Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Satu Sekolah Untuk Semua - I'm All For It, Except That...

Surprise, surprise!

The racist blog DemiNegara has actually put up a posting that makes a little good sense for once!

In a surprisingly toned down posting, KijangMas has presented a seemingly credible case for a single school system for all. Complete with a letter the the DPM cum Education Minister and online petition to boot! How the DPM will respond to the petition of a viciously racist anonymous blog remains to be seen. It would speak tons about the leanings of the ruling party, and we will watch his reactions to this issue with our Eyes Wide Open.

But even though I support a single official Malaysian school system for all, I am hesitant to throw my support behind KijangMas' effort, noble as it may appear. But first, let me explain why I'm not posting my comments on his / her blog.

I'm posting my opinions here because in my experience, KijangMas and gang judge a person's arguments based on the colour of his skin. So if you're not a fawning DemiNegara groupie, be prepared for a sustained assault of stinking insults, gutter language and racist squeals.

Never mind about debating his commentors intelligently. He usually publishes the people he can quickly and easily dispatch of. But he hides the comments of those who have a valid dissenting argument. Or if forced to publish them, his “rebuttals” (and those of his cronies) are little more than low-brow rants of a special quality that one would be hard pressed to find even among the dregs of the worst sewers.

An example will be his response to my invitation to visit my blog.


Wahaiii EWO @ Murai Mata Luas,

Kunang-Kunang Terbang ke Langit,
Sampai di Langit Membuat Sarang;
Mulut mu busuk, ketiak mu hangit,
Ceh, angan-angan nak mempelawa orang!


So rather than waste my time trying to reason with the herd of Neanderthals at DemiNegara, where you will never find a decent exchange of opposing ideas, I would rather open up the space for proper discussion here.

I had stated my support of the One School System For All proposition in one of my early posts, so it would be superfluous for me to repeat myself here. Please refer to that short article for my suggestions on the way forward for Malaysian Education.

Now while I do support the One School System, why do I not support the DemiNegara platform? Because there are fundamental and irreconciliable differences in our opinions on the nature of unity, nationhood and education.

Rather than try to explain myself, I'll let KijangMas speak for himself so you can see why for yourself.

In a nutshell, it's because I support freedom of expression, celebration of diversity and unity by consensus – to achieve this requires diplomacy and visionary leadership. His ideas spring from the Ketuanan Melayu brand of either eradicating or subordinating non-Malay cultures/identities and unity by enforcement – this merely requires brute force.

Which is better for sustainable and peaceful nation-building? You be the judge.

I will merely present to you the reasons why I see DemiNegara as disagreeable platform to achieve a noble cause.


1. DemiNegara's vision of Malaysian unity.

KijangMas is rabidly ANTI Unity-In-Diversity. He has mercilessly ridiculed Malay proponents of this concept (like Malik Imtiaz, Haris Ibrahim and Zaid Ibrahim), countering their moderate proposals with quality “rebuttals” like calling them traitors and other such quality words.

As such, he has arrogantly set himself up as the Adjudicator General of Malay-ness and Malaysian-ness. Whether a person is qualified to be a Malay or Malaysian is subject to his / her approval according to DemiNegara's (self-)exalted definitions. And any Malay who deems to disagree with him / her is automatically considered to be of doubtful Malay stock or motive, while non-Malays are considered as ungrateful, treacherous pendatangs. In his own words:

“These anti-Malays, inspired by the paranoiac fantasies of malignant narcissist Haris Ibrahim and his zealotrous disciples, now have the audacity to proclaim themselves as the Anak Bangsa Malaysia.”

He further demands that the non-Malays demonstrate:

A little Sedar Diri and appreciation of your Asal Usul and Tempat Dalam Masyarakat would go a long way towards the rehabilitation of your groupthink, to cleanse your souls of the inherent mala fide and degenerative inclinations, and provide a glimmer of hope, albeit excruciatingly faint, of your embrace of the tenets of the true Bangsa Malaysia concept that I have expounded many times.”

According to him, to achieve a united Bangsa Malaysia the national leadership must

recalibrate our societal dynamics to a new paradigm of shared affinities underpinned by a common, pervasive national language, Bahasa Malaysia, and a socio-cultural mold based on the budaya and tatasusila of the original Orang Melayu essence of this nation.”

Now I've got great appreciation for Malay culture. I celebrate festivals with my Malay-Muslim friends every chance I get and have many business and personal dealings with Malays and admire the elegant balance of yin and yang in their psyche. In short, I celebrate Malay-ness as much as I celebrate my Chinese-ness (what's left of it, anyway). But this is in stark contrast to what he propounds:

“the flawed prescriptions of the first 51 years of nationhood, including the utter neglect and confusion of the past six years, that collectively created an untenable multilingual, multicultural, multi-identity and multi-everything milieu.”

Isn't anti-multiculturalism and pro-uniformity following the model of a superior race the hallmarks of a Fascist state of mind?

KijangMas's “common enemy” of Malaysian nationhood is the non-Malay who wants to retain their cultural heritage. He blames them, with especial vitriol aimed at Malaysian Chinese, for all the ills of the country. This is akin to Hitler and the Nazi party blaming all Germany's problems on the non-Aryans, most specifically the Jews. KijangMas's solution to his “problems”?

My advise to Najib and his team is to lay off these wayward non-Malays for now. Ignore and forget these hopelessly seduced bigots and chauvinists.”

