If a riot erupts, I’ll blame the government

It is to the benefit of Umno and this government to take stern action against instigators of terrorist and violent acts, foreign or domestic.

COMMENT

By Hafidz Baharom

The title pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Not quite.

Allow me to provide proper justification based on a few points. Let me start with the most obvious of all. Jamal Yunos is in fact the head of an Umno division in Sungai Besar. Therefore, he is part and parcel of the political party currently in the majority running Malaysia since the 13th General Election in 2013.

This is the same party that has Prime Minister Najib Razak and even Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as both President and Secretary-General respectively. As such, does Umno support hooliganism and even mob mentality similar to the German Nationalist Socialist (Nazi) party of the 1940s?

If not, then why is Jamal still an acceptable member of Umno and a division leader?

He has threatened a riot, he has threatened violence against another individual, and had even now instigated a full confrontation by harassing members of a peaceful assembly.

If Tengku Adnan or Ku Nan believes that such a clash could be instigated, then why is he allowing a member of his own party to continue leading the mob? Unless, of course, Umno as a party agrees to it.

Secondly, we have to ask ourselves the basic question, what does Jamal stand for?

If the Red Shirts movement headed by Jamal insists on protecting Malay rights, then why is he against a movement that benefits the Malays?

A free and fair election is beneficial to all, regardless of race. In fact, during his confrontation, Jamal provoked a standoff with Bersih 5 supporting Malays by snatching away their flag. Thus, is there a specific breed of Malays that Jamal, and subsequently Umno, represents?

These two points are important to be answered by Umno as a party because it is in fact a nationalist party representing a specific ethnic group, regardless of the divisions within it.

To say that it is acceptable for Jamal of Umno to harass Malays including Maria Chin (Bersih 2.0 Chairperson) and her supporters is contradictory to the party and all it stands for.

Similarly, we must also ask how exactly can Jamal be left unhindered in representing a splinter group of Malay hooligans who believe in harassment and violence to stop a democratic agenda from progressing.

Is Najib and Ku Nan now saying that registering new voters for the next general election is wrong? The courts have already pointed out the legality of Bersih 2.0 and its gatherings multiple times, to the cost of the government and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Yes, I have my reservations about Bersih 2.0, and I’ve been very vocal about my issues with their agenda.

However, I am damned sure that I and many other Malays refuse to be represented by a racist hooligan who is funding and leading a local right wing terrorist movement without any action from his political party or even the authorities to stop him from doing this.

And that is exactly what Jamal is – a terrorist.

If the political party which Jamal is a member of believes no action needs to be taken against him, then the party itself is in fact allowing a terror movement to exist across the country which is a threat to national security.

Ku Nan believes that if members of the Red Shirts and Bersih 5 meet, it will in fact end in a riot. I agree. It will in fact be a violent clash and, as we have seen, will be instigated by a member of his own party. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised that the only reason Jamal has such support is due to his ties with Umno itself.

It is to the benefit of Umno and this government to take stern action against instigators of terrorist and violent acts, foreign or domestic.

If any violence or riot occurs and as a result causes injury or death, I will personally hold this government, the political parties within it, and even the authorities who somehow have been oddly pacifist when dealing with Jamal, accountable.

After all, Ku Nan governs the party as Secretary-General, and Najib is prime minister. Now, go and govern.

Hafidz Baharom is an FMT reader.