Tun Dr. Mahathir,
In Malaysia of 2008, since there had long since been non-existence of a colonial government which would become a common fighting target for Umno's political cause, many Malays indeed joined Umno as a party member out of one simple reason: To get rich quickly through the collective political influence accumulated and vested in the hand of an Umno division head.
As a result of this kind of hierarchical power structure and members' basic aspiration in Umno, there is no surprise that anybody who possesses the ways and means to play money politics will eventually edge out to be a final runner-up for Umno party election. Such is the mundane and long-established political culture of Umno. Tun never seemed to have much complaint about the functioning of money politics in the past when Tun held the post of the Umno President. Now it seems that Tun is just making a vain effort to call upon the Umno central delegates in order for them to stay firm and not be easily influenced by any materialistic offer through the proper functioning of money politics.
Was it not because of the consideration of Tun's offer with a promise to assist Najib to accomplish his political ambition in the future that Najib then decided to lead his grassroot team to swing the voting keels away from Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah towards Tun and finally enabled Tun to win the party presidency by 43 votes in 1987? If Najib is trying to go after Tun as a mentor master and to adopt the same campaign strategy as that used by Tun in 1987, what will Tun say about him? Does Tun have any problem with the application of such a similar smart strategy by Najib? Does not Tun see your own image in Najib if Najib is to really make a political offer to someone with attractive promises in order to solicit votes?
Onlooker
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
It is time for you to retreat entirely from the political scene, Tun Dr. Mahathir!
Dear Tun Dr. Mahathir,
I can understand how you feel now. It is really difficult for you who used to be the most powerful man in Malaysia for such a long period of 22 years to come up with a decision in order to lead a happy but quiet retirement life. This is because the fond memory of those great days in the Prime Minister's office would always haunt you and would make you miss those glorious days of the past and then would make you feel lonely and dull when you were no longer be surrounded by a mass of fancy supporters.
No matter how great and how respectable you were when you held the premiership of Malaysia, there is still something about life which you are yet to learn from the ordinary people! Immediately after you declared the decision to step down from the premiership in 2003, many men-on-the-street already discussed about how you were going to take the situation after stepping down when you would no longer be receiving from your passionate followers and admirers such great honour and high respect, which you already got used to receive in the past. Many people thought that you had made a mistake by declaring in 2003 that you would choose to entirely retreat from the power necleus of Malaysian Government and would never accept any job offer in the Cabinet such as the post of Senior Minister like that held by Lee Kuan Yew in Singaporean Government Cabinet.
I think even a primary school student in Malaysia will be able to know that most Malaysian people pay high respect to the Prime Minister simply because of the utmost political power the prime minister holds in the political protocol as the top politician who sits at the peak of the power pyramid. In Malaysia, any Prime Minister will simply receive the warmest welcome whereever he goes. People will give him all kinds of highest regards because he holds the power to change the fate of any ordinary man. At least this logic sounded true in the past when you were the Prime Minister. Many people would want to get close to you during the time of your premiership. It appeared to be so because of one simple reason: those people had their own agenda and attempted to get something beneficial from you, be it a government financial grant, land grant (tanah kurnia), Felda membership, timber lumbering license, infrastructure project award, Government office supplies award, scholarship, or simply a faster job promotion in the government department.
I remembered in 2003, an UMNO member who was a long time acquaintance of mine told me straight-forward that he would never again give Dr. Mahathir a damn if Dr. Mahathir no longer held the political power in the political mainstream. Who wants to waste time on a senile old man again if the purpose of UMNO members are just to accumulate some grassroot political power in order to get a good bargain of some candies or goodies from the government? The New Economic Policy (NEP) had taught the Malay people to be conscious about the economic gains. And I find no reason for Tun to put blame on the Malays for being forgetful (mudah lupa) since the Malays are just trying to be pragmatic in making a rational economic choice out of resources scarcity. If UMNO members have already made up their mind to give the continued support to the incumbent Prime Minister, then they are making a wise decision to follow the power-that-be. Tun may just be an opportunity cost which most UMNO members can afford to give up in the callous situation of political reality which they face now!
I don't mean to offend Tun by saying that UMNO members will not follow Tun and will give up on Tun. I just try to explain that it is simply a human nature for UMNO members to uphold their existing interests if all their personal interests have already been tied to the political dominance of UMNO and have been pegged to the fate of incumbent UMNO leaders. Let me ask Tun one harsh question: what good things can Tun offer to UMNO members now if they give their support to TUN?
