January 21, 2013
Rewriting History during a responsibility of Tunku Abdul Rahman
by Neil Khor (01-20-13)@http://www.malaysiakini.com
COMMENT: Dr Mahathir Mohamad's idea which there should be a Royal Commission of inquiry (RCI) to examine Tunku Abdul Rahman's decision to grant citizenship to a single million foreigners prior to a national autonomy in 1957 is a clear pointer which a former budding apportion may be losing his hold upon a pivotal argument per citizenship.
Dr Mahathir is well-known to have tongue-in-cheek statements, most of which set people off in most directions. The fact which he quickly suggested which he did not really think which an RCI could be implemented, is a vigilance which we should not take his comment too seriously.
The being is which if an RCI was held, it would be futile, precisely given all a actors have been already dead. In short, Tunku Abdul Rahman could not presumably be able to urge himself. In fact, all those first fathers as well as mothers of this republic have no event to put their case prior to a RCI to rebut a good doctor.
There is, of course, a story books which can do a talking for Tunku Abdul Rahman as well as his team, which in reality additionally included Tun Razak, a father of a stream PM. Dr Mahathir's main argument is which a Tunku had concluded with a British colonial administration department to grant citizenship to a single million immigrants! in exch ange for merdeka (independence).
Obviously, Dr Mahathir thinks this to be a compromise; an agreement by a Alliance to share energy with a non-Malays. Perhaps he wanted a Tunku to take up arms, instead of negotiating for a bloodless independence, opting for a gradual, though upon hindsight, stable process of nation-building?
Some 5 years after 2008, we were behind to block one, if Dr Mahathir's views were a reflection of UMNO's perspective towards a non-Malays. Primarily, a non-Malays were ungrateful given they have been creation final for full-participation in a domestic hold up of a nation.
By suggesting this, Dr Mahathir admits which BN's non-Malay parties, including a MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP as well as others, have been not full participants in a supervision coalition, precisely given they understand which domestic energy must reside usually with UMNO.
'Tunku did things head-on'
This is in finish contrariety with Tunku Abdul Rahman's vision of a Malayan, as well as afterwards Malaysian nation, where all adults in any case of competition as well as religion have a right to fool around a full role in a nation's political, social, economic as well as cultural life. Where Dr Mahathir pales in comparison with a Tunku, is which a latter is a visionary a chairman who has a broader vision of a agreeable republic united by a usual as well as usual destiny.
Dr Mahathir, upon a other hand, is endangered primarily with domination. He continues to have expedient decisions with grave consequences for a republic down a road.
When a Tunku as well as his group concluded with colonial process to grant citizenship to a single million migrants, creation them full adults of a Federation of Malaya, he did so plainly as well as in a full light of day. There was no secrecy in a matter, no plan IC, as well as he took upon his critics head-on. An another thing, a Tunku operated under colonial rule, while Dr Mahathir acted as budding apportion! of an i ndependent Malaysia.
Yet we have been usually learning about a granting of citizenship to migrants in Sabah a little twenty years after it happened. That they were postulated citizenship only prior to crucial state elections is, according to Dr Mahathir, small coincidence. Whilst all of this was finished 'legally', he should have finished things openly, so which Malaysians have a chance to endorse or reject this bureaucratic action.
Dr Mahathir additionally questions a 'qualifications' of a the single million migrants which a Tunku as well as his group postulated citizenship to, while a people he approved as adults had lived in Sabah for twenty years, could verbalise Malay and, what is not said, were Muslims.
In contrast, what he did not say, though yet implied, was which a the single million migrants which a Tunku as well as his group caused to elect citizenship to did not have a right skin colour, religion as well as ability to verbalise a Malay language.
Firstly, a little of a the single million migrants who received citizenship had been brought to Malaya directly by a British with a agree of a Malay rulers, or had been caused to be in Malaya due to a needs of a colonial economy. This is really most similar to how we have finished up with a little a single million migrant workers owing to a stream supervision process towards labour, as well as a needs of a Malaysian manage to buy as well.
There was no approach which a British could send these people behind to their homelands. There was additionally no approach which Malaya could have disowned them, generally after a little of them had been postulated titles as well as honours by a Malay aristocracy. In short, a being upon a ground meant which a Tunku as well as his group had to accept them as full citizens.
Since which moment, Malaysia continues to be a single of a world's most successful multi-ethnic as well as multi-religious countries in a world.
We do not yet know sufficient about Sabah to dr! aw concl usions about a reasons because a supervision acted a approach it did. The conjecture is which an enlarge in Muslim race in which state would tip a balance against a afterwards ruling Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Since then, a power-sharing arrangement was instituted, as well as a widely separated Sabah has remained under a thumbs of a federal supervision ever since.
'Dr M has a lot of explaining to do'
More importantly, Dr Mahathir as a PM during which time, had to assume full responsibility for decisions taken with regards to a actions of bureaucratic officers granting citizenship to migrants in Sabah during those years.
Dr Mahathir has a lot of explaining to do, as well as a RCI has a lot of work to do as well, prior to we can get to a bottom of a matter. The being right away confronting a BN in Sabah has to do with a unforeseen consequences which will right away movement from a decisions taken in a early 1990s.
It has right away been twenty years given Project IC was initiated, as well as a whole new generation has grown up in Sabah. Its native race has fled to a peninsular in poke for jobs as well as opportunities as a large supply of both authorised as well as bootleg immigrants have depressed salary for years. There is right away good unhappiness with BN as a RCI grinds on.
Dr Mahathir is right when he warns Malaysians, as well as generally Malays, to vote delicately in a GE13. He can see a support for UMNO as well as BN empty away as well as slipping out of his hands. But what about his comments about a Tunku?
Some readers may wonder because a Tunku tolerated an pretender similar to Dr Mahathir. He could have simply thrown a latter in jail, point out his Indian parentage, as well as frame him of his citizenship. What, in this case, of a unforeseen consequences of a Tunku's pity?
If we recollect a Lord of a Rings or some-more recently, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, we will recall a idea of Bilbo Baggins's empathize wh! ich spar ed a hold up of Gollum. It was this same empathize as well as empathy for a fellow quadruped which eventually saved Middle Earth.
I fear it will be a same with a empathize of Tunku Abdul Rahman a loyal father of Malaysia whose empathize as well as generosity in sparing a immature pretender Dr Mahathir, who will right away lead upon a saving of Malaysia as Dr Mahathir continues to undo UMNO, BN as well as all his own achievements.
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