(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): Acting Kuala Lumpur city police chief Datuk Meor Chek Hussein Mayayuddin said yesterday that the police has issued a permit for the holding of the 10,000-People ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia’ Gathering at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday after Badan Bertindak Melayu (Malay Action Front) headed by former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, has submitted a second application.
It is most regrettable that the authorities, including the Police and the Attorney-General’s Office, had been insensitive to the police reports which had been lodged in various parts of the country in the past two days by DAP, PAS, Parti Keadilan, PRM, NGOs, by Malaysians of different races and religions, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, as well as by both gender, against the highly provocative and seditious “10,000-People ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia’ Gathering” posters and banners calling on all "Malays to unite" using a design suggestive of an unsheathed keris in a sea of blood - which is most offensive, insensitive, inflammatory, provocative and taboo in multi-racial Malaysia.
I regret that there had been no response from the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai and the new Attorney-General, Datuk Ainum Mohamed Saaid to my call yesterday that they should take swift action on these police reports and prosecute UMNO political has-beens like Ibrahim Ali, Rahim Thamby Cik and Tamrin Ghafar who are behind the gathering for the highly provocative and seditious posters and banners suggestive of a drawn keris in a sea of blood.
Why didn’t the Police direct the Badan Bertindak Melayu to immediately take down all the provocative, inflammatory and seditious posters and banners all over Kuala Lumpur suggestive of a drawn keris in a sea of blood?
In giving a police permit for the holding of the 10,000-People ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia’ Gathering at the Putra World Trade Centre without directing the Badan Bertindak Melayu to immediately take down the seditious banners and posters, or initiating immediate action to prosecute the organisers for the seditious banners and posters, the police is not demonstrating its independence, professionalism, integrity and capability of putting national interests above partisan or sectional interests.
The provocative and seditious posters/banners suggestive of a drawn keris in a sea of blood and the 10,000-People ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia’ is an acid test as to whether Malaysia in the 21st century has made any progress in the last 43 years of nation-building where Malaysians, whether leaders or ordinary citizens, have become Malaysian first and Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban second or whether the country has stood still as in colonial times and there had been no progress whatoever in the evolution of a Malaysian consciousness and the concept of a Malaysian national unity higher than the separate ethnic affinities.
The organisers of the 10,000-People ‘Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia’ Gathering, who are primarily has-been UMNO leaders, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves in proving to be irresponsible political desperadoes who are prepared to undermine Malaysia’s economic well-being by frightening off more investors in their reckless designs to arouse and escalate communal feelings and tensions in the country to secure lost political support.
In a multi-racial society like Malaysia, those who try to create panic and rampage among the people by inciting baseless communal feelings and fears that a community is facing extinction is committing a heinous act of political irresponsibility - especially when the real issue facing the country is "Takkan Malaysia Kalah Di Dunia" in the era of information technology and globalisation!
It would be more apt and appropriate if the theme of the meeting tomorrow is changed from “Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia” to “Takkan UMNO Hilang Di Dunia”, as this is the subject uppermost in the minds of the organisers - and especially as the meeting has been changed to the UMNO Headquarters at PWTC.
In any event, are the UMNO political has-beens and also-rans the most qualified people to discuss “Takkan UMNO Hilang Di Dunia” when they must bear heavy responsibility for UMNO’s present parlous state, in their blind and selfish support for policies which have identified UMNO and Barisan Nasional rule with corruption, political repression and trampling of the rule of law.
It has been reported that several eminent former UMNO leaders and Malay intellectuals would be gracing and speaking at the 10,000-People “Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia” Gathering tomorrow. These eminent former UMNO leaders and Malay intellectuals should realise that they would forfeit all respect from Malaysians, Malay and non-Malay, with their attendance at the gathering tomorrow.
UMNO leaders, ex-leaders, members and supporters should censure the irresponsible recommunalisation by Badan Bertindak Melayu and demonstrate their commitment to a multi-racial Malaysia by staying away from the 10,000-People “Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia” Gathering tomorrow. Otherwise, Malaysians of all races can only conclude that the natural leaders of 21st century UMNO are political desperadoes like Ibrahim Ali, Rahim Thamby Cik and Tamrin Ghafar, bringing to the fore the question, “Takkan UMNO Hilang Di Dunia”!
(3/2/2001)