Perhaps the time has fallen due for Tun to entirely retreat from the Malaysian political scene! May the Almighty be always with Tun and allow Tun to continue drawing strength from Him in order to live a fruitful spiritual life that may glorify Him and bring atonement to the human's sins.
Onlooker
I can understand how you feel now. It is really difficult for you who used to be the most powerful man in Malaysia for such a long period of 22 years to come up with a decision in order to lead a happy but quiet retirement life. This is because the fond memory of those great days in the Prime Minister's office would always haunt you and would make you miss those glorious days of the past and then would make you feel lonely and dull when you were no longer be surrounded by a mass of fancy supporters.
No matter how great and how respectable you were when you held the premiership of Malaysia, there is still something about life which you are yet to learn from the ordinary people! Immediately after you declared the decision to step down from the premiership in 2003, many men-on-the-street already discussed about how you were going to take the situation after stepping down when you would no longer be receiving from your passionate followers and admirers such great honour and high respect, which you already got used to receive in the past. Many people thought that you had made a mistake by declaring in 2003 that you would choose to entirely retreat from the power necleus of Malaysian Government and would never accept any job offer in the Cabinet such as the post of Senior Minister like that held by Lee Kuan Yew in Singaporean Government Cabinet.
I think even a primary school student in Malaysia will be able to know that most Malaysian people pay high respect to the Prime Minister simply because of the utmost political power the prime minister holds in the political protocol as the top politician who sits at the peak of the power pyramid. In Malaysia, any Prime Minister will simply receive the warmest welcome whereever he goes. People will give him all kinds of highest regards because he holds the power to change the fate of any ordinary man. At least this logic sounded true in the past when you were the Prime Minister. Many people would want to get close to you during the time of your premiership. It appeared to be so because of one simple reason: those people had their own agenda and attempted to get something beneficial from you, be it a government financial grant, land grant (tanah kurnia), Felda membership, timber lumbering license, infrastructure project award, Government office supplies award, scholarship, or simply a faster job promotion in the government department.
I remembered in 2003, an UMNO member who was a long time acquaintance of mine told me straight-forward that he would never again give Dr. Mahathir a damn if Dr. Mahathir no longer held the political power in the political mainstream. Who wants to waste time on a senile old man again if the purpose of UMNO members are just to accumulate some grassroot political power in order to get a good bargain of some candies or goodies from the government? The New Economic Policy (NEP) had taught the Malay people to be conscious about the economic gains. And I find no reason for Tun to put blame on the Malays for being forgetful (mudah lupa) since the Malays are just trying to be pragmatic in making a rational economic choice out of resources scarcity. If UMNO members have already made up their mind to give the continued support to the incumbent Prime Minister, then they are making a wise decision to follow the power-that-be. Tun may just be an opportunity cost which most UMNO members can afford to give up in the callous situation of political reality which they face now!
I don't mean to offend Tun by saying that UMNO members will not follow Tun and will give up on Tun. I just try to explain that it is simply a human nature for UMNO members to uphold their existing interests if all their personal interests have already been tied to the political dominance of UMNO and have been pegged to the fate of incumbent UMNO leaders. Let me ask Tun one harsh question: what good things can Tun offer to UMNO members now if they give their support to TUN?
Perhaps the time has fallen due for Tun to entirely retreat from the Malaysian political scene! May the Almighty be always with Tun and allow Tun to continue drawing strength from Him in order to live a fruitful spiritual life that may glorify Him and bring atonement to the human's sins.
Onlooker
Friday, August 29, 2008
Melayu Mudah Lupa!
