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Friday, 22 October 2010

The (confused) way forward


Umno does not know what it is getting itself into. It had better tone down that race riot rhetoric lest it backfires on them. If they think the Indians and Chinese are going to react like they did in 1999 -- they reluctantly voted for Barisan Nasional out of fear -- then Umno is going to be in for a surprise.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

(The Star) - Feisty Sabah delegate Hamidah Mumamad Jafar called for support for bold moves to curb cases of baby-dumping, such as setting up a school for pregnant mothers and providing more baby hatches.

The Putatan Puteri Umno division chief said the Government should fully support innovative approaches as the growing number of baby-dumping cases was alarming.

“Setting the school and the baby-hatch provided a lifeline for pregnant unwed mothers and their babies.”

“Sex education in schools is also a must to prevent young girls from being involved in premarital sex,” she said, to the applause of the more than 700 delegates.

Johor Baru Puteri Umno chief Azura Mohd Afandi wants the Information Ministry to curb television shows and commercials that could lead people astray from the right religious paths.

“Horror films and commercials deemed too sexy for young viewers might lead to deviant teachings.”

“For example, commercials on sanitary pads are openly shown on TV and this could influence the young to get involved in social ills,” said Azura, urging the ministry to increase shows that teach good values and religious practices.

Kedah delegate Azifah Abdul Rahman supports the continued use of the Internal Security Act against those who threaten the country’s security.

She said: “The Act is needed, especially as there are those who dare question the Malay rights.”

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Kedah delegate Azifah Abdul Rahman wants the government to retain the Internal Security Act. This is so that those who threaten the country’s security, especially those who dare question the Malay rights, can be detained without trial.

Questioning Malay rights is considered a threat to national security. So those who question it need to be detained without trial, reckons this delegate to the Umno general assembly.

This is the simple way that the Umno delegates look at things. But then don’t simple-minded people always look at things from this simple perspective? If they open their mouths; detain them without trial. This will stop people from talking and questioning.

Johor Baru Puteri Umno chief Azura Mohd Afandi considers horror films as the main cause of deviant teachings. How a horror movie can lead to deviant teachings was not explained. Nevertheless, the fact that Malays believe in black magic, witch doctors, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, walking dead, vampires, and whatnot, probably lends weight to this argument.

What was also not explained is the fact that Malays believe in black magic, ghosts and whatnot since way back, long before the invention of television. Was it television that ‘poisoned’ the minds of the Malays and caused them to believe in rubbish and that led them to deviant teachings? If so how come they were already ‘led astray’ and believed in ‘deviant teachings’ long before there was even such a thing as television?

This delegate also wants the government to ban advertisements on sanitary pads, which leads to social ills. If Malaysians were to see advertisements of sanitary pads on television they would turn into immoral people.

Sabah delegate Hamidah Mumamad Jafar wants schools for pregnant mothers and more baby hatches to be set up. This will help reduce the cases of baby dumping, argues this delegate. How that would work was never explained. They dump babies to hide the fact that they were pregnant. Would they want to go to a school for pregnant girls/women where they would ‘advertise’ the fact that they are pregnant?

Introducing sex education into schools is also a must to prevent young girls from indulging in premarital sex, argued this same delegate. So, if girls and boys get to learn about sex, they would certainly not indulge in premarital sex, is how this logic is presented.

How does that sound logical? If you learn about it in school then you will not do it? Does this make sense to you?

Actually, if you really want to prevent premarital sex then the proper way would be to introduce chastity belts. All unmarried girls from the age of 10 should be forced to wear chastity belts and on the day they get married their husband is given a key to unlock the belt.

Of course, those who marry at the age of 40 would need to wear the belt for 30 years before they can see it removed. And those who never get married would need to wear the belt until the day they die.

Another way would be to ban girls from the age of 10 from leaving their house unless escorted by a male member of the family. Girls and women must also be banned from driving and their face should be totally concealed so that no boys or men can get to see their faces. This is the practice in some other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia also bans entertainment films on TV. (At one time they banned television totally). You only get to see the news and religious programmes. This would prevent, as Azura Mohd Afandi said, people from straying from the right religious paths.

And of course, the internet is the main source of ‘deviant teachings’ that lead people astray from the right religious paths. In fact, the internet is worse than television. So, to protect people and prevent them from becoming immoral, the internet must certainly be banned.

