Yes my dear friends, and fellow Malaysians, I am going to the rally today, and this has been one of the reasons I have not written for a while - it is all because of today.
Today is an important day for me, because today I am going to Kuala Lumpur with only one thing on my mind the future of my beloved country for the sake of my children, your children, and our children's children.
In the seventies I went to England, and I returned even though a lot of people told me I was doing a foolish thing, they asked me to stay on, some of them are still there, some of them are back and some of them have died. I have never regretted my decision to return, I love my country.
I lived the history of this country since Merdeka.
I was there in the Klang Padang on 31st October 1957, in my Boy Cub uniform, it was the first time I met with the Scout Commissioner of the time in Klang one Mr. Jolly Cho who came and shook hands with me, scouts and cubs used to shake hands with the left hand then.
I saluted the flag of my country when it was hoisted in the town padang on that historic day, and I sang the Negara Ku.
I learned and sang the Negara Ku even before independence, I wonder how many of you did, I wonder even if Najib & Rosmah can boast of that, it was taught to me by my cub master one Mr. George Michael, he is still alive today.
Later in my schooling years there was a a Malay teacher who taught me, his name is Onn Bin Ismail, he later went to become an UMNO state assemblyman, he taught me the State Anthem, and I have written about it in one of my letters to Malaysiakini and they corrected my lyrics, they were wrong as there was an old anthem, it was the old State Anthem and it began like this, " Allah Selamatkan Duli Yang Maha Mulia, Kekal dan Selamat di atas thakhta, panjangkan umor...."
Later in life this same party the UMNO declared that it was wrong form us to use the word Allah, but I used at that time in school, it was taught to me by Onn Bin Ismail he was my cikgu and later an UMNO strongman, he was one of those who camped in Harun Idris house when the police went to arrest Harun, trying to prevent it, if you remember.
We had good leaders then, it was the Tengku, Khir Johari, we had Sardon Jubir, Tun Dr. Ismail, Dr. Lim Swee Aun from Taiping my birthplace, Wong Pow Nee these were gentlemen.
We used to have minggu Bahasa Kebangsaan, we used to sing the "Bahasa Jiwa Bangs"
all these patriotic songs we were once taught and use to once sing have all been removed, removed during the Mahaterian era, because that man had a selfish agenda for himself, the agenda began with dividing the nation and like Hitler trying to create a superior race.
We allowed him that and ruined our country and when one man came out and told the county enough was enough, we had to put a stop to corruption, nepotism and cronyism he was charged with sodomy and thrown behind bars.
All charges were trumped up, as later the courts would absolve this man Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim only for the farce to re surface under a different Prime Minister for what are apparently the same reasons, DSAI is dangerous,what will ahppen to the corrupt if he comes to power.
A few days ago I received a letter from my sister in Germany, the contents of which I shall reveal here,
"Toffee, please re-think this.
You know how the government can play dirty and they don't mind walking over dead bodies to show who is boss.
I really am afraid that with foul means they will try and cause riots in such a way that they can put the blame on the demonstrators and then they'll march in and destroy everything in their wake at random.
Toffee, you have a wife, two children, two children in law and three lovely grandchildren who need and love you.
Re-think your decision. Keith, Ju ,Margie please try and keep him back.
I'm afraid for him. I really feel ashamed to be telling you to do this, I suppose I'm getting old, but I can't bear to think of anyone hurting you.
Remember your government knows how others have successfully caused overthrows elsewhere and they are good students." ......... Noreen
Dear Noreen and everybody else,
I am as politically minded as anyone else, I know when to be careful and I also know that when it comes to the interest of my wife and children and their children I'll throw caution to the wind.
It is for those reasons you mention above and only those reasons why I will be at the Bersih Rally come July 9 and no one will stop me, that is my decision and my decision alone.
I have been politically active as matter of interest,it probably runs in the blood.
This is not politics, this is life itself, and no human being must or should be treated as a second class being, you went to England to do Nusing and that gave daddy his heart attack, because your friend got a schorlarship and admission to the University Malaya even though she got a Statement and you had a full pass, and all that was because of race. I stayed back accepted it and fought for my place.
Daddy wanted you do to do law, you went for nursing, he told Sapanee that day, "why did she have to do HSC to do this thing" and as you were leaving the door that day he said,"I do not know if I'll see her again."
(That was only a few days before May 13 1969).
I remember that as if it was yesterday.
Yes that was yesterday, today it is even worse, it has got down to gutter politics, it is taking away everything we have, if you heard about the latest book they are placing in schools they are teaching the students that all Indians who came to Malaysia were Pariahs, so the present stock are all pariahs, the name of the book is interlok.
Think of the ridicule these children will have to go through, they say Indians were pariahs in the book and that Chinese sold their daughters to become prostitutes, that will give the Malay Child the hey day he requires insult and look down on our children.
That is not what Malay children are made of, but this government teaches them and trains them to do such things. Just look at the group called perkasa.
Many a Jew and German looked the other side when Hitler did the same thing and they paid a price. Must we do what they did? History is a great teacher, we never should allow this. You are in Germany you should know this.
I'll have none of this, why I am not copying my children which you did and I'd say is rather mischievous, is because they may join me, and that is playing politics, they'll know I was there, after I have gone there that they need to.
I have to do this for them, none of you'll understand this as you are not parents, so please lay off this, and believe me I know what I am doing and for what. There are no ulterior motives as some others may have. Amen
It is for these same reasons that I have not written about the Bersih rally. If you must go to this rally there must be compelling reasons for you to be there, do not come there because everybody has asked you to do so, or because you can't say no to someone else.
I am going because I believe in the causes I have stated above, it is worth everything, I am 62 years old I have lived through it all, I have invested my life in this country, I have invested my children and grandchildren in this my motherland, it is the land where I'll spill my blood if it needs to be spilled saving the nation, and that is why I go, but I go in peace. this is a peaceful rally if it turns otherwise it is not us.
My grandchildren are real Bumiputeras, real sons of this country, my parents were from India just like Mahathir's, my beloved wife's parents are of Chinese origin, in fact my late father in law was born in this country, my maternal grandmother is buried in Kajang, my children are real Bangsa Malaysia, so too my grandchildren, and that is more reason why I go to walk tomorrow, to ensure that they are not robbed of their rights by manipulation of the ballot box.
If you believe your children, and their children are important to you, if you believe that all our children are important to us, and hope that they will live in a truly united Malaysia join me and walk, THE WALK OF PEACE.
God Bless Malaysia
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