Yes in 1957, it may sound like an old broken record, but I have to tell the story, I was there at the tender age of 8 in my Cub (what we call Junior Scouts today) uniform, in the wee hours of the morning, there meaning the Klang Padang, to attend the Merdeka Parade.
I remember Mr. Jolly Cho the District Commissioner of the Boy Scout movement was there, I remember that was the first time I met his sons, one my age and a Club, and the other older than me, they were from the ACS in Klang which at that time had two troops the 1st Klang, and the 5th Klang and I was from the 9th Klang coming from La Salle Klang.
I was there, I was prepared as scouts had always to be, and I came knowing how to sing the Negara Ku, I wonder if Najib knew it, and I really wonder if even that slimy character Mahathir Mohammed knew to sing at that time days before Merdeka, yes I knew the song before Merdeka day on the 31st of August 1957 and I am proud of that I knew it and I sang it then on the 31st of August 1957, and I saluted our flag when it was raised for the first time in Klang, it was a grand occasion.
Now today my blog carries another article written by my good friend Howl Pillay and I suggest you read it, it speaks about our attitude and the "Prince's Toilet," you may be wondering what I am talking about but you'll have to read it to understand it.
On this day the 31st of August 2013 I'd like to wish all Malaysians a Selamat Hari Merdeka, I'd like all of you to take some time to ponder and see if we still have our independence, or if a group of bandits came in and actually stole the Merdeka of 1957 and 1963, we proclaimed on 31st August 1957, and 16th September 1963 when we became Malaysia from us and are now behaving worse than the colonialists of the past.
These bandits even stole UMNO, called it UMNO Baru and the founder of that party who now claims it is UMNO has been trying from the day he took office as Prime Minister to wipe out the legacy of our beloved Bapa Malaysia, Tengku Abdul Rahman to the the extent that he had even once suggested the building of a new parliament house, the tearing down of Merdeka Stadium, and during his terms of office the Merdeka Football Tournament went forgotten. The Merdeka Tournament the brainchild of the late Tengku was once the unofficial Asian Championships, and during those times we were equals to South Korea, Japan were nobodies in soccer and look at us today, that alone will tell you how he was bent on destroying that legacy of our independence and was and is even today setting the stage to have himself proclaimed as the "Bapa Malaysia" and the founder of UMNO, which is because the UMNO we have today is not the UMNO of old it is the UMNO Baru formed by him after UMNO was declared illegal. it will least surprise anyone if he gts the country to declare him the founding father of Malaysia.
The nationalistic songs like "Gunakan Lah Bahasa kebangsaan kita" if you remember it go through the lyrics and you'll know why he took it out, because it did not sing of "mari lah mari orang UMNO Baru" but "Mari lah mari rakyat semua, " this man because of his hate campaigns agaisnt people of other races and his campaigns to get Malays to hate people of other races has been the architect of the creation of right wing groups like Perkasa an swe all know that.
Luckily for us we have the majority of Malays in this country who are not with him, who do not buy into his hate campaigns and that is why in the last elections for the first time in the history of this countrry the BN lost the popular vote, it was not the Chinese who cause that it was Malaysians and a huge number of Malays too and we all knwo that , it was Malaysians who decided we had had enough and the UMNOputras .
Today the cinemas in the nation are being asked to film Tandas Putra, it has to be filmed because the son of the man who was the cause for May 13th is intent of removing the blemishes on the name of his father.
In this effort he has the tacit backing of none other than Mahathir Mohammed, the man who was the architect of may 13th, the man who incited racial hatred with the ultras of the time, the man who hated the Chinese and showed them that in 1969, the man who in 1969 was defeated in the elections by my friend Yousof Rawa.
Read my good friend Howl Pillay today and he will tell you where we are being led.
This Merdeka let us resolve to be united as one people, and not think of ourselves as Orang Asli, Dayak, Kadazan, Indians Chinese or Malays etc first but as Malaysians first and let us resovle to fight the evils of Mahathirsm and wipe it out of this nation once and for all.
MERDEKA!!!!!!
Friday, August 30, 2013
This Merdeka
By Howl Pillay
I have never been more fearful than this Merdeka.
