Yoursay: Combatting the sinister deep state in Malaysia

YOURSAY | ‘The 'deep state' has deep pockets, with billions accumulated over the past six decades.’

A coup in M’sia? Nothing is impossible, says minister

Newday: It is interesting that Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad's refers to efforts of the deep state. There was a great letter to Malaysiakini last week on this very subject.

The deep state is indeed sinister, clouded by secrecy with clear intent to control the state and its people. This deep state was alive and well during BN times, even though it was a bit more obvious than now.

Examples of the deep state at work include the dismantling of the secular education system to a rote-learning religious-based system, the ‘We love PM’ programme to promote our head of state to God-like status, the enforced disappearances highlighted by Suhakam recently, and the ongoing banning of books offering discourse on Malaysia and Muslims.

Jeepers, I sound like one of those conspiracy nutters! The deep state is manifesting itself now with the anti-Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) and anti-Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court protests.

The ongoing attacks on DAP, their members and non-Muslim senior public servants is yet another example. And so is the quite outrageous promotion of our corrupt Pekan MP as a man of integrity and of the people. The fiction being woven around him is aimed at making Malays angry about the treatment of their former beloved leader.

This can result in major civil disruption which is the obvious intention of these sinister plays. BN may have been knocked down in the last general election, but they certainly were not knocked out.

Teh Tarik: I will not underestimate the presence of a 'deep state' composed of the Malay right who feel threatened by the more inclusive policies and strong anti-corruption stance of Pakatan Harapan.

Many civil servants today feel deprived as there are fewer bribes and commissions to go around. The Umno gravy train has also come to a halt.

The days of gifting state land to the elite at bargain-basement prices are also gone. So, there is a sense of great deprivation among a large segment of the 'Malay right' including civil servants, uniformed personnel, Umno politicians and their cronies.

The 'deep state' composed of these elements has been actively sabotaging Harapan with the anti-Icerd protests, Seafield temple issue and now the Rome Statute.

The 'deep state' has deep pockets, with billions accumulated over the past six decades. They can easily use a tiny fraction of the stashed billions to cause mischief.

Expect more attempts by the 'deep state' to sabotage Harapan. The government will have to be extremely careful lest a strong backlash from the 'deep state' results in a coup.

That will be the end of the Malaysia we know, with the non-Malays, non-Muslims and DAP, getting the brunt of the big stick. The ensuing mayhem will cause a collapse of the Malaysian economy and ringgit but that is the least of the worries of the 'deep state'.

Monty: Khalid is one of my favourite ministers, but I think he has this wrong. People who are pushing the sentiments against the government are all those Umno warlords and their supreme chief who are facing graft and other criminal charges.

The attorney-general and government must expedite the court cases and provide more funding to the MACC and police to push all those criminal investigations ahead.

There could be Umno members who are in favour of a coup, but certainly not all Malays. Also, please note that any military coup will most definitely upset the Malay rulers, especially the Johor sultan. He rules all Malaysians in the state, not just Malays.

Kim Quek: Correction, Khalid. Malays make up 50.8 percent of the Malaysian population as of 2015, and not 70 percent as claimed.

Secondly, your analogy of the Egyptian coup after Arab Spring is false. This is because Egypt has a tradition of continuous dictatorship by military generals ever since the toppling of its last king in 1952.

In contrast, the military in Malaysia has been completely non-political since Merdeka, true to the British parliamentary tradition.

So, don’t cook up a cock-and-bull story to justify the Harapan government’s shameful retreat from the noble Rome Statute in the face of opposition on irrational and nonsensical grounds.

David Dass: Khalid's statement must be understood correctly. Yes, he was wrong about the Malays being 70 percent of the population. But he was not wrong about the army and police being 'fundamentally Malay institutions'.

His statement that a coup was a possibility if Malays perceived their rights to be in danger should not be interpreted as a threat. It was, nevertheless, a statement that should not have been made.

We are not like Egypt. We are a democracy. We are a constitutional monarchy. Civilians rule this country. And the military has always served the government. All are sworn to uphold the constitution. It is important that we keep things that way.

The idea of possible military coups or interventions should not enter our discourse. If there are issues concerning the Rome Statute, they should be addressed.

The government has decided to withdraw their accession to the treaty. Many are unhappy with what appears to be a U-turn made because of unreasonable objections.

But because the objections came from the rulers, the government had no choice but to withdraw from the treaty. It is embarrassing for us.

The positions of the Malay rulers, Malay rights and Islam were never an issue. No Malaysian, whether Malay or non-Malay, is going to push for something that is going to be detrimental to the Malay rulers, Malay rights or Islam. Indeed, our constitutional position remains as it is.

Apa Ini: There must be more proactive measures to propagate and educate Malaysians about government policies, not just declarations with a minimum of information on intent and purpose.

Malaysians are ready for more explanations. Most are willing and able to accept compromises for the greater good.

Come on, this newly-minted government was off to a great start. Don't let us down with going back and forth on important issues and allowing ‘Bossku’ to play on your hesitations. - Mkini