The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Ridhuan Tee… Malaysians’ patience has its limits Posted: 21 Feb 2013 03:45 PM PST FEB 22 — I have spent many years of my professional career trying to promote and encourage a multicultural and multireligious Malaysia. I have had to face personal sacrifice, peril and risk to bring my fight to the fore. Well, not really lah. But I do feel very passionate about it. A career which started out really as a personal interest has become much more as I feel that I now have a responsibility to my country and countrymen. I want to play as much a role as I can in shaping Malaysia to be the coolest country on the planet. A country perfect for my daughter Athena Azlee to grow up in. I normally don't get angry or mad in my writings or even in my documentaries. I rant, and mostly whine, but I never fill my content with anger and hatred. So imagine my disgust when I read what Ridhuan Tee Abdullah (yes, my favourite columnist!) wrote in his column in Sinar Harian on February 18. Commenting on the lifting of the ban of the Indian film "Vishwaroopam", Tee crafted out 786 words of disrespect towards the Malaysian Indian and Hindu community. Here is an excerpt: "Pernahkah kita bersungut ketika perayaan Thaipusam? Seminggu sebelum perayaan, seluruh kawasan sekitar Batu Caves sesak. Kenderaan diparkir sesuka hati. Lautan manusia satu warna berhimpun, seolah-olah tidak ada warna lain lagi di negara ini. "Hari ini pergilah ke mana sahaja. Jika dahulu, rumah ibadat dan patung-patung tidak banyak kelihatan meriah. Kalau adanya pun agak suram dan tidak nampak tombolnya. Tetapi selepas PRU 12, keadaan jauh berubah. Mereka mendapat peruntukan sana sini, pusat dan negeri. Rumah ibadat kecil menjadi besar, tombol rendah menjadi tinggi dan berwarna-warni. "Apa yang saya lihat, kita sudah memberi segala-galanya bagi menagih simpati dan undi. Negara ini tidak ada lagi identiti. Agenda Islam dan Melayu entah ke mana. Saya amat yakin jika BN menang sekalipun dalam PRU 13 ini, keadaan tidak ada bezanya dengan apa yang berlaku pada hari ini. Kita akan terus menjaga hati orang lain daripada hati sendiri." According to Tee's personal website, he holds these academic qualifications and positions: BA (Hons) Political Science (UKM), MA Strategic Studies (UKM), PhD Politics and Government (UPM), Dip. Islamic Studies (UIA). Panel of Islamic Consultative Council and Wasatiyyah, Prime Minister Department, President, National Defence University Academician Association (NADIMASA), National Council Member of The Muslim Welfare Organisation Of Malaysia (PERKIM), President, Resident Assoc, Chairman, Perbadanan Pengurusan De Casa, Chairman, Parent-Teacher Association, Chairman of the At-Taqwa Surau, Writer and Editor = 7 books, Johan Setia Mahkota (JSM) Award Recipient from YDPA, Maal Hijrah Award Recipient (Convert) 1424H Selangor, 1427H Wilayah Persekutuan, 1428H Perak Tengah. Previous: Student Leader (UKM), President, Royal Military College's Parent-Teacher Assoc, Sec Gen and Council Member, Malaysian Islamic Chamber of Commerce, etc. Do all these qualifications and positions Tee holds give him the right to write such an article and to say such things to Malaysians? Freedom of speech and the right to one's opinion is one thing. But outright disrespect and being insulting is another. I have never ever heard an Indian Malaysian (or anyone!) complain publicly about the traffic jam he has to encounter every Friday afternoons around Zohor prayer time. And, by the way, who is Tee to "have given everything" to the Indian community so that they can have their "large and colourful statues and prayer houses" everywhere? I didn't know that he had more of a right to Malaysia than other Malaysians. Or maybe it's somewhere in his long list of credentials, and I just missed it? I may not have as long a CV as Tee does, but allow me to remind him that Islam does not condone the act that he has just pulled. Surah Al Haj in the Quran states: "And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might." While Prophet Muhammad had this to say: "Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment." The headline for Tee's column is "Kesabaran umat Islam ada had". Well, let me say this. Tee does not speak for all Muslims. He definitely does not speak for me. Here's one thing for sure, though. The patience of true Malaysians for Ridhuan Tee Abdullah might just have its limits too. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Posted: 21 Feb 2013 03:31 PM PST FEB 22 — It may not be the shirt you wear. Or even the pants or shoes you have on. It doesn't matter what your political inclinations are or what your sexual preferences may be. As a sovereign state, we have every right to determine who is allowed into our country. You may call it a stupid move and a mistake. But the mistake, no matter how small or big, is ours and ours alone to make. Perhaps the Australians need to be reminded that THAT is the hallmark of an independent nation, of which Malaysia is one. The decision to deport their independent senator, whether a right move or not, smart move or not, is ours to make. Their response should be anything but a threat to this country of 28 million. Former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was quoted as saying that Malaysian authorities made a "big mistake" in ejecting the senator. Yes, the Election Commission may not be perfect, but assuming that it will improve after the visit by an Australian senator, or that our general election will be more transparent after the senator's meeting with the EC and the opposition leader is just plain silly. If we are indeed as corrupted and flawed as claimed by Senator Nick Xenophon, no amount of visits by foreign diplomats will change that in the near future. It is unbecoming of him, and the Australian government, to assume such. If Australia values the friendship they have with Malaysia, they must not police us or cow us when we exercise our right to refuse the entry of Xenophon. They need to learn to be more humble in their approach and treat us as equals instead of one that needs their supervision. Anything else is not acceptable and if they do not understand this simple logic, then tough. We Malaysians may have opposing political views, and may not see eye to eye on the Lynas plant and a host of other problems. Yes, we still have to sort out our interpretation on religious freedom and more importantly who to choose to govern us next. We may even vote in the wrong people into office, and yes, we may just decide to send Lynas packing to Australia. Be that as it may, we would rather make wrong decisions on our terms than have foreign powers dictate us in our affairs. Malaysians and Australians have shared a long history of good diplomatic and economic ties. We should concentrate on building a future on such mutual interests. As the saying goes, "Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you have to give it." Do not take our sudden participation in politics nor our propensity to criticise the government as a sign of weakness and disunity. It would be a big mistake to assume so. We may have plenty on our plate, but we are united in opposing all foreign interference in our domestic affairs. It would be easy and nice to assume that everyone, in this case the Australians, would like to help us and watch us grow. Reality is that such "assistance", "help" rarely comes free with no strings attached. The question we all need to be asking should we court outside help is, at what price? I offer no apology for saying all this and more. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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