The nation celebrates its fifty-sixth birthday and a month ago I celebrated my fifty ninth.
Context: Born - 1954; Kewarganegaraan - Malaysia; Keturunan - India; Agama - Belum diIslamkan.
But to be fair, the authorities have never hauled me up for “Insulting Islam”. Why should I even think of doing it?
Yes,
why should I, when legions of salafists, takfiris and the other
‘mightily misguided’ believers in the Middle East, North Africa,
Afghanistan and Pakistan insult the faith on a daily basis by inflicting
unending violence against innocent fathers, mothers, children and
infants. Even in the month of Ramadan, last month.
We
should all be thankful we have kept our distance thus far from this
unholy crowd for whom even their fellow believers are fair game. But
Comrades, be ever vigilant! The road to Cairo, Mogadishu, Baghdad and
Damascus passes through the school toilet of SK Pristina. One day they
may make even a movie, “Tandas Pristina”.
And
though fearful of developments closer to home, I know someone up there
is looking out for me. I thank my lucky stars. And my prescience.
Ten
years ago, taking heed of a management guru’s line of ‘differentiate or
die’, I considered choosing the following email address: pillai04@gmail.com to incorporate the year of my birth.
But
something held me back. It was a gut feeling I could not pin down. It
did not seem to have the proper effect. Besides in the Cantonese “four”
is associated with death. But I wasn’t one to give up easily. As I was
born on the 17 July, I toyed with pillai0804@gmail.com. Eventually I chose another email address.
And
it was all for the better! Who knows I could have spent this Merdeka in
a cold cell, bruised and black-eyed ala Saudara Anwar. What! you say
incredulously. Why not? An Indian somehow associated with both the “04
Gang” and the “08 Gang” will surely be beaten up to within an inch of
his life.
Yet others may say: “Don’t be ridiculous!”.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Bad weather may be good for inter religous activities and appreciation
In the Vatican the Muslims have a mosque the Church allowed the Muslims to build a mosque there without asking them to reciprocate by offering us a Church in Mecca.
Now with all the fuss about the Buddhist in the Surau, I wonder if the Muslims who have made such a hue and cry about the whole issue, and the authorities who have said it woudl be torn down after the case has been closed are really aware of what they are doing.
Some years back in Klang in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes the Parish Priest of the time offered the Church community hall to some Bangladeshis who could not find a place too pray, the Bangla's were all Muslims and they knew just like most people including most Muslims that is alright to pray almost anywhere respectful.
What is wring if the Buddhist prayed in the Surau of a hotel with the owners consent? What wrong did the owner a Muslim himself do?
Take a look at what happened in India, the article below tells us exactly what the Sikhs in India did for the Muslims, if Muslims can pray in a Church hall a Gurduwara, a Catholic house as one MS Ally used to do in my house when he used to visit my late father in the later fifties at our home which was adorned with Holy holy pictures all around, this pious Muslim man used to prostrate towards the direction of Mecca and dutifully pray if it was prayer time when he visited.
Now the present noise by some people mainly of course from the UMNO camp only goes to show that this UMNO led rhetoric has led many Muslims in this country to just about blindly make senseless accusations and I hope I am right because if I am wrong than I am sure most non Muslims in this country will be afraid of Islam, is this the aim?
From the Allah issue which is actually a non issue in every other Muslim Nation some Muslims have made an issue with God. It is sad indeed, and very sad. In Bangladesh, in Pakistan, in Indonesia Christians have been praying to Allah who is Almighty God. In Malaysia it has been done since the 16th century and now suddenly this reference to God as Allah which predates even Islam has become a copyright of some Muslims in Malaysia.
(Muslim residents of Joshimath…)
NEW
DELHI: In a country where religious intolerance and communal hatred
dominate the news nowadays, here is something that goes to show that all
is not rotten and ugly.
Muslim residents of Joshimath in Uttarakhand offered Eid namaaz (prayers) on Monday in a gurdwara (Sikh temple), after being invited in by its head priest, according to the local media. There is no mosque or idgah in Joshimath, a town perched above the Alakhnanda deep in the Garhwal Himalayas. Usually its 800-odd Muslim residents offer namaaz at the town's Gandhi Maidan, a public ground.
