All parties must step in to tell the true facts

I REFER to Ismail Mina Ahmad’s (chairman of Gerakan Pembela Ummah) reported comments about Malaysian history recently. He apparently said that “only the Malays resisted British colonists, Japanese occupiers and the communists”.

Tuesday, 16 Jan 2018

Malayan police on patrol: Malaya’s multiracial military and police forces fought gallantly against the communists during the Emergency. – Picture courtesy of the National Archives.

His comments are grossly inaccurate, racist, irresponsible and seditious in nature.

The non-Malays too resisted British rule in Malaya. For example, the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action (AMCJA) – a federation of mainly political parties and trade unions formed in 1946 – championed for a united Malaya including Singapore; a popularly elected central legislature and state councils; and a citizenship granting equal rights to all who made Malaya their permanent home and the object of their undivided loyalty.

Indeed, AMCJA together with Putera (Pusat Tenaga Rakyat comprising Malay left-wing parties such as Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, Angkatan Pemuda Insaf and Angkatan Wanita Sedar) organised a Malaya-wide hartal on Oct 20, 1947 to demonstrate their opposition to British rule.

Regarding resistance to Japanese rule, the non-Malays too played a major role. For example, the Chinese in Sabah formed an anti-Japanese movement known as Kinabalu Guerillas under the leadership of Albert Kwok Fen Nam which was also supported by the indigenous people, Eurasians and Sikhs (including Subedar Dewa Singh).

On the night of Oct 9, 1943, the Kinabalu Guerillas attacked the Japanese soldiers and managed to capture Tuaran, Menggatal and Jesselton (present-day Kota Kinabalu). More than 50 Japanese soldiers were killed. The Japanese launched a counter attack on Oct 13 and quickly recaptured these three towns.

One must also not forget the role played by Sybil Kathigasu and Gurchan Singh (Lion of Malaya) who supported the resistance during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya.

Ismail Mina’s unkindest cut of all was to assert that “only the Malays had battled the communists”. Malaya’s then multiracial military and police forces fought gallantly against the communists.

Many Chinese officers with the Malayan Special Branch too sacrificed their lives in gathering information about the communists. British and the armed forces of other Commonwealth countries (including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Rhodesia) also played a major role in quelling the communist rebellion.

Enough is enough! It’s time to act. I believe that all necessary parties will have to step in and take the necessary action so that the true history of our beloved nation is told to our young.

DR RANJIT SINGH MALHI

Kuala Lumpur

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2018/01/16/all-parties-must-step-in-to-tell-the-true-facts

THE increasing tide of divisive rhetoric and actions, which threaten our national harmony and make a mockery of our proclaimed adherence to moderation, is causing alarm among concerned citizens.

Tuesday, 16 Jan 2018

As the 14th general election approaches, this tide is becoming a tidal wave. Now, hate politics is also coming into the picture so much so that the Prime Minister has recently come out strongly against it.

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam has given an excellent list of proposals on how to combat this hate politics in his letter, “Keep hate politics out of GE14” (The Star, Jan 9).

For sustained national harmony and to minimise the impact of hate politics, I think Malaysian citizens should adopt and practise a certain code of ethical conduct. In this respect, I would urge concerned Malaysians to adopt and practise the Dialog Rakyat code of ethical conduct and make it our New Year resolution. The code of ethical conduct is as follows:

> Respect for one another regardless of ethnicity, religion, geographical region, status or political leaning; and

> Recognition of our similarities and acceptance of our differences.

We, the concerned and responsible citizens of Malaysia agree to:

> Respect the Federal Constitution and uphold the Rukunegara so as to preserve the independence and sovereignty of our nation;

> Promote activities that nurture civic consciousness, civic nationalism, patriotism, national cohesiveness, harmony and unity at all levels of society;

> Advocate justice and fairness, transparency and integrity in all aspects of management and governance;

> Resolve contentions and differences through constructive engagement, always seeking for equitable, mutually beneficial outcomes;

> Refrain from actions that offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate others;

> Reject any form of discrimination, bigotry, extremism, unjustified acts causing harm to any individual or group, including any action that can disrupt harmony and cohesion; and

> Fight corruption and kleptocracy at all levels and in all its manifestations.

We, the concerned and responsible citizens of Malaysia, resolve to:

> Adhere to and promote the Code of Ethical Conduct, and to

> Mobilise citizens towards a Citizen Movement for National Cohesion and Unity.

This code of ethical conduct is the outcome of the first Dialog Rakyat on National Cohesion and Unity held in December 2016. Since then, three other dialogues have been convened to translate the code of ethical conduct into “actionable practices” respectively for individuals, universities and community groups such as residents associations and rukun tetanga.

Dialog Rakyat is an initiative of seven organisations initially, Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (PCORE), Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE), Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS), Nation Building School (NBS), G25, Inter-faith Spiritual Fellow­ship (INSaF) and Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI). They were joined later by Yayasan 1Malaysia and the National Council of Women’s Organisations, Malaysia (NCWO).

The dialogues have been jointly convened by a number of universities, residents associations and rukun tetanga. More are planned for 2018 to get the support of other organisations and citizen groups.

We can continue to express concern and assign blame about the unhealthy development in our country but we cannot control the action of those with selfish agendas. It is better therefore to focus on what we can control – ourselves – and together we CAN make a difference.

TAN SRI OMAR ABDUL RAHMAN

Chair, Organising Committee

Dialog Rakyat for National Cohesion and Unity

Kuala Lumpur

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2018/01/16/focused-on-making-a-difference

Please be fair and inclusive - RAMON NAVARATNAM

ALMOST all Malaysians would have been shocked and deeply disappointed by the divisive discussions that took place at the recent “Rise of the Ummah” convention.