In his opinion:

Najib should instead focus his energy on rebuilding the Malay support base for UMNO, and work towards some semblance of "Malay Unity" with PAS”

KijangMas, the self-styled architect of Malaysian Unity, had just elocuted a strategy of DIVIDING the nation neatly into two – Malays vs non-Malays – with the implied battle plan of completely subduing the non-Malays! I fail to see how such a Malay vs Non-Malay, do-or-die, winner-takes-all attitude has a place in forging national unity!

Perhaps it makes sense to racists like KijangMas because according to him:

the "right" of the non-Malay, non-Borneo native populace is non-absolute and subordinated to the rights of the general populace”.

KijangMas then goes further to propose the creation of a new race - the Melayu Celup!

Fundamentally, a member of the Bangsa Malaysia should speak the national language of the Federation, Bahasa Malaysia, fluently and as a primary language; be fully versed with adat-adat and tatasusila orang Melayu and other Bumiputras of the Federation; demonstrates respect and deference to Islam as the official religion of the Federation and exhibit traits and mannerisms acceptable to the Malays and other Bumiputras.”

Perhaps KijangMas' simplistic, black-and-white, us-vs-them worldview is only capable of coming up with an equally over-simplistic solution - to create a race of Melayu Celup. Although he / she does concede that the non-Malays should allowed to be equal when that happens.

we have a truly unified Bangsa Malaysia speaking in one language, amenable to Malaysian cultural norms, and with a cohesive Malaysian mindset will we as a nation be able to look beyond the NEP, beyond Malay privileges, beyond safeguarding Malay Rights as we are now all anak Bangsa Malaysia in the arca of the Malays and other Bumiputras of this blessed land.”

Now, I do agree with him / her that primacy of the national language is of prime importance in the efforts to build a united Malaysia. But what KijangMas is proposing goes beyond mere lingua franca. Ultimately, KijangMas' rantings reveal that his / her idea of national unity is to subordinate and eventually eradicate any trace of cultures that are deemed un-Malay by him / her.

As a believer of unity-in-diversity, I find this way of thinking completely unacceptable.


2. DemiNegara's view of nationhood

Although KijangMas has a valid point in saying that in other countries, immigrants have seamlessly assimilated into the local culture (sometimes by force), he takes the Malaysian context even further by likening non-Malay culture to a pestilence that needs to be completely eradicated.

to go searching for "Chinese" and "Indian" cultural relics and costumes and dances in the original motherlands of these naturalised pendatangs and their descendants. Itu sudah lebih. Sudah tidak masuk akal. No Malaysian citizen should be in the business of importing cultural forms of foreign nations into our Tanah Air and "passing them off" as part of our Malaysian heritage. That is treachery of the highest order.”

To KijangMas, non-Malays who do not talk or act or live like Malays are traitors who refuse to participate in Malaysia despite being sedekah-ed with citizenship

When the Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja Melayu agreed to the wholesale dishing out of Malayan citizenships -- even inexplicably waiving Bahasa Melayu proficiency tests -- to a million and a half unwanted, abandoned stateless Chinese (and Indians) in 1957, could the Duli-Duli Tuanku have envisioned that the descendants of these desperate huddled masses would after 51 years become an unintegrated community of lawbreakers; a community infested by crooks and thieves and counterfeiters and pimps; a community that not only tidak terhutang budi to the Duli-Duli Tuanku for the precious kewarganegaraan, but now had the audacity to challenge every single tenet of Duli Tuanku's instruments of nationhood, not least the Bahasa Malaysia and Adat-Adat Melayu and the keris and the songkok and the sacred principle of Negara Dalam Arca Melayu held dear by Duli-Duli Tuanku.”

Now it's one thing to point out the non-Malay racist bigots for who they are. It's quite another to tar 35% of the population with the same brush! On the DemiNegara stage, KijangMas has cast ALL non-Malays, especially Malaysian Chinese, as criminals, leeches, ingrates or cheats. He even laments:

You know, I find it harder and harder by the day to justify to myself why I should tolerate these pengkhianats and accept these ungrateful makhluk perosaks as fellow citizens of a land my direct ancestors carved up from the wilderness into the negeri-negeri Melayu.”

For all his posturing about achieving national unity, this is hardly a statement befitting this self-proclaimed “Champion of Malaysian Unity”.

And, he / she goes even further, stating categorically that:

to cast the “Malay” and other “Natives” in the same light as the so-called “other communities” and then to demand kesamarataan among these two groups – including a parallel National vs. Vernacular school system – are not only unconstitutional, but also seditious, delusional, mischievous and self-destructive”

So, what KijangMas is agitating for is actually not full assimilation of other races into the Malay race. Although he says it is, what he really wants first and foremost is for the original cultural identities of the non-Malays to be eradicated at all costs,

BUT...

These Melayu Celup CANNOT stand on equal footing with the Melayu Tulen just yet. No, no, no! He cautions that will happen only when,

Later, upon satisfactory cohesion and amalgamation of the Malaysian populace into a truly united Bangsa Malaysia, then by law, ALL references to race and ethnicity in our daily activities should be forbidden.”

Well, this sounds good when you're bullshitting to your friends at the kopitiam about what you'd do if you were the PM. But note the arbitrary nature of the words “later” and “satisfactory”. Who decides this? At what point do we know we have achieved it? Perhaps KijangMas in all his wisdom knows but prefers to keep this heavenly revelation a secret for the moment.

For all his pretty words, KijangMas is not remotely sincere to see a truly united Malaysia. For all the demands he makes for non-Malays to turn their backs on their cultural heritage, he still expects the Melayu Celup to prove themselves first. Their worthiness as Malaysian being measured by the arbitrary standards of “later” and “satisfactory”.

