SAYING THE DAMNDEST THINGS…

Malays somehow keep producing leaders who say the damndest things. As a Malay, I can’t help feeling embarrassed by their antics. There was the judge of the Shariah Court who declared that anyone who left PAS would also lose their wives forever. Not to be outdone, an UMNO leader (a Tan Sri, no less) has just said it’s okay to be racist, so long as it’s Islamic. Soon we can expect another brilliant statement that it’s acceptable to be corrupt if the act has an Islamic flavour.

In the wake of the Red Shirts rally, its organiser said it was okay to chant “Cina babi” as it is not a racial slur. I am sure if we were substitute “Cina” with the name of the UMNO President, all hell will break loose. In Kota Bharu, UMNO showed its brazen lack of intelligence by burning effigies of some Chinese leaders. What it means is that the UMNO/Red Shirt Malays are no longer capable of being normal people. They no longer have the faintest idea of what it means to be fair-minded. They believe they can say and do things that others are not allowed to.

The newspaper Utusan Malaysia chided those who opposed the Red Shirt rally by asking why it was all right for the Yellows to gather but not the Reds. The answer is obvious: the Yellows had grievances which many people consider to be legitimate. They protested the conduct of the Government by gathering in remarkable numbers for two days, and they did so peacefully. The Reds, on the other hand, were apparently only interested in demanding a piece of Petaling Street without having to do any work, while “proving” that Dato Sri Najib Razak has support. Unfortunately, they also showed that his supporters are made up mainly of foul-mouthed racists.

UMNO has willfully and actively encouraged this degradation of Malay morals. The party is so obsessed with money and power that it has no interest whatsoever in guiding Malays on how to conduct themselves properly when engaging with others, in having the right frame of mind and in understanding the values that others appreciate and gravitate to.

In fact, it looks to me that UMNO is even willing to turn Malays into violent rogues so they can be used to instill fear in the rest of the populace. These UMNO leaders, who had the opportunity to earn their degrees overseas and who have fancy titles of every kind appended to their names, are shameless. They are willing to destroy the character and personality of the Malay community just for their political ends.

What has been equally shameful and pathetic is how religious clerics have chosen to remain absolutely silent about the conduct of the Red Shirt ruffians. These preachers are supposed to defend the principles of good behaviour amongst Muslims. It seems the moral degradation of Malays has spread to the Islamic clergy as well, thanks to UMNO.

I am sure these UMNO leaders are capable of orchestrating far more brutal acts of misconduct, violence, immorality, venality and shame. That’s why I keep urging the elders of the Malay community to come forward to rescue Malays from being driven to deeper misfortune. Once a while we hear the wise words of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and a smattering of others, but Malays need more concerted action.

I wonder what Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal are doing now. Is it enough that they uttered a few syllables of disapproval on 1MDB? Can they reasonably expect things to change after that? Is their plan focused mainly on the next UMNO election, without caring that UMNO is already more than halfway to destroying Malays?

These leaders should start a new movement; it need not be a political one, so long as it speaks for Malays and tells them what is good for them. It’s alarming to see how the Red Shirt Malays can’t tell the difference between what’s good for them and what’s good for Najib. -zaid.my