Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:51 PM PDT
Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
There are some who have asked me to close the comments section because most of the comments do not add value to what we are discussing. I realise that many just want to use Malaysia Today to lepas geram (let off steam) or as a punching bag. (There is one Japanese company (can't remember which one now) that has a punching ball with the boss's face painted on it in their gym so that employees can go there to punch the 'boss' whenever they feel frustrated). I know the Ministry of Health has reported that about 50% of public transport drivers suffer some form of mental problem and a very high number of Malaysians are in the category of needing professional help. (Is this why there have been two reported cases recently of husbands burning their wives?) However, as much as you may be frustrated with your job, your boss, your wife, the government, Umno, Barisan Nasional, PERKASA, racist Malays, or whatever, Malaysia Today is not where you release your tension but where we seek solutions to the problems plaguing the nation. Then there are some who resent censorship and want to be allowed to comment without any moderation. Comments should not be blocked or deleted, they argue. If not then Malaysia Today is not practicing free speech and democracy. I have decided to accommodate both groups. We shall allow uncensored comments but you will first have to register to be allowed to comment. You see, with freedom comes accountability. You are free to murder your neighbour but you will have to suffer the punishment for murder. You are also free to be as racist and as anti-Islam as you want (no holds barred) but you must also take the risk of the government tracking you down and taking action against you. As Anwar Ibrahim said back in 1998, ''If you fear the risks then don't talk about struggles." So we shall struggle to make Malaysia a better country. But we shall have to suffer the risks. You may be hounded by the government or forced into exile. But that is the price we shall have to pay for the ideals of our struggle. My main concern is that many Malays no longer visit Malaysia Today. They have classified Malaysia Today as an anti-Malay and anti-Islam website. But I don't mind that too much. What I do mind is that Malaysia Today is becoming the catalyst for driving the Malays back to Umno. The opposition Chinese are only in power in Penang and are sharing power in Selangor. Yet they are already demonstrating arrogance, say many Malays (even my Chinese friends have told me that they have heard Malays saying this). Imagine what will happen if they control the federal government. Malaysia will be like Singapore. That set me thinking. Are maybe all those who embark on Malay and Islam bashing really opposition supporters? In the first place, are they even non-Malays or non-Muslims? They could be Umno Malay cyber-troopers who want to make the Malays angry by posting anti-Malay/anti-Islam comments in Malaysia Today. We certainly cannot rule out that possibility. Then again, they could just be arrogant Malaysians who think that they are better than others. We will never know for sure but if you observe the way the majority of Malaysians of all races drive on Malaysian roads, it certainly reflects their arrogance. In the mosque, church or temple they will be very humble. But as soon as they get behind the steering wheel they start acting like Satan. Even Muslims who wear tudung and white skullcaps act no better behind the steering wheel. Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments. So, feel free to comment whatever you want. However, first register yourself so that we know who you are. And note that you cannot throw stones and hide your hands like cowards. Throw stones by all means but we will be able to see which hand threw that stone. |
| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 06:34 PM PDT
I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
I have deleted quite a number of comments in my article 'I am Malay, and you better not forget it'. The reason I deleted them is because I am of the opinion that they are stupid comments and if I were to allow the comments then it would make Malaysia Today look stupid. And I hate to look stupid. It upsets me. Furthermore, some comments were posted with mala fide intentions. It was not what they said but the way they said it. You do not need to be an Oxford graduate to detect the intentions behind the comment. Anyway, I will expand a bit more on this later. Of course, that is my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. So if you are one of those who posted a comment but can't see it published, then you will know what I think of you. And if you feel insulted then rest assured that that is my intention. What about freedom of expression? What about the democratic right to say what you want? Well, you have every freedom and democratic to start your own blog and post whatever you want in that blog. But I own Malaysia Today so I too have the freedom and democratic right to block or delete comments I don't like. That is how freedom and democracy works. You have the right to comment and I have to right to disallow the comment. We are both within our rights. If you have the right to comment but I, as the owner of Malaysia Today, have no right to block or delete the comment, then that is not democracy. But that is not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is the history of Kuala Lumpur. I want to correct some misconceptions about how Kuala Lumpur was founded. Raja Abdullah, the brother of Sultan Abdul Samad, had the rights to mine tin in Selangor. But he did not have the expertise. So he teamed up with a Chinese named Yap Ah Loy. Maybe this can be called the first Ali Baba enterprise in Malaysia. So my ancestors started the concept of Ali Baba. Yap Ah Loy and Raja Abdullah sailed up the Kelang River to the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers. They disembarked at where the Masjid Jamek now stands and trekked overland to Ampang. That was where they decided the first tin mine would be opened. Yap Ah Loy then brought in boatloads of Chinese labourers from China to work the tin mines. Most died of diseases. Sometime entire kongsis were wiped out. But China was never short of people so Yap Ah Loy just brought in new boatloads to replace those that had died. Life was cheap in those days. Eventually, Ampang grew and the area around the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers prospered. That was where Ampang Road started, which was not only the first road but also probably the longest road in Kuala Lumpur that stretched all the way to the Ampang Village where the tin mines were located. Yap Ah Loy saw a great opportunity in servicing his Chinese community. So he opened up gambling dens, opium dens and brothels. He then brought in boatloads of young Chinese girls to work as prostitutes in his brothels. So it can be said that the first Chinese women to come to Malaya were prostitutes. Even the British officers patronised Yap Ah Loy's brothels for a taste of the best Chinese girls. Invariably, the British got first tasting of newly arrived Chinese girls and only after the British were done with them were they placed on the open market for the Chinese labourers to enjoy. The history of Kuala Lumpur is not as glamorous as some historians try to portray it. Of course, Yap Ah Loy did found Kuala Lumpur; that was no lie. But Kuala Lumpur was founded against the backdrop of the vice trade -- gambling, opium and prostitution -- and mainly to serve the Chinese market plus some British officers whose job was to keep the peace in Selangor and administer the state. Now, that is the true history of the founding of Kuala Lumpur. You can look it up in the history books. Royal History Professor Khoo Kay Kim can confirm this. The question is though: why am I telling you this history? If it is with intention to educate you and to correct some errors and misconceptions in what is being written by Utusan Malaysia that is well and fine. After all, history is history and the truth is the truth. But if my intention is to insult the Chinese and to remind the Chinese that the first women to be brought in to Kuala Lumpur were prostitutes and therefore many Chinese in Malaysia are actually descendants of prostitutes, then this is being done with mala fide intentions. So, sometimes, the truth is not just the truth. The truth can also be provocation and insults. The manner you say it and the reason behind why you are saying it can change the truth to an insult or provocation. This appears to be a concept lost to many Malaysia Today readers. Maybe we should blame the education system. Maybe these people were not taught proper manners by their parents. Maybe it is because of a superiority complex they are having -- so they feel they can run down others because they are better than others. Maybe these people know they are not that great so by running down others they can feel great. Or maybe they just don't have a well-developed brain and are slightly better than country bumpkins. Or maybe it is a combination of all the above. Nevertheless, many have still not grasped the concept of freedom of expression and constructive criticism. They still think that freedom of expression and constructive criticism means the freedom to say that the Malaysian Chinese are descendents of prostitutes brought in from China to work the brothels owned by Yap Ah Loy. I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers. |
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