Until such time when the Melayu Celup are deemed to have “satisfactorily” assimilated, they shall remain as second-class citizens.

And the non-Malays are expected to accept this deal and be thankful?

In blaming all the nation's social ills on the non-Malays, KijangMas has closed his mind to all other viewpoints about issues faced by the nation. In his / her mind, the Malay can do no wrong, the non-Malays can do no right and thus is absolutely adamant that non-Malay Malaysians have no right to even discuss issues affecting them, and that they should shut up and just accept their blessed lot in life. He dismisses the non-Malays' concerns about their place in Malaysia as:

a pathetic indication of their utter ignorance of the socio-demographic blueprint of the Malaysian Federal Constitution that was forged in the context of Malay compromises and giveaways to the desperate, stateless pendatangs and their descendants.”

In other words, KijangMas is telling the non-Malays: “Ini negara Melayu! You tak suka, you boleh balik Tionghua/India/mana-mana!”

Hardly words of a person truly passionate about forging national unity!


I mentioned earlier that I support freedom of expression, celebration of diversity and unity by consensus and that to achieve this requires diplomacy and visionary leadership. The reason why we are finding it difficult to achieve this today because there is a severe breakdown of diplomacy and visionary leadership within UMNO/BN.

But KijangMas myopic racist view is to blame the non-Malays for everything. Of course, when you have the attitude that you can do no wrong, the only solution you can think of is to correct the perceived wrongs of everyone else. And in KijangMas' Final Solution to the problem of fragmenting national unity is to enforce UNIFORMITY upon all Malaysians by brute force.

No diplomacy or leadership needed for that. All you need is the (metaphoric) barrel of a gun! And therefore, no need self-reflection to see if one has what it takes to lead the country. KijangMas' vision is nothing less than a Cultural Total War declared by 65% of the population upon the other 35%

For that, I oppose the DemiNegara platform to promote the One School System For All. What KijangMas envisions is NOT unity, it is mere UNIFORMITY – an artificial veneer enforced against the will of the people.

His examples of Thailand and Indonesia ignore the truths behind their forced assimilation programmes. While Thailand did force assimilation of the various races, they did not distinguish between different classes of citizens, defined by race. So much so that a Thai Chinese can become a Prime Minister with no problem at all. In Indonesia, KijangMas conveniently forgets that when the 1997 economic crisis hit, the artificial veneer of racial assimilation shattered and the Chinese were slaughtered wholesale for the sin of being Chinese. It took more than 10 years for the nation to move forward, with the passing of a Bill guaranteeing the right of all citizens (including the Chinese) to practise their cultural heritage without impediment.

Unfortunately, in his pursuit of his racial agenda, not only has KijangMas has closed his mind to these facts, he / she is also blind to the findings that have emerged among psychologists, academics, and field staff in the education profession.

Study after study has shown that children who grow up in multi-cultural or multi-language settings are more mature, more understanding and tolerant, quick to grasp differing ideas and more flexible in their thinking.

The experience of thousands of employers worldwide affirm this experience with their Malaysians staff. They are fascinated at the abundance of these traits diplayed by Malaysians. Many have admitted that the uniformity of their cultures limited their personal growth in certain areas compared to Malaysians. Many have shared that they envy the intrinsic character strengths of Malaysians which could only have been borne out of a true melting pot of cultures.

These unique Malaysians were the product of English-stream and Sekolah Kebangsaans back in the days before they were made into convenient racial indoctrination tools. And this brings me to the next reason why I will not share DemiNegara's platform.

I especially oppose his view that the nation's school system is to indoctrinate our nation's young with his racist agenda. Schools should be where we teach our young to be independent-minded, innovative and analytical individuals. Not to teach them that the second-class Melayu Celup have to continue to kow tow to the Tuan Tanah Melayu Tulen until they are deemed to be “satisfactory” enough to be equals at that elusive “later” date.

Fate has been kind enough to throw the descendants of the 3 greatest empires of the world together in this land called Malaysia. Shouldn't the way forward for Malaysia be to capitalise on each other's strengths and propel ourselves forward through the synergy of our cultures?

I firmly believe that when all Malaysians are given the framework and freedom to achieve this synergy, a naturally eminent and united Bangsa Malaysia will evolve by itself. There would be no need to enforce UNIFORMITY based on narrow definitions.

43 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, this is the myopic view of Malays in UMNO. 51 years of indoctrination of fear and exclusiveness with prop-up delusion of grandeur (insecurity). This tilted imbalance artificial ethos permits negative elements to take hold and germinate to what it is today.

    Just look at Perak. Of course, it is about greed and power; but look at UMNO ethos, their rationale and their inherit insecurity of power given to the unknown and God forbid (I mean really God's grace) had it been a Chinese MB. Will the Malays be ready. Certainly not.

    No, this new age of awakening will blow and the flame of hope must continue to blow.

    It will 'nawed' deep into their dis-consonance.

    The outcome is decided by net positive energy vs net negative energy.

    This awakening only take root after GE 12.

    I think your work of positive awareness and positivity like many bloggers must continue; the Ahimsa struggle to win their heart and mind based on truth, clarity and balance with one day get a truly Malaysia Malaysian.

    Thank you for your good work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exactly same experience as mine.
    I have always suspected these guys are UMNO hired hacks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. One school, one language and one culture ala Indonesia. Will it work? I don't think so, just see how they whacked the Chinese during the Asian economic crisis. Give me good governance, equality and fairness anytime.