Muslim residents of Joshimath in Uttarakhand offered Eid namaaz (prayers) on Monday in a gurdwara (Sikh temple), after being invited in by its head priest, according to the local media. There is no mosque or idgah in Joshimath, a town perched above the Alakhnanda deep in the Garhwal Himalayas. Usually its 800-odd Muslim residents offer namaaz at the town's Gandhi Maidan, a public ground.
, a public group.
On Monday, however, Gandhi maidan had turned into slush. It had been
raining heavily for several days and Eid, the festival day too dawned in
a downpour. The Muslim community was struggling with the problem when
the head of the local gurdwara sent a heart warming message to them- The
Muslims could use the main hall of the gurdwara for offering namaaz.
So, at 9:30am, the congregation of Muslims in bright new clothes trooped down to the gurdwara and offered the ritual prayers in the big hall. After the ceremony, they embraced the Sikh community members waiting outside the hall. Some Hindus from the town were present too and offered greetings to the other two communities.
Sardar Buta Singh, Prabandhak of the gurdwara, later told media persons that he had extended the invitation to the Muslims to help them in their crisis.
Maulvi Asif was quoted by media as saying that by solving their problem, the gurdwara committee had presented an example of humanity and respect towards all religions. He said that the Muslim community was thankful to the committee.
Joshimath is located about 250 kilometers from Rishikesh on National Highway 58. It is close to two important pilgrimage centers - Badrinath of the Hindus and Hemkunt Sahib of the Sikhs.
So, at 9:30am, the congregation of Muslims in bright new clothes trooped down to the gurdwara and offered the ritual prayers in the big hall. After the ceremony, they embraced the Sikh community members waiting outside the hall. Some Hindus from the town were present too and offered greetings to the other two communities.
Sardar Buta Singh, Prabandhak of the gurdwara, later told media persons that he had extended the invitation to the Muslims to help them in their crisis.
Maulvi Asif was quoted by media as saying that by solving their problem, the gurdwara committee had presented an example of humanity and respect towards all religions. He said that the Muslim community was thankful to the committee.
Joshimath is located about 250 kilometers from Rishikesh on National Highway 58. It is close to two important pilgrimage centers - Badrinath of the Hindus and Hemkunt Sahib of the Sikhs.
Monday, July 29, 2013
“Recognize Sabah as Nation...." Jeffrey Kitingan
The following is taken from the Press release sent to the press and to this blog by the State Reform Party of Sabah (STAR) it is the Statement of the Chairman of the party Mr. Jeffrey Kitingan.
The anger of the people of Sabah and for that matter East Malaysia is getting stronger, the Federal government together with its lackeys the BN MP's are actually promoting ignorance to the people of Sabah, Sarawak and even West Malaysia so that they can go on and do as they please and feed untruths and half truths to these ignorant people to stay on in power.
Development has long bypassed the two Eastern states and even Kelantan, to this day Sabah and Sarawak lack proper infrastructure, roads highways and even schools, they schools which they even dare to show as part of their propaganda campaign reveal the degree of underdevelopment in these states.
Money that shoudl have gone into development fro the people haws been squandered in grand palns that enriched the lackeys of the BN, they have treated land and other property as their own, loans to BN parliamentarians and their spouses for dubious businesses, and commissions by fronting Companies owned jointly by ministers and even their spouses in mega deals to purchase armaments, including submarines and the rest are common place. Nothing has been spent in real development in these states.
Even though these states provide the the Barisan their victories in the Peninsular, no significant minster has come out of these states. When Jeffry Kitingan once asked Mahathir when a Sabahan would become Prime Minister the mamak ran wild and mad. We came together in 1963 to date we are yet to see a Prime Minister or even a deputy Prime Minster from that state, they are Bumiputeras too, are there criteria to exclude these bumiputera?
it is high time the people of the East realised it and realised that their interests are not at all being served by the barisan Government, the few that have realised it feel its time to even part company, because some of the fundamental parts of the initial agreement made between the Malaya and the States of Sabah and Sarawak have been unilaterally broken by the UMNO led government of Malaysia.
We attach Jeffery's statement below.
