Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST
There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals. Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals. Erna Mahyuni, The Malaysian Insider "So it strikes me to ask, is Sabah as racism-free as it seems?" That's what a LoyarBurok columnist asked, after a (brief) visit to Sabah and noting the distaste many locals have towards illegal immigrants. The first problem I have is with the notion of Sabah being "racism-free." No place in the world is free from racism, unless said place is filled with people of the same race. Even then, we human beings will find other reasons to oppress our fellows. Because we can. Sabah has a higher degree of tolerance. A higher tolerance of other religions and more widespread acceptance of intermarriage among the races sets us apart from most states in the Peninsula but we never pretended that we are "racism-free." I have relatives who are racists. Which makes things slightly tricky because I happen to be a "mongrel" with Dusun and Bajau blood and have ancestors from China and Pakistan. So that means I hear about the "lazy, stupid" Dusuns, the "bloodthirsty, manic" Bajaus, the "miserly, selfish" Chinese and the "untrustworthy" Pakistanis from my own family. If all their stories were true, by virtue of my mixed race I am destined for infamy or, at the very least, a long prison sentence. Despite our differences, what sets Sabah apart is that the races just get along better. The point is that racial stereotypes are common everywhere, even in Sabah. But the LoyarBurok columnist chose to harp on local Sabahan's attitudes towards illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia. My god, man, do you expect us Sabahans to embrace them as brothers? Roll out the red carpet? Have feasts for them? The ugly truth is most Sabahans don't want them around. PBS head Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan is but one of many Sabah politicians who have called on the mainland to address the problem of illegal immigrants who are frankly unwelcome in the state. It's unfair that many Sabahans see illegals as criminals and parasites, when some people are genuinely fleeing harsh conditions at home. But the reality is that many illegals do turn to crime. There are areas in Kota Kinabalu that are "black areas" controlled by illegals, where locals fear to tread. Even our local law enforcement is forced to turn a blind eye. Some due to lack of manpower, some because they're paid off by the illegals. Many Sabahans are afraid of illegals. They have good cause to be. My neighbourhood doctor was killed with parangs by Indonesians. Two-thirds of the women I know, including myself, have been molested by illegals. Just behind my house, a neighbour started an illegal immigrant-staffed brothel and my family had to put up with the circus of whores and their seedy clientele, literally in my own backyard. My stories are just anecdotes, some of you will scoff. But my "anecdotes" are the reality that non-Sabahans will not be able to appreciate. Then we have people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who say that we should just give illegals citizenship, no matter what Sabahans have to say about the matter. So we blithely give these 3.2 million (as of 2010 ) people citizenship? Really, Dr Mahathir? Another truth is, as my mother says, that we may despise them but we also need them. Sabah's backward economy is dependent on cheap labour. So much so that locals are forced to go to the Peninsula to seek better-paying job opportunities. The illegals drive the buses. They monopolise the cheap boat services to the islands. They are the ones manning the stalls at the Filipino Market. Some call them industrious, some call them opportunistic. Yet they're here and now they just won't leave. Is it really racism to be unhappy that foreigners come onto your land, monopolise your commerce, threaten your feeling of safety while you are also powerless to get rid of them? I guess Sabahans know too well what the Orang Asli must feel.
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| Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:13 PM PST
The 'devil we know' is a recalcitrant beast which is resistant to change whereas the 'devil we don't know' is promising Utopia. Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life. RK Anand, FMT Anwar Ibrahim is no saint. But who amongst us is? That is a subject for debate in ecclesiastical circles. But those who believe that a halo hovers above the opposition leader's head must also extend the same benefit of divine doubt to the prime minister who has sworn in the name of God that his hands are not stained with the blood of a murdered Mongolian woman and that he did not pocket a handsome sum in connection with a submarine deal. During his sojourn with Umno, Anwar's reputation as the heir to the throne struck fear in the hearts of many similar to how the prospect of the "Malay first and Malaysian second" Muhyiddin Yassin becoming prime minister is bone-chilling to the non-Malays. Anwar was regarded as a racist and religious bigot. Then there was also that persistent rumour about his fondness for clean-shaven men. But it was his lack of devotion to Dr Mahathir Mohamad that put a curse on his charmed life. More than a decade has passed since Mahathir shoved Anwar out of the corridors of power and into prison but the epic battle between the two warlords continues to be waged. Trapped in the middle is Najib Tun Razak. His predecessor ended up as collateral damage and his ambitious son-in-law was cast into cold storage in the aftermath of the 2008 electoral debacle. Does a similar or even worse fate await him? As the nation edges closer and closer towards the 13th general election, the situation is becoming "curiouser and curiouser". As more and more cans of worms and cows are opened, it is evident that Najib has committed a dreadful error in not calling for the polls earlier when the forecast was in his favour. Perhaps he was not contented with just holding on to power but aspired to be the Ceasar who would return Rome to the pinnacle of power, the emperor who is adored and venerated by his subjects. To his credit, Najib had dared to be different but the odds were just too great. Now he risks losing it all. This has prompted Mahathir to return to the frontline in order to save Umno Baru from decimation. It is, after all, his party. Moreover, the thought of Anwar becoming prime minister is unsettling for the patriarch, especially when his arch-nemesis would have access to certain documents which could prove to be incriminating. Driven out, ridiculed, imprisoned and battered, Mahathir's former deputy might not be as forgiving as some hope him to be should he triumph. Anwar claims that Mahathir is once again sharpening his blade, which has butchered numerous illustrious political careers in the past. He purportedly wants Najib's head to roll but after the polls since Umno is in no position to witness a high-profile beheading at this juncture. The often repeated argument from Barisan Nasional is "better the devil you know", with the prime minister warning Malaysians not to experiment with their votes, lest it would invite damnation. Najib prefers that experiments and debates be confined to the science labs and schools instead of being carried out at the expense of his position. His steadfast refusal to debate with Anwar suggests that perhaps the prime minister is a fictitious character and each word that rolls out of his mouth is crafted by a team of public relations experts. Does he fear sharing the stage with a fiery orator without his retinue of speech writers and advisers, forced to respond to questions without rehearsing his answers in front of a mirror beforehand and in the absence of a prepared text? Is he afraid that he would fail the test of scrutiny on television? The "devil we know" is a recalcitrant beast, which is resistant to change, save for Najib and a handful of others who dwell in the 1Malaysia wonderland, churning out an endless stream of slogans and abbreviations. The rest in Umno remain disenchanted, reminiscing about the golden era where in the words of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, only the Almighty-sanctioned media like Utusan Malaysia existed, dissidents could be jailed without much fuss, the only ones blowing the whistles were scouts and no carpet dealer threatening to pull the rug from under their feet. Most of all, it was a time when the people feared the government and not the government having to fear the people. The devil or messiah? On the other hand, the "devil we don't know" promises Utopia though his detractors remain unconvinced due to the mounting allegations against those in the opposition, lending credence to the belief that power breeds corruption.
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