    ReplyDelete
  4. “the "right" of the non-Malay, non-Borneo native populace is non-absolute and subordinated to the rights of the general populace”.

    ------------------------------------

    non-borneo native? apa itu...non-borneo native mean melayu mcm dia la....hahaha.mengarut btul DemiNegara nih...

    habis tu...adat melayu pun bnyk import dri indonesia... hahaha...

    why bother to read his ridiculous blog anyway.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Even the very way you people operate is not normal. One day a writer with good English, another day, another fellow with poor English.

    The other blogs usually have only one writer - the blog owner only. The others are merely commentators. Why so non-normal? Is this the unity in diversity you talk about?

    God help Malaysia with your kind of thinking and attitude.

    ReplyDelete
  6. its not him who will implement the system if it goes through. of course la the KPM. Kijangmas and his members merely giving a basic idea to the governemt. So if you think that it is a good cause, just sign the petition for the sake of our unity. Your reaction is like when someone did many things bad, and when he tried to do something noble, you are completely against it.

    Come on. Support the cause.

    -Bob-

    ReplyDelete
  7. EWO,

    After all that rant, all you got are FOUR pathetic comments? Poor thing.

    Try harder!

    ReplyDelete
  8. muahahahark!! i cud still remember EWO sulked when no one wants to visit his blog! poor thing..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous said...

    "muahahahark!! i cud still remember EWO sulked when no one wants to visit his blog! poor thing.."

    You're here aren't you? Are you "no one"?

    Nak senda org put tak tau macam mana pakai otak

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anon

    "After all that rant,"

    Erm, which part qualifies as a rant? And half of what was posted was KijangMas verbatim writings. Maybe the "rants" you're referring to are his?

    "all you got are FOUR pathetic comments"
    Eh...can count ah? you're comment number SEVEN la.

    Maybe you can ask KijangMas the expert on education to give you tuition on how to count up to 10.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anon

    "Even the very way you people operate is not normal. One day a writer with good English, another day, another fellow with poor English."

    I suppose that the DemiNegara writings that you're so orgasmic about is the doyen of good blogging with English, BM, cekek Kelate, Hokkien, Cantonese, Manglish, etc etc ALL IN ONE POST?

    What's he then - schizoid?

    Don't throw stones at others when you got so many in your head la.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Your reaction is like when someone did many things bad, and when he tried to do something noble, you are completely against it."

    Bacalah...I am NOT against One School System. Headline pun ada cakap "I'm all for it"

    But DemiNegara's agenda is to wipe out all non-Malay culture and create a race of second-class Melayu Celup. And using the schools to achieve this is despicable to the extreme.

    How can I share such a despicable platform with KijangMas?

    I don't think so

    ReplyDelete
  13. EWO, you are bodoh lah ....very narrow minded and very racist...You are trying to use DN's popularity to make readers come to your blog because your blog tak laku hahahahah........EWO pathetic ....


    - the bee

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anon

    "very narrow minded and very racist"

    KijangMas is the one that calls ALL non-Malays vermin, pimps, cheats etc etc etc, and advocates killing all non-Malay culture to create a race of second-class Melayu Celup out of the non-Malays.

    And you're calling ME the racist?

    I can introduce you to a great psychiatrist. You need serious help for your delusional state!

    ReplyDelete
  15. EWO! Bob here again. U wrote
    "Bacalah...I am NOT against One School System. Headline pun ada cakap "I'm all for it""

    If u are all for it just sign it up.. tell all your friends. Whats your problem?? It is not ok if someone bad doing something good? ok i admit DN and his knights a little bit harsh with their words. But their idea is spot on and it is just what we need in order to revive our faltering country from scratch!

    Plus what i want to stress here its not him who will implement the idea. Its the governemt of course. So you shouldnt fear him and his knights.

    -Bob-

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bob, you said,

    "So you shouldnt fear him and his knights."

    EWO is actually 'takut' of KijangMas and his DN Knights ...pretend only to be 'berani'...hahaha

    EWO, if you are not delusional, then sign the petition lah ...it's for the good of the country what ...whatever differences you have with KM can be settled later ...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bob and bee

    Read his petition carefully. It contains his rationale for the One School, which is consistent with his "pendatang are the pestilence of the nation and should be subjugated into becoming the Melayu Celup" platform.

    I will not share his platform. Show me a better platform, I'll consider it.

    Thank you for the invitation.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Spell-It-Right: Malay students from Chinese school become 'celebrities'

    (NST) KOTA BARU: The spotlight was on the team from SJK (C) Kai Chih in Pasir Putih at the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right challenge yesterday despite not winning any of the top prizes in the competition.

    The two Malay students in the Chinese-medium school's team were "celebrities" as many had expected all four members to be Chinese.

    But Putri Nur Hanissha Hashim, 12, and Ettien Noir Mohd Don, 11, were nonchalant about their presence in the team as almost half the 500 students at the school are Malays.

    Parent Lee Kim Yean said the school had always been popular with Malays in the district who had been sending their children there for years.

    "The number of Malay students has been increasing from year to year and many of them speak excellent Mandarin," she added.

    Ettien Noir's mother Naridah Jaafar, 43, said three of her eight children had studied at the school including Juita Ilyana who completed Year Six at the school last year.

    She said her youngest child, Erni Marlina, a Year Three student at the school, was having an enjoyable time mixing with Chinese students and learning Mandarin.

    "My husband and I decided to send our three youngest children to the school as we want them to learn Mandarin for a better future.

    "I am happy that Juita is now conversant in the language," she added.