Tuesday, 16 Jan 2018

RAMON NAVARATNAM

It was even more depressing to hear that a former senior education officer, Datuk Raof Husin, had urged the Government to “return the exclusive right of government scholarships to bumiputra students and do not give them to others”.

For crying out loud, what was Raof doing right through his long career in the education service? Was he promoting or degrading national unity? I wonder how he got away with this anti-national unity attitude. Has he got so many followers that people can legitimately ask: “Is our Government condoning this negativity and divisiveness?”

The other shocker emerging from this conservative convention was the equally damaging statement by Muslim cleric Ismail Mina Ahmad who reportedly tried to erase the great patriotic contributions and ultimate sacrifices made by non-Malays, especially in the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysia police, in the defence of our dear country. How can anyone be so unfair and discriminatory to our fellow citizens unless they are blatantly racial?

It is also laudable that the secular group Bebas spokesman Azrul Mohd Khalib has boldly called on Malaysians to reject the demands of this negative and conservative convention. Bebas has rightly pointed out “the real need to focus on the future, where we do not need to depend on racial discrimination and bigotry to succeed”. Bebas is so rational and right.

Many other loyal individuals and organisations have also bravely spoken up. The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism led by its president Datuk R.S. Mohan Shan, MIC treasurer-general Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari, and MCA Religious Harmony Bureau chairman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker have all stoutly spoken against this threat to national unity from the parochial conservative convention.

But the Government has surprisingly been quiet so far. “Why?” I wonder. The Government should come out against racist and unrighteous remarks. It is indeed expected by all right-thinking Malaysians, especially voters, to state its firm stand against divisive and disruptive remarks that are not historical facts and against national unity and the future of non-Malays.

Both Raof and Ismail Mina Ahmad have apparently violated the spirit of our precious Constitution and the Rukunegara, which provide the foundations of our national unity, fairness, justice and socioeconomic progress.

Should the Government not take the lead by expressing its official stand against attempts to cause public restlessness, disharmony and even unrest?

In fact, the authorities could be reasonably expected to take appropriate action under the laws of the land against those who undermine national unity.

So many Malaysians would appeal to the Government to please be fair and inclusive and to actively promote national unity in our beloved country. This is particularly pertinent at this time before the 14th general election.

A positive move by the Government would definitely benefit all patriotic Malaysians who will be grateful for its leadership to effectively promote greater peace and harmony in our nation.

TAN SRI RAMON NAVARATNAM

Chairman

Asli Center of Public Policy Studies

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2018/01/16/please-be-fair-and-inclusive/

Trump: 'I am not a racist'

(CNN)President Donald Trump defended himself Sunday night after several days of controversy over his remarks about African countries, telling reporters, "I am not a racist."

By Aileen Graef, CNN

Updated 0513 GMT (1313 HKT) January 15, 2018

In remarks to reporters at a dinner photo opportunity with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said when asked if he is a racist, "No, I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed."

The President has drawn sharp criticism since he was reported to have called African countries "shitholes" while discussing immigration with lawmakers Thursday.

Democrats have been demanding protections for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in exchange for border security funding that could include money for Trump's promised border wall, but those talks reached an impasse after the President's recent remarks. Congress is grappling with the issue as they negotiate over a spending bill they need to pass by Friday to avoid a government shutdown.

Trump and some of the lawmakers in the closed-door meeting Thursday have since pushed back on the characterization of his comments, with the President denying making the derogatory remarks and allied Republican senators taking to the Sunday morning shows to claim Trump never used the vulgar phrase.

Georgia Sen. David Perdue said Trump "did not use that word" and called the assertions that he did "a gross misrepresentation." Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton also claimed the President's remarks were mischaracterized, saying, "I didn't hear it, and I was sitting no further away from Donald Trump than Dick Durbin was."

In a statement Friday, the two said they didn't recall Trump making the derogatory comments, "but what he did call out was the imbalance in our current immigration system, which does not protect American workers and our national interest."

Durbin, a Democratic senator from Illinois, said, however, that Trump did use "hate-filled, vile and racist" language in the meeting, according to the Chicago Tribune. Additionally, Sen. Lindsey Graham told fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott that the reported comments were "basically accurate," Scott told the Charleston-based Post and Courier.

On Sunday night, the President addressed the looming government shutdown when asked if it would happen.

"I don't know if there will be a shutdown, there shouldn't be," he said.

The White House and Democrats in Congress are negotiating an immigration deal as lawmakers face a Friday deadline to pass a federal spending bill and avoid a government shutdown.

DACA talks

Trump said he is "ready and willing to make a deal" on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but he doesn't believe Democrats want to reach an agreement.

"They don't want security at the border," Trump said. "We have people pouring in. They don't want security at the border. They don't want to stop drugs, and they want to take money away from our military, which we cannot do. So those are some of the sticking points."

The President's comments come after he held on-camera bipartisan talks at the White House last week in which he appeared open to making a deal with both Republicans and Democrats. The meeting took place prior to Trump's controversial comments from the Oval Office on Thursday.

North Korea

Asked by reporters if he has spoken to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following his refusal to answer the question during a Wall Street Journal interview last week, Trump again did not answer the question.

"We're gonna see what happens," he said. "They have a couple of meetings scheduled, a couple of additional meetings scheduled, and we'll see what happens. Hopefully, it's all going to work out. We'll see."

He added: "We're going to see what happens with North Korea. We have great talks going on. The Olympics you know about. A lot of things can happen."

http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/14/politics/donald-trump-racist/index.html