Salam Tun Dr. Mahathir,
Percakapan Tun memanglah betul! Orang Melayu seperti Ketua Pemuda UMNO Dato Seri Hishammudin Tun Hussein memanglah kurang mengenang budi. Bukan hanyalah beliau selalu lupakan perjanjian yang dia berjanji kepada para pengundi di Kawasan Sembrong sahaja, seperti janji membina jalan tar di Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Peroh dan janji meluruskan Jalan Mersing Batu 5 sampai Batu 28 Kampung Sri Lukut, Kahang. Namun beliau juga pernah berkata bahawa beliau beingin nak menangis apabila beliau mengingatkan bahawa semasa datuknya Dato Onn meninggal dunia, Allahyarham Dato Onn cuma tinggal RM5 dalam poketnya. Beliau tidak selalu mengenang jasa dan budi baik datuknya Dato Onn kepada Rakyat Malaysia tetapi beliau hanya selalu mengenang RM5 sahaja yang ditinggalkan oleh Dato Onn sebagai harta pesaka. Pemikiran beliau yang terlalu mementingkan kekayaan dalam dunia ini dan kurang mementingkan sumbangan datuknya kepada Rakyat Malaysia dalam usaha untuk memperbentukkan sesuatu bangsa baru, iaitu Bangsa Malaysia, sudah menyebabkan Dato Seri Hishammudin memilih sesuatu jalan perjuangan yang berlainan daripada jalan yang sudah diiringi oleh datuknya dan bapanya Allahyarham Tun Hussein Onn, iaitu satu jalan Muhibbah menuju ke arah perpaduan teguh antara pelbagai kaum di Malaysia.
Walaupun Dato Onn tidak pernah berjaya untuk mencapai cita-citanya yang suci dan mulia untuk memperbentukkan sesuatu Bangsa Baru, iaitu Bangsa Malaysia yang boleh membanggakan kita dan generasi baru kita, tetapi jasa dan budi baik Dato Onn kekal menjadi satu kenangan baik yang selalu dihormati oleh saya dan keluarga saya!
Onlooker
Kenyataan Tun dicatatkan di bawah untuk rujukan:
"9. Jasa Dato Onn kepada orang Melayu, kepada UMNO amatlah besar dan jasanya harus dikenang dan diberi penghargaan yang tidak kurang dari jasa Tunku Abdul Rahman, pejuang kemerdekaan.
10. Sesungguhnya orang Melayu dan UMNO mudah lupa dan kurang mengenang budi."
Percakapan Tun memanglah betul! Orang Melayu seperti Ketua Pemuda UMNO Dato Seri Hishammudin Tun Hussein memanglah kurang mengenang budi. Bukan hanyalah beliau selalu lupakan perjanjian yang dia berjanji kepada para pengundi di Kawasan Sembrong sahaja, seperti janji membina jalan tar di Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Peroh dan janji meluruskan Jalan Mersing Batu 5 sampai Batu 28 Kampung Sri Lukut, Kahang. Namun beliau juga pernah berkata bahawa beliau beingin nak menangis apabila beliau mengingatkan bahawa semasa datuknya Dato Onn meninggal dunia, Allahyarham Dato Onn cuma tinggal RM5 dalam poketnya. Beliau tidak selalu mengenang jasa dan budi baik datuknya Dato Onn kepada Rakyat Malaysia tetapi beliau hanya selalu mengenang RM5 sahaja yang ditinggalkan oleh Dato Onn sebagai harta pesaka. Pemikiran beliau yang terlalu mementingkan kekayaan dalam dunia ini dan kurang mementingkan sumbangan datuknya kepada Rakyat Malaysia dalam usaha untuk memperbentukkan sesuatu bangsa baru, iaitu Bangsa Malaysia, sudah menyebabkan Dato Seri Hishammudin memilih sesuatu jalan perjuangan yang berlainan daripada jalan yang sudah diiringi oleh datuknya dan bapanya Allahyarham Tun Hussein Onn, iaitu satu jalan Muhibbah menuju ke arah perpaduan teguh antara pelbagai kaum di Malaysia.
Walaupun Dato Onn tidak pernah berjaya untuk mencapai cita-citanya yang suci dan mulia untuk memperbentukkan sesuatu Bangsa Baru, iaitu Bangsa Malaysia yang boleh membanggakan kita dan generasi baru kita, tetapi jasa dan budi baik Dato Onn kekal menjadi satu kenangan baik yang selalu dihormati oleh saya dan keluarga saya!
Onlooker
Kenyataan Tun dicatatkan di bawah untuk rujukan:
"9. Jasa Dato Onn kepada orang Melayu, kepada UMNO amatlah besar dan jasanya harus dikenang dan diberi penghargaan yang tidak kurang dari jasa Tunku Abdul Rahman, pejuang kemerdekaan.
10. Sesungguhnya orang Melayu dan UMNO mudah lupa dan kurang mengenang budi."
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