    --------------------

    Racial polarisation is not caused by language, although it can be a factor exacerbating it. It is caused by people who view people of another colour suspiciously.

    Like DemiNegara.

    ReplyDelete
  19. EWO,

    I appreciate that you published the article. But then, Malaysia is Malaysia. Why shud M'sians study a language of another country's? How can M'sians face towards the 'kiblat' of Beijing when they are Malaysians? I, for one, encourage anyone to learn a new language but not to the expense of 'discarding' the National Language of the country. Then, how to get unity? The National Language of Malaysia shud be given opportune importance, not the national language of ANOTHER country.

    I don't think KM propagates any racialism. Do read his posts again. I think when he wrote his post regarding racial polarisation, he had Kelantan and Trengganu in mind. Look at the Chinese and Indians of these 2 states, they are very "local", they speak Malay like the Malays themselves ...with local accents etc ......THis should be the way for Malaysia. The country should be uniformised, not 'rojak' type like right now .....

    ReplyDelete
  20. "Sekolah Vernakular (SJKC dan SJKT) adalah punca utama ketidakserasian dan ketegangan kaum di negara kita tercinta.

    Fenomena ini adalah unik di dunia ini dan telah menjadi suatu barah yang kian menular dalam kancah kerapuhan masyarakat Malaysia. Jika gejala Sekolah Vernakular ini tidak dibendung, negara kita akan terus bergerak ke ambang kehancuran.

    Pengkajian semula sistem pelajaran negara ini haruslah dilakukan memandangkan fenomena perpecahan kaum yang semakin meruncing di masa kini. Gejala ini amatlah jelas sekali di alam siber dimana segelintir masyarakat kini mempamirkan sikap anti-negara yang semakin ketara dan berleluasa. Jelas sekali, anasir-anasir ini tidak menghormati asas dan prinsip perlembagaan negara Malaysia, tiada rasa cinta kepada tanah air dan juga menonjolkan penulisan hasutan yang mencetuskan sentimen perkauman yang begitu ketara sekali.

    Secara lantangnya, puak ini mempertikaikan segala unsur yang melambangkan kedaulatan dan intipati negara kita tercinta.

    Kami menyeru agar gejala Sekolah Vernakular ini di hapuskan secara total. "


    I dunt see any word pendatang. Its obvious that u are creating something out of nothing. And u wrote rubbish about platform and i explained 2 times that he is not the one who is going to implement the idea. He gave only the basic idea. And if u could perhaps lower your ego, you could support it and we can move forward to unity. Isnt that simple??

    Im not going to get hard on you so you better close your eyes and think rationally for the sake of our future generarion.


    And for the letter from NST part, i strongly believe that success of particular individuals is no greater than the need to forge unity. Leave it behind.


    -Bob-

    ReplyDelete
  21. bee

    "I don't think KM propagates any racialism. Do read his posts again."

    I did. that's how I pieced together my post. He is so full of it that my difficulty was not digging up quotes that demonstrated his ill-will towards non-Malays, but choosing from among the many.

    "when he wrote his post regarding racial polarisation, he had Kelantan and Trengganu in mind."

    Notice that school in the NST report is in Kota Baru? It's not only the Chinese have become localised there, the Malays have open their whole hearts to the Chinese too, to the point of appreciating the importance of their language and culture. Racial acceptance and trust works both ways, la brudder. There, they are experiencing UNITY and NOT uniformity.

    "The country should be uniformised, not 'rojak' type"

    I oppose this viewpoint. Because as said in my post:

    "What KijangMas envisions is NOT unity, it is mere UNIFORMITY – an artificial veneer enforced against the will of the people.

    His examples of Thailand and Indonesia ignore the truths behind their forced assimilation programmes. While Thailand did force assimilation of the various races, they did not distinguish between different classes of citizens, defined by race. So much so that a Thai Chinese can become a Prime Minister with no problem at all. In Indonesia, KijangMas conveniently forgets that when the 1997 economic crisis hit, the artificial veneer of racial assimilation shattered and the Chinese were slaughtered wholesale for the sin of being Chinese. It took more than 10 years for the nation to move forward, with the passing of a Bill guaranteeing the right of all citizens (including the Chinese) to practise their cultural heritage without impediment."

    DemiNegara views UNIFORMITY as the enforcement of the political will of the majority upon the minority. He views it as the right of the majority to suppress the minority, no matter what the justification. He is not open to the view that the minority may have some views and values worth preserving.

    I, on the other hand, support UNITY IN DIVERSITY because:

    "Study after study has shown that children who grow up in multi-cultural or multi-language settings are more mature, more understanding and tolerant, quick to grasp differing ideas and more flexible in their thinking. "

    Isn't this for the benefit of the people of Malaysia? Won't this help us all achieve a unique niche to face the challenges of globalisation - one where no other country has cornered yet?

    That's why I won't support his platform. DN sees the 1 School for all as a stepping stone to enforce a political agenda of UNIFORMITY BY ENFORCEMENT, which does not allow any diversity.

    I won't even take the first step with DN if our destinations are obviously at polar opposites.

    Why bother?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Bob

    look with your eyes wide open la. Just from your petikan alone, look at the words he uses:

    "barah", "gejala", "puak",

    Ya, ya. You can say he's only referring to the racist Chinese, etc. But hey, that view does not spring from a vacuum ok. Do you see me referring to racist (of any colour) in those terms?

    No. I call them just that - racists. Because that's what they are. I don't refer to such people as pestilence, social cancer, etc because to me they are fellow humans and fellow Malaysians.