“Recognize Sabah
as Nation for Better Security, Development - Jeffrey”
Kota Kinabalu: “PM Najib must do more for Sabah and Sarawak and recognize both entities as nations in Malaysia and not just do piece-meal patching to resolve long standing security, development and welfare issues. Just like patching up the pot-holes of the roads in Sabah, it will not be sustainable and will not resolve the problems in Sabah”said DatukDr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, in response to the PM’s focus on the three aspects announced over the weekend in Kota Kinabalu.
The still on-going
chronic shortage of diesel in Sabah is a very good example of piece-meal patch-work
solution. While the just announced request
for an additional 8 million litres diesel quota may help clear the queues at
petrol stations, it did not resolve the long term problem.
The Government’s own
excuse of diesel smuggling just exposes the weaknesses of the inefficiency and
shortcomings of ESSZONE and ESSCOM.
Theoretically, there should be no smuggling if the ESSZONE patrolling is
effective. If diesel can escape
detection, one fears for the safety of Sabahans when it comes to illegals
coming and going into Sabah.
If the diesel
shortage is due to additional demand arising from increased productivity and
production, it should have been projected and adequate supplies provided to
cover for the additional demand as the shortages is not new but a frequent
occurrence.
The Sabah
government and its leaders should emulate their cousins from Sarawak and reject
verbal announcements by the Federal leaders and insist on written
approvals. More often than not, these
announcements are nothing more than announcements when these federal leaders go
back to Kuala Lumpur. For example, after
promising to build the Labuan bridge during the PRU-13 election campaign, the
federal leaders are now singing a different tune that the BarisanNasional only
promised to undertake a study into the feasibility and benefits of the Labuan
bridge and did not actually promise to build it.
If this is part of
the “JanjiDiTepati” BN Manifesto, Sabah will remain and continue to remain the
poorest State despite its abundant natural resources particular oil and gas.
The problems of
under-development and welfare of Sabahans especially being the poorest in
Malaysia needs an overhauled holistic approach. The under-development and poor
infrastructure and lack of basic amenities is compounded by the sheer size of
Sabah, which is equivalent to the size of 9 States in the Peninsular, and the
treatment of Sabah of a far-flung colony of Malaya and its resources and wealth
taken back “home” to fund its development.
The PM must
firstly recognize and help to strengthen the delivery capacity of the Sabah
government and remember that Sabah is a nation in Malaysia and not equal to
tiny Perlis (Sabah is 90 times the size of Perlis) or the other Peninsular
states.
Along with this
recognition, the Federal government must return 40% of the net revenues
collected from Sabah and be transparent about these collections. Revenues of Petronas, multi-national
petroleum companies and other corporate entities which derive their profits
from Sabah should be acknowledged as revenues from Sabah.
Whether it is RM40
billion or RM4 billion collected a year, 40% of the net revenues should be
returned to Sabah? There are no
excuses! This additional revenue for the
Sabah government will improve the economy of Sabah by leaps and bounds and help
alleviate and reduce the poverty levels of the people.
The Federal BN
government should stop holding the Sabah government and Sabahans to economic
ransom and to be bought and used every 5 years come election time. Sabahans must also wake up to face this
reality and not accept RM200 bribes and BN’s “TangkiBiru 1-Malaysia” in return
for their precious votes.
If Najib is
serious and sincere in developing Sabah and helping Sabahans, he should
dismantle the parallel “federal-linked” government in Sabah and return the
governance of these departments and affairs to the Sabah government.
At the same time,
Najib should establish a high level Borneo Affairs Commission or a Sabah Sarawak
Commission or even a Ministry to address the issues and problems in Sabah and
Sarawak.
There can be no
better time than 2013, which marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of
Malaysia, which will go towards in a small way to fulfil the intentions of the
founding fathers of Malaysia.
The MPs from Sabah and Sarawak
also need to take the cue and demand that their homelands, Sabah and Sarawak,
be treated fairly and justly by the Federal government in terms of development
and welfare assistance and should no longer accept crumbs. After all, someRM40
billion and RM18 billion in oil revenues were taken from Sarawak and Sabah
respectively in 2012.
DatukDr.Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman
STAR Sabah
28 July 2013
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