was impossible for Radzi to issue such a letter which could lead to disorder in the country and that he suspects the letter to be the work of PAS, and this whole matter now takes on very sinister proportions.
First, the suggestion that someone has forged Radzi’s signature to a document to give the impression that UMNO and BN are starting a ‘racial issue action plan’. If this is the case, then ‘racial issue action plan’ cannot have any noble intent.
If this is Radzi’s contention, he should make a police report that his signature has been forged. Anything short of this will not suffice.
If however, denials by BN and UMNO members of knowledge of this letter and plan are a cover-up, this will strongly support Salahuddin’s suspicions.
Let’s await Radzi’s reaction.
Meanwhile, unless I missed it, MSM did not report this news.
January 12, 2008 at 7:59 pm
desperate measures in desperate times by the ruling party?
racial plan? sounds sinister to me whatever the plan is.
January 12, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Person with fairness for all will consider from all sides, including what could be inside!
Selfish guy only thought of one side or simple side
so he can easily get lost and caught!
Politics is about FAIR business of the PUBLIC!
Thought of manipulation
can oppress to stop talking
but cannot oppress to stop the seeing and thinking!!
Balance of Weights helps stabilities
Over-exerting of force speed-up breaking and collapsing!
Those who started the tricks will be buried by his own tricks!
Find any more “Emperors with his New Dress”?
The worm has to find his way out of his own cocoon!!
AT LAST!!
January 12, 2008 at 8:31 pm
If UMNO have denied that there was no M-T meeting on 6th December’07 which presumably would have included AAB himself and also the existence of the letter as well, how could the purported ‘racial issue action plan’ be construed as something positive.
We were also told that the authorities have kept the Hindraf movement under surveillance since much earlier and they knew about 25th November’07, albeit, these so-called facts only surfacing in the MSM AFTER the event transpired.
Uthayakumar’s letter to the PM was, perhaps, an effort to pre-empt any racial violence from occurring based on his own intelligence gathering but I’m certain, he also knew the ‘disproportional downsides’ to the Hindraf cause.
Suffice to say, 10-Eleven got the government running scared and Hindraf was their saviour.
Plan ‘A’ in Kampung Baru didn’t materialise but plan ‘B’ i.e. invoking the ISA was implemented, and the status quo remain.
More importantly, have the RMP taken action on the police report made by SA? If not, why not? The longer the RMP takes to resolve this ‘mystery’, the more mistrust will be generated between the races which, IMHO, originates from the UMNO-led BN administration.
Shar,
If there was a plan, maybe it was not for a Plan ‘A’ to materialise, but only to create the spectre of one.
And we do know the where the nerve-centre of BN’s spectre factory is. now don’t we?
January 12, 2008 at 11:40 pm
My take, this is vintage UMNO.
Not above concocting the most dishonorable schemes to achieve their ends but when leaked, too stupid to damage control creatively. Their spontaneous reaction is always to deny or keep mum.
As you inferred, the denial minus lack of any show of expected outrage or concern over something this serious definitely gives credence to Salahuddin’s suspicions.
January 13, 2008 at 6:50 pm
This has as dual a meaning as “ethnic cleansing” has. It really is up to the one with the “authority” and the “power” to assign which ever meaning he or she wants to it. Within the society that we live in we leave this to UMNO and their war lords.
However, in any court of law that exists true to its charter, it would be decided by not so much on the usual meaning that is assigned to it, when none is given or indicated, but the context that best fits the one who uses it. Of course one is given the opportunity to explain himself.
In Malaysia the Prime Minister says he is very angry because he decides that it is a blatant lie when he and his government are accused of ethnic cleansing. That alone is enough to incarcerate 5 individuals without trial. Now, what we know is that basically most of the government departments that once had large numbers of non-Malays working at all levels have now mostly been ethnically cleansed. Positions in our institutions of higher learning have been ethnically cleansed so that non-Malays cannot find themselves as Vice Chancellors or for that matter heads of departments. Its the practice of ethnic cleansing that sees junior Malays being promoted over their senior and often more qualified non-Malays in government service. It is the application of ethnic cleansing policies that hardly sees today any non-Malay in the upper echelons of the uniformed services.
Would I be right to say that it is the application of ethnic cleansing policies that denies more qualified non-Malays of places in our institutions let alone scholarships?
(Haris, if my use of “ethnic cleansing” in the context I am here is wrong, please don’t bother publishing this post).
Just as “ethnic cleansing” can have a double meaning “racial issue action plan” can have dual or more meanings assigned to it. Of course at this time the war lords have decided to come out denying such letters were issued. The passifying suggestion as to what it means is of course a postive approach to winning over the different racial groups. However, if we are given the liberty to also adopt the Badawi mentality and allow ourselves the idiotic liberty of choosing to express what this “racial issue action plan” might be, then of course I worry of the possibilities that arise. Of course we cannot afford the pleasure that Badawi has in choosing the worst possible meaning to this and acting accordingly. So we only write!!! How terrible!
January 14, 2008 at 12:58 am
Paul Warren,
Using your analogy, would the recent appointment of a certain malay personality as the Court of Appeal president be considered another example?
There are seven other senior judges available including non-malays who were bypassed.
There’s a truism when you say that we can only write but I also believe the Net is written with indelible ink. Hence, we have to record history as it happens.
Of course, some of us will actually try to create history but that is another story for another day.
January 14, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Ethnic Cleansing of books in the book store, particularly MPH has begun in Johor, Negeri Sembilan & Perak.
I wonder whether MPH is now withdrawing all Christian books from their shelves. Could someone confirm this?
Remember Ethnic Cleansing does not mean the killing of an ethnic group. But wiping out their existence in official documentation, history, geography (road signage/maps, etc) all fall under the guise of Ethnic Cleansing.
Mark my words, 3 years from now, our History books will be re-written to state there was no non-moslem and no person of race other than of Malay origin who were involved in the creation of Malaya/Malaysia, etc.
Chinese & Indians were squatters.
My concern is that eventually the concept of a Malay will also no longer exist. Becoz the Malay of the future will not have any connection to their “Malayness” roots. Wager a cup of coffee that P.Ramlee will no longer be a Malay historical actor/singer superstar. The superstars in the music field will be those of religious persuasion.
I miss the Malay’s that I used to know in the early 70’s, and my neighbors of the late 60’s. UMNO Baru are not fighting for those Malay’s, they are fighting for a different group of people. (By the way, neither are PAS & PKR).
I wonder who are the Silent Majority or is it just a fallacy.
January 14, 2008 at 5:57 pm
It is really unlikely that MPH would even consider this, as
MPH DOES NOT STAND FOR “Mad People Hospital” but, Methodist Publishing House” For them to start remove the Christian books would be like devout Muslims openly eating pork. UNTHINKABLE!!! Perhaps they were doing a stock-take, or removing books which have “deviant teachings” and so on. But removing? Unlikely.
Remember to start reminiscing Article 11 if that happens though..
January 21, 2008 at 10:26 pm
i am sai sae kham from myanmar yangon . i wanna post at the master page . but i can’t do it . please tell me how to post at master page of wordpress.
thank u very much
Mr.sir