    But such derogative references uttered by KM is indicative of a deeper prejudice, which currently finds its focus on vernacular schools. Obviously KM sees non-Malays who do not conform to his views as sub-human, hence - gejala, puak etc.

    Sure, vernacular schools CONTRIBUTE to racial polarisation. But to blame it all on vernacular schools is just plain scapegoating.

    What about all the words thrown at non-Malays citizens, such as "pendatang", "babi", "pengkhianat", "balik negara asal", etc. Are these all the product of vernacular schools also?

    There will be no end to this path, other non-Malay things can always be found to prove that the non-Malays are still not Malay enough to be accepted as equals.

    Because the root cause has not been addressed: mistrust among the races. And that cannot be addressed by enforcing uniformity.

    Because there is some things that cannot be enforced: the colour of our skin, the genetic features of our faces, the country of our ancestors.

    The solution is full acceptance of each other, not suppression

    ReplyDelete
  23. EWO, u said ...

    "That's why I won't support his platform. DN sees the 1 School for all as a stepping stone to enforce a political agenda of UNIFORMITY BY ENFORCEMENT, which does not allow any diversity."

    It's hard for me to agree with this point of yours. Well, as this is a discussion ..we have the right to disagree and I thank you for your willingness to publish my comment even though I have different views than you. Please go to DN now and read the comment by a commentator named sepadu ...In my opinion, he has written a well and thorough explanation on this topic. Do read it up.

    As for other countries, the reason for the forced assimilation was the same ..ie ...to uniformise a people ...ex. in Thailand, you find Thais, in Indonesia you find Indonesians ..and when you say Thais, you will find that they speak, read, write Thai and already immersed in Thai customs/culture ...that is why a Thai of Chinese origin can become a PM ...Well, compare that to Malaysia ....how can a Malaysian in Malaysia cannot speak and articulate in fluent Bahasa Malaysia? Why should Mandarin and Tamil be given priorities when Bahasa Malaysia is the National Language ....? This has got nothing to do with colour, race etc...THIS IS WITH REGARDS TO THE UNITY OF VARIOUS RACES IN OUR COUNTRY.

    I rest my case, EWO.

    ReplyDelete
  24. bee,

    thank you for a civilised discussion. i agree to disagree with you.

    ReplyDelete
  25. jangan kuat merajuklah mata terbentang luas... left it behind..

    ReplyDelete
  26. EWO,

    why bother arguing with these people..their minds are set. u are not an equal to them till u are one of them. fullstop.

    DN not racist??wow..go take a look at the sort of insults he and his so called DN knights throw at others..cina babi, india keling pundek..everything man..infact in one of his respond to a comment KM shouted "yes im racist!!to people like u!"halorr..how to be racist to a certain person and not to the race??racism itself is about the race la..

    dahlah dalam blog dia kata tak boleh post komen yang menghina, kesat, dan blahblahblah. hipokrit la mamat KM ni..lawak besar blog DN

    peace

    ReplyDelete
  27. Good post, EWO. As I have mentioned in other places, more times than I care to count, in principle I am all for a single-school system, but NOT in the model proposed.

    Primarily because it is based on 2 very flawed premises - blaming polarization solely on vernacular schools, and the assumption that there is no polarization in national schools.

    Furthermore, the proposal does not address the real root cause(s) of polarization.

    Dunno why I haven't come across your blog before, but I think it's just earned a link on my own...

    ReplyDelete
  28. thanks walski, i'm honoured to be linked to you!

    ReplyDelete
  29. This campaign is like one of those "Free RM5000 Now!" deals you get from your credit-card/bank... complete with a nice check with your name drawn on it. Only when you read the details, its really a cutthroat loan with a 1% daily interest rate. Yes, I got that once... and it went straight into the trashcan.

    Sounds nice on the outside, but when you dig for the details, its the same old racialist bullshit they spit out. A bizarre notion that everyone will be united (and vote BN) if people are taught to be subservient & not question or criticize the ongoing inequalities & racism in our system.

    That's why I ain't signing it. If they're really serious, they would also call for opening up Malay-only colleges and an end to racial preferences & discrimination in our institutions.

    Well, even if losing four by-elections to one doesn't wake these people up, then nothing much can be done. Best to let them be asleep & be 'bodoh sombong' with their arrogance, so the entire government can be changed.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Who is this Demi Negara anyway? I have gone to his blog and find his writings to be tedious, malicious and rude. Same for his racist commentators who only know how to insult and name call whenever anyone has a different opinion. It's all one shiok sendiri grouping. If Demi Negara is serious in his ideas than let him come out and identify himself instead of hiding his identity. Will give more credence to the whole thing.

    And yes, he does selective posting of comments - anything that is logical and moderate, which he cannot insult he does not include. I tested this a few times.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is a comment I put up on a few blogs supporting this cultural-extermination-disguised-as-unity-project:

    While I suppport 1 official school system, I will not support DemiNegara's platform for it.

    His version of unity is where every non-Malay is converted into a 2nd-class Melayu Celup.

    Read my treatise here.

    http://notsleepinganymore.blogspot.com/2009/05/sa...

    I have quoted Kijangmas verbatim to demonstrate what kind of person he is and why I will not support his platform, even though I agree with the 1 school for all concept.

    By the way, all this talk about Malaysian Unity is just pure poppycock.

    Let's not conveniently forget that the most militantly pro-Chinese-education organisation is the MCA-sponsored Dong Jiao Zong.

