10,000 DEAD SEPETS

By Eyes Wide Open

Now THAT makes a funny cartoon! By Berita Harian’s journalism benchmark.

There was a ‘minor’ outcry over Berita Harian’s cartoon of Ultraman running for his life from a deadly tsunami.

Malaysians of all creeds and colours were united in condemnation of such an insensitive treatment of the greatest natural tragedy to befall Japan that left thousands dead, millions affected and billions in losses.

An online petition was quickly made on Sunday to protest on BHarian’s insensitivity but at the time of this posting, have garnered only 1064 signatures.

Yet, some people thought that it would make for a heckuva funny comic.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, BH did issue an apology. But seriously…did it mean anything at all?

“We never meant to make fun of the disaster which has struck the country, and we deeply sympathise and share in sadness with the people of Japan,” they said.

Do those people really expect you and I to be so stupid to think that the Ultraman cartoon was not meant to make fun of the disaster, but that it was an expression of their sympathy for the people of Japan?

I wonder if these same people feel it’s alright to hire clowns to entertain the guests at funerals? God knows THEY could use a laugh, eh?

What kind of sick people have minds that function like this? Could it be the same kind of minds who have been conditioned to regard Sepets (slit-eyes) as a “pest race”, similar to swarms of locusts out to devour the riches of the land that once belonged to its original owners?

This cartoon certainly looks like it came from “The only good sepet is a dead sepet” kind of thinking, doesn’t it?

It’s also very similar to the kind of thinking that goes “Kalau India dengan ular depan mata, ketuk India dulu.” (If an Indian and a snake are in front of you, whack the Indian first.)

Of course, non-Malays in Malaysia are no strangers to this kind of thinking. It’s become a way of life for the past few decades. And it’s becoming more pronounced by the year.

Why is this so?

We can only think of one reason – Biro Tata Negara.

Established since 1971, this secretive department directly under the PM’s control has been indoctrinating our nation’s youths and civil servants for 40 years. We’d think that it’s quite enough time to build up a loyal clientele, doncha think so?

And given the Ministry’s own emphasis on teaching students this dangerous BTN doctrine in the Interlok study guide, is it any wonder that concerned parties are up in arms over this book? Are we really going to allow the government to instill this dangerous Ketuanan Melayu doctrine into more and younger minds?

What will it take for the nation to wake up?

Another May 13?

- Hartal MSM