If this still does not work and if unmarried girls/women still get pregnant, then Malaysia can introduce the law of stoning to death, like how some countries practice. You get pregnant and you die (even if your are raped, like how some countries decree). And you die at the hands of hundreds of people who will throw stones at you until you no longer breathe.

Premarital sex is evil. Getting pregnant before you are married is evil. So Malaysia has to find ways in preventing all this from happening, how drastic the measures may seem. The future of Malaysia rests on ensuring that no one goes around bonking and gets pregnant before they are married.

Okay, maybe abuse of power, wastage of public funds, corruption, extrajudicial killings, manipulation of the legal system, violating the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, election fraud, institutionalised discrimination, and many more are also evil. But those are not crucial and need not be discussed at the Umno general assembly. We must focus. And the focus is on how to reduce or eliminate ‘illegal sex’.

Warnings are also being issued by the top Umno leadership that blood will flow on the streets if Umno were to get kicked out of office. Malaysians are being told to be wary of May 13 Version 2, that may happen if Umno does not retain power.

They did the same thing in 1999. The Prime Minister then, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, went live on television to warn Malaysians that if Barisan Nasional were to lose its two-thirds majority in Parliament then chaos will rein.

A Barisan Nasional without a two-thirds majority in Parliament will be a weak Barisan Nasional, said the Prime Minister. And a weak Barisan Nasional will not be able to guarantee the safety and security of its people. In 1969, the ruling party lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, the Prime Minister reminded us. And what happened after that? There was rioting on the streets and many people died.

So, don’t let 1999 be a repeat of 1969, warned the Prime Minister.

And it worked. Many people, in particular the non-Malays, did not vote for the opposition. They sheepishly admitted that they support the opposition but voted for Barisan Nasional because they were scared of the race riot that the Prime Minister promised would happen.

But that was back in 1999. In 1999 the people were scared. But in 2008 many voted for the opposition and no race riot happened. This was because 50% of the Malays also voted for the opposition, as Umno admitted. And the anti-Umno Malays far outnumber the Umno Malays.

Umno could not even get 100 Malays onto the streets of Kampong Baru in the aftermath of the 2008 general election. But the opposition can get 50,000 Malays onto the streets any time. So, if the handful of Umno Malays want to start trouble, they will have to face tens of thousands of other Malays.

No, if riots do start it will not be a la 1969. The next riot, if it happens, will be Malays facing Malays. The Indians and Chinese need not participate in this May 13 Version 2. They can just stay at home or go to Singapore or Thailand for a short holiday. Let the Malays handle this matter.

The Indians and Chinese need not fear anything. Dr Hatta Ramli has already issued a challenge. PAS will form a human shield. The Malays from PAS will emerge in great numbers to face those Umno Malays who want Indian and Chinese blood. As Dr Hatta said, “Over our dead bodies.” The Umno Malays would first have to slaughter all the PAS Malays before they can reach the Indians and Chinese.

And let me assure you: many other Malays not from PAS are also issuing this warning. The Indians and Chinese are our brothers and sisters. And if the Umno Malays want to harm them then they will have to first deal with the non-Umno Malays.

And this is because the non-Umno Malays are Muslims first and Malays second. This is what Islam demands of Muslims -- to be Muslims first and last while racism is haram or forbidden.

And in Islam justice must prevail and the non-Muslims must be protected even to the extent that Muslims go to war with Muslims to protect the life of the non-Muslims. This is Islamic justice. And in Islamic justice no one must be persecuted or discriminated against because of his or her race.

So, is it not good that PAS is an Islamic party? Notwithstanding the fact that there are some in PAS who aspire to see Malaysia transformed into an Islamic State (which can never happen unless PAS wins more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament), an Islamic party like PAS is good for the non-Muslims because this party upholds Islam, which means the non-Muslims receive protection against persecution and discrimination.

Umno does not know what it is getting itself into. It had better tone down that race riot rhetoric lest it backfires on them. If they think the Indians and Chinese are going to react like they did in 1999 -- they reluctantly voted for Barisan Nasional out of fear -- then Umno is going to be in for a surprise.

Today, the Indians and Chinese have faith in their Malay brothers and sisters. They know that May 13 Version 2 being bandied about by Umno is not going to be a Malay versus non-Malay incident like back in 1969. May 13 Version 2 is going to be a Malay-versus-Malay affair with the non-Malays standing on the sidelines as mere spectators.

And if you think this is not so then go ask the non-Umno Malays in Pakatan Rakyat. Hear it from their own mouths. And they will tell you exactly what I have just said.

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