    If KijangMas and gang is so damn serious about national unity, you guys should first take UMNO to task as the dominant party of BN for allowing race-based parties to exist for so long, forcing the rakyat to vote along racial lines and conform to a racist political system, thereby moulding the thought of the rakyat along these lines - for 50 odd years!!

    It's time for all these so-called "satu bangsa" proponents to put up or shut up - lead by example la.

    Let's put out a clarion call for all race-based parties to be dissolved instead.

    Our children are not to be blamed for racial thinking because it is primarily the fault of the political and social system perpetuated at all levels of society by the BN.

    -----------------

    nobody dared to respond to the UMNO>MCA>DJZ relationship issue.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I dont see why the non malays should have a problem with this one school concept. It has been 50 years. if you're really a malaysian, you will assimilate well. If you can't, then Malaysia is not the place for you. Perhaps if those who really dont want to send their children to national school, you can send them elsewhere. International school.. or school in other countries.. 50 years man.. where's the malaysian in you?

    ReplyDelete
  33. anon,

    did you read my post? if not, please do before firing off.

    I'm a non-Malay and I support the one-school concept. Just not KijangMas' racist political conception of it

    ReplyDelete
  34. To all those who try to spin being anti-DemiNegara as being anti-Malaysian.

    None of you have even tried to answered my point:

    "Let's not conveniently forget that the most militantly pro-Chinese-education organisation is the MCA-sponsored Dong Jiao Zong.

    If KijangMas and gang is so damn serious about national unity, you guys should first take UMNO to task as the dominant party of BN for allowing race-based parties to exist for so long, forcing the rakyat to vote along racial lines and conform to a racist political system, thereby moulding the thought of the rakyat along these lines - for 50 odd years!!

    It's time for all these so-called "satu bangsa" proponents to put up or shut up - lead by example la.

    Let's put out a clarion call for all race-based parties to be dissolved instead."

    The loudest protestors against integration is DJZ, which is closely aligned to MCA, which in turn is UMNO's running dog.

    Why no attacks against DJZ. There are certainly plenty of attacks against the non-Malay races on these DN supporting blogs. Why so careful to avoid implicating MCA - scared to upset the UMNO-MCA sandiwara is it?

    And let's not forget all the racist attacks upon those who said that one-school concept should apply to all schools including MARA, UITM, MCKK, etc.

    A sincere attempt to forge unity? Don't joke la.

    This joke of a petition is just another racist attempt, sponsored by the powers-that-be, to suppress the REAL Anak Bangsa Malaysia.

    The proof is in your refusal to acknowledge UMNO/BN's role in fomenting racism and your militant stance against opening up Malays-only schools and your carefulness not to implicate the blatantly Chinese-chauvinist DJZ, the running dog of MCA, which is the running dog of UMNO.

    Sudahlah! The game is up! Anyone who isn't racist WON'T support DN's platform.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Dear EWO,

    You said:-

    "While I support 1 official school system, I will not support DemiNegara's platform for it"

    My heartfelt thanks for your support for the 1 official school system. That's all I need from a fellow Malaysian. You dont have to support DemiNegara's platform for it.

    But why all these fuss such that you find it necessary to start your blog entry with statement accusing Demi Negara's blog being racist? And you wrote a great length bashing Demi Negara forgetting the fact that the issue here is "One School For All" (which you say you fully support) not "Kijang Mas of Demi Negara". And some commentators went on putting blames on UMNO and infact even accuse Demi Negara is one of those blogs pro UMNO.

    Why? Is it because UMNO is a Malay Party (which currently lead the government)? What if, the current government is PR led by the PKR or PAS, again, dominantly a Malay party? My take is that you will blame them too!

    Why are you so afraid or so scared at KijangMas as if the government will implement all those measures mentioned by Kijang Mas in his memo should Kijang Mas's call for One School System is accepted? Dont you think the government will appoint a committee to look into the memo which committee I would say will consist of specialists in education system, Malaysia's history, and what not? The committee may come up with different ideas all together than of Kijang Mas's. So why are so afraid and scared even before knowing whether or not the Memo reaches TPM's desk? The point is One School for All which you have lent your support. Kijang Mas just merely popped out the subject into the open. Kijang Mas calls for IN DEPTH STUDY of our education system which the outcome of the in depth study may or may not be in KijangMas's favor. Do you see my point? This is where I dont understand all these HU-HA, screaming racists, facists, UMNO's Malay supremacy etc. All these to me are quite baseless, more of venting out ill feelings. For example, do you know for sure whether or not I am the so-called UMNO's closed minded, cannot change, follower just because I wrote this piece of comment?

    Or I sense, it was just one of your excuses when you said "I support, but I dont support Demi Negara's platform"? Come on la, I have let go my "Melayu Jawi" to embrace Bahasa Kebangsaan. Would you let go your "Chinese" to embrace same? Do you feel threatened when one day our children, or grandchildren go to school which medium is Bahasa Kebangsaan, no longer "Chinese" or "Melayu Jawi"?

    It is time for us to look real hard in the mirror and ask ourselves, this question:-

    "Am I Malaysian? Am I truly Malaysian?"

    A Malaysian lives his/her life by the Rukun Negara and the Perlembagaan. There is no two way about it. Either we are Malaysian, or we are not Malaysian. Period.

    I am not a regular visitor here, just that I feel that I must drop by upon hearing all these HU HA... it is disheartening to me that people here still want to cling tightly to their own separate ways instead of working honestly to become ONE TRUE BANGSA MALAYSIA.

    I am for One Bangsa Malaysia, are you with me or not? Forget KijangMas, and sign the petition if you truly support this One School for the sake of our future generation.

