This is the second letter to Utusan Malaysia’s “Awang Selamat” that Nazri has penned. — file pic
PADANG RENGAS, Sept 26 — To Mr whoever you are, of course I will respond to your article. If we believe in the freedom of speech, let it be known that it is not only given to the Press but also to the individual.
In exercising my right of reply and to defend myself, please do not interpret it to mean I am stifling criticism against me. Far from it; I have been criticised all my years in politics and I am still here where I am.
Mr Utusan said that he got a lot of SMS to justify that he received support for his article on me. I do not want to talk about the SMS and emails that I received because he will not be able to verify them, but I am sure he has also been informed that comments made by ordinary people reading the portal have shown that I, too, have support from public just as he claimed he has — if not more.
How can I not dub you a racist when you seem to be upset with the praises and positive responses I got from the non-Malays and attempt to put it as something negative on me, especially those coming from (Lim) Kit Siang and (Lim) Guan Eng?
By doing this you have clearly defined your position as “we Malays against you non-Malays”
Are the comments and praises of the Malays [the] only [ones that] count, and the rest can go to you-know-where? You have a long way to go in accepting that Malaysia is a country belonging to Malaysians of all races who swear their loyalty to the land of their birth.
I am right about your zero experience in politics because you wrote “When the Malays don’t vote”. Well, let me tell you our analysis has shown that “When the Non-Malays don’t vote”, the effect is the same. You have never understood what I have been trying to say, that the most important point is that “When the majority of Malaysians don’t vote” then we all are in trouble.
One of the worst things to do is to offer excuses for your failure by saying others failed too. This is a defeatist attitude and a sure recipe for doom. Why don’t you look around? I am sure you can find other papers which succeed and use them as incentive to work in increasing your readership. I like the Utusan of old and I want you to work hard towards making this paper great again.
I read with extreme happiness your support for Umno and Barisan Nasional and to ensure that we will succeed. I want you to walk your talk and support the 1 Malaysia policy which is the brainchild of the President of Umno and Chairman of Barisan Nasional. He is working very, very hard to win the next General Election, so please don’t make it difficult for him.
Awang does not need to tell me about how Utusan is a Malay institution and that its struggle is the same with Umno. Long before you joined Utusan, I have been in Umno Youth — right from being appointed exco member to the post of deputy leader — and for one-and-a-half years acting leader of Umno Youth Malaysia. That is my credential.
If I am a Malaysian leader today, a lot of credit must be given to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I hold him responsible for what I am today and I owe him a lot. I just want my “sifu” to continue to help me and the others to be good leaders of this blessed country of ours and not to divide us by race, creed, cult and gender. To be a Malaysian does not necessarily mean to be anti-Malay. I hope this will be understood by all.
Finally, being involved in the dissemination of messages to public as claimed by Awang, it is very important that your messages come out loud and clear to them. At the end of the day you cannot be called upon to explain all the time. What you have to bear in mind is not what you think you are but what the public perceive of you.
Sad to say, the non-Malays perceive Utusan as racist, period. And that is why I brought up the issue of Malaysian first and Malay next, in case you don’t understand why.
By the way, I still do not know who you are, Awang?
* This letter by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz is in response to a Mingguan Malaysia editorial today entitled, “Lagi Jawapan buat Nazri Aziz”, by Awang Selamat.
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