February 23, 2013
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com
They come in all colours: Vishwaroopam, Psy, as well as Tanda Putera
by Mariam Mokhtar| February 22, 2013
If a rakyat cannot certitude its Cabinet ministers to discuss it a truth, afterwards a skinny wall that protects us from commotion can simply be breached.Does Najib want to emanate commotion in a last-ditch attempt to retain power?Mariam Mokhtar
As you proceed a 13th general election (GE13), Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's understand of "1Malaysia" gets some-more bizarre.
To outrider in a Year of a Snake, Najib done a warn announcement that a Chinese would be treated to a special opening by a Korean hostess Psy. Earlier this week, after much delay as well as heavy censorship, a Indians were eventually allowed to perspective a film, "Vishwaroopam".
The Malay masses, regularly upon a wrong end of a stick when it comes to UMNO's largesse, were forced to perspective a UMNO propaganda movie "Tanda Putera".
Psy's opening allegedly cost RM3 million for a mere twelve minutes. The ban upon Vishwaroopam caused promoters to humour significant financial losses. Much of a box-office takings were diverted to pirated DVDs that were openly sold throughout Malaysia.
"Tanda Putera" cost RM4.8 million as well as is funded by a National Film Development Corporation (Finas! ) as wel l as a Multimedia Development Corporation (Mdec) in other words, by a taxpayers.
We have been told that "Tanda Putera" uses a May thirteen secular clashes as a backdrop to a relationship in between a Prime Minister of a time, Abdul Razak Hussein, as well as a former Deputy Prime Minister as well as Home Affairs Minister,(Tun) Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman. For health reasons, Ismail had retired from governing body though Razak managed to convince him to come out of early retirement to help finalise a crisis.
The screening of "Tanda Putera" was paid in instalments twice, final year. On September 13, it was claimed that there was deficient promotion for a film, afterwards upon November 15, a Cabinet decided that sure scenes were "inappropriate".
Were a bans written to emanate some-more hype around a movie as well as so increase a oddity of a little members of a public?
Last Monday, around 3,000 Felda settlers who were in Kuala Lumpur to listen to UMNO leaders together with former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, perceived an unexpected addition to their programme. Najib ordered that "Tanda Putera" be screened as well as reporters were asked to leave a hall.
It is vast that Najib uses secular sentiments to shock a electorate in to voting for UMNO. How can a wounds from May thirteen heal, if they have been ceaselessly being re-opened?
The movie was shown after Mahathir had told a FELDA settlers that they were beholden to UMNO. He said, "The joy today is due to tough work as well as a government's help, can't people be a little grateful as well as appreciative?"
Lessons from story ignored
The biggest tragedy of a May thirteen riots is that UMNO ministers have not schooled any lessons from his! tory. Th e legacy of Mahathir equates to that his loathsome influence still continues after he quiescent as Prime Minister.
In a book, "The Reluctant Politician" about Tun Dr Ismail, by Ooi Kee Beng, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah claimed that Ismail was a a single who longed for Mahathir expelled from UMNO as well as twice prevented Mahathir from being re-admitted in to UMNO.
The book also states that Ismail criminialized offending papers criticising a Tunku from being circulated since law as well as sequence was breaking down, as well as he was austere that there would be "no coup in a country as well as no coups in a party".
Ismail was known for fair fool around as well as correctness, as well as a book claimed that "every Malay colleague together with Mahathir, feared Ismail". Ismail was regularly ready to debate as well as he was rarely principled.
Malaysia is still haunted by a May thirteen riots as well as each a single of us has to bear
our share of shame as well as guilt. How many of us can truly call ourselves Malaysian?
Some of us demand that vernacular or eremite schools be kept. Universities have special quotas to meet. Particular jobs, contracts or positions have been given to sure sections of a community. Are you prepared to dispense with all these secular policies?
Najib is personification a dangerous game in using "Tanda Putera" to try to pitch await for UMNO. The similarities in between 1969 as well as 2013 have been uncanny.
In 1969, it was believed that there were dual factions in UMNO a "ultras" who enclosed a immature Mahathir; as well as a "o! ld guard " or a moderates who were led by Tunku. Today, a energy onslaught exists in UMNO in between a aged Mahathir as well as Najib.
The communists were done a available victim for a May thirteen disturbances. In a past few years, a comrade component is again being blamed for troubles in Malaysia.
Even PAS personality Mat Sabu was indicted of being a comrade sympathizer when he alluded to Malay freedom fighters who used comrade ideals to quarrel for autonomy of Malaya.BERSIH marchers were not spared when former Inspector-General of Police (Tun) Hanif Omar claimed he recognized comrade elements from video footage of people upon a march.
In 1969, a statute Alliance party suffered a significant decrease in support. In an echo of a past, a loss of await that BN suffered in 2008 is likely to continue to GE13.
The Opposition took control of Kelantan as well as Penang in 1969 as well as states similar to Selangor as well as Perak did not have a transparent majority. In 2008, Kelantan, Penang, Kedah, Selangor as well as Perak fell to a opposition nonetheless Najib after grabbed behind energy in Perak.
In a 1960s, a Malays were suffering economically. Despite various programmes to help Malays in a reduce income bracket, most of a benefits have been abused by UMNO Malays to help themselves, as well as not their poorer cousins.
'Ketuanan Melayu' myth
Foreign powers were aware of a taste suffered by a minorities, in a 1960s, though mercantile considerations done them demeanour a other way.
There is no change today. Britain as well as France have been some-more interested in offered their weaponry than chastising our leaders for their tellurian rights abuses as well as extremist policies.
Even prior to independence, a non-Malays had learnt! to moun t upon their own dual feet whilst a Malays have regularly felt that Malaya was their "homeland" as well as they did not need to work as tough as a "pendatang".
Five decades later, a "Ketuanan Melayu" (coined by Abdullah Kok Lanas Ahmad) parable has caused a further deterioration in a vital standards as well as self esteem of a Malay.
It was claimed that in 1969, a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) whose members were from a cross- section of Malaysia, was a only security unit that dispensed law as well as sequence without bias. Today, instead of attracting non-Malays in to a security forces, a armed forces, similar to a civil service, have been primarily Malay.
In 1969, a May thirteen troubles caused a Sarawak state election to be postponed. Today, you acknowledgement a Sulu militia incursion in Lahad Datu as well as a revelations by a Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI). Would these be used to delay elections or acknowledgement puncture order in Sabah?
In Oct 1969, Najib's father, (Tun) Abdul Razak, who was a head of a 
National Operations Council (NOC) questioning a May thirteen tragedy, produced a report that summarized a little of a tasks as well as choices they faced.
Razak pronounced that Malaysia had to work tough to restore mutual certitude as well as secular harmony. Has Najib taken mind of his own father's advice?
In new years, Malaysians have been subjected to much violence as well as many threats from a statute party. If a rakyat cannot certitude its Cabinet ministers to discuss it a truth, afterwards a skinny wall that protects us from commotion can simply be breached.Does Najib want to emanate commotion in a la! st-ditch attempt to retain power?
Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.
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