    Thanks for your time.

    "SATU BANGSA, SATU NEGARA, SATU BAHASA"

    NJ

    p/s: - If you need to 'bash' me too, then drop me your words at Demi Negara. Your words will find their way to me there.

    ReplyDelete
  36. NJ

    KinjangMas started the ball rolling. You mean to tell me he's just gonna be a one-shot wonder in this issue?

    If so, he has no commitment to what he has started. So how to support someone uncommitted to finish what he started?

    But if he is going to follow through, it means he will be pushing for his version of Bangsa Malaysia. I will not support his platform because it is against my principles.

    You also said:

    "What if, the current government is PR led by the PKR or PAS, again, dominantly a Malay party? My take is that you will blame them too!"

    This shows where your thoughts lie. Your worldview is still pre-dominantly "non-Malays are against Malays" - the same bullshit spouted by DN.

    "Come on la, I have let go my "Melayu Jawi" to embrace Bahasa Kebangsaan."

    Different system of writing, same language. It's a completely irrelevant example.

    "Would you let go your "Chinese" to embrace same?"

    I already have let go of my Chinese. I can't read or write Chinese at all. I'm Malaysian, but it's people like you who won't acknowledge "my kind" as Malaysians.

    ReplyDelete
  37. btw, how come still not a single peep against the most stridently Chinese-chauvinist organisation - Dong Jiao Zong?

    Even I have written a post against their stupid pro-chinese agenda!

    So careful to avoid impicating UMNO's allies! You still want me to believe this is not an UMNO-sponsored shebang?

    Sudahlah...

    ReplyDelete
  38. EWO,

    KijangMas may have his one shot wonder. And it seems you already conviced that his wonder shot will hit the bull-eyes. Well, then good for him as you are one as the believer.

    Maybe I sounded like you say, A Malay against a non-Malay. Maybe it is because of my writings as I am just an ordinary Joe, not in the area of articulate writings such as journalists, writers etc. Your phrase is correct if you just change the word "Malay" to "Malaysian". Yes, I am a "Malaysian" who is against a "Non-Malaysian".

    Speaking and writing Bahasa Kebangsaan (or the the 2nd language, English, if one of us do not fully grasp the Bahasa Kebangsaan - but cannot be like this forever though) is one of the earlier step to become a True Malaysia. Live by the Rukun Negara & Perlembagaan would make instill the "Malaysian-ness" in our hearts thereby making us a true Malaysian. No longer we response, "I am Malay" or "I am Chinese" when asked.

    Let's cut down the HU HA. You support the One School as you said repeatedly above. Do it for our later generations and sign the petition. Sign and say your piece of mind towards DemiNegara's call in the petition itself. There is a space to say all what you want. A few petitioner did it. They sign but they dont agree with the content of the Memo. They are Malaysian to me even though they dont agree with Demi Negara. Go to the petition site and read the comments yourself and then sign the petition to demonstrate you are Malaysian.

    Thank you.

    "SATU BANGSA, SATU NEGARA, SATU BAHASA"
    NJ

    oh yes.. I am with you on the Dong Ziong Chinese chauvinist thingy. But please dont pre-judge me on my political inclination. I hate politicians, or whoever who are not Malaysian but doing their bits contributing more disunity in this country.

    ReplyDelete
  39. EWO, time to close your eyes on KM and DM.

    Save your strength. :D

    ReplyDelete
  40. EWO,

    You better come out with your own 1 School campaign. Got the guts? I'm waiting for your version of 1 School's campaign. My support will be yours. How's that? BTW, I'm fully supporting the One School Campaign not because of the Demi Negara but because the MURNI intention for our future generation (I also will give the 100% support IF you come out with the 1 School Campaign). So, chill Bro.

    -1 School for All-

    ReplyDelete
  41. I support 1 school for all, there is no other way for unity.

    I'm not Chinese, I'm Malaysian.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anon 7:48

    My version on 1School? I've already written about it months ago before DN even had a fart of an idea. (Come to think of it, his 1School concept STILL seems like a fart of an idea to me!)

    The link to my article is in the above post. I suggest you read the above post and my 1School post carefully. Get the whole facts before challenging people and supporting people.

    Otherwise you just sound like a little kindy boy thumbing his nose at his teacher.

    As to whether I should start a campaign like DN. Chill la, bro!

    You think blog-blog skang ni terer sangat ke? Sampai boleh mempengaruhi Menteri? ish, ish, ish...itu ong putih cakap "delusions of grandeur" la. At the most, boleh influence some public opinion le. Nak influence Menteri? Awal lagi nak bermimpi woi! Even Chedet cannot influence menteri la!

    So, kalo DN really thinks he can influence Menteri, he and his DNKies has a serious case of delusions.

    Me? I'm just interested to expose his sneaky little racist PR campaign to the public.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi EWO,

    Anonymous 7.48pm has posed a very good question. We who agree with the principle of 1 school for all but disagree with the racism that pervades deminegara's project should come up with an alternative that is acceptable to all Malaysians. Not many prople know about your proposal, so perhaps it would be a good idea to share it more.

    In my view, it must be an initiative that is based on equality, mutual respect & recognition of the roles that Malaysians of all cultures have played in creating our Tanah Air Tercinta, based on the "pull factor" & not on coercing & maligning fellow Malaysians

    BTW, anon 7.48, insulting & maligning our fellow Malaysians as a way to eradicate their language & culture from Malaysia is hardly a "MURNI intention". It is quite the opposite.

    ReplyDelete