My recent postings on the Ahmad Ismail issue has landed me in a unusual spot - I have suddenly being accused of being a racist because of my stand, which I thought has always been pretty moderate. Some fellow bloggers have now accused me of stirring up racial sentiments, choosing to ignore the source of the controversy. Apanama who is offended with my stand on what Dr Mahathir Mohamad had blogged, has some strong words for me. He feels I should be in Kamunting. But this is the Internet. We have to accept views that are different from ours. But instead of threats and name calling, it would be better if we could debate meaningfully on the actual issues. Perhaps they unable to do so, thus intimidation has always been the way of the losers. We don't have to agree with each other in a democracy but we must respect each other's views. See Rocky Bru and Jailani Harun for more views.
But Malaysians are the best judges as the work gets tougher for some of us in the media. I don't wish to prolong this issue, as it serves little purposes, as I support the views of the Prime Minister that we should move on.
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42 comments:
WCW,
Agree that in democracy we've to respect other's views but at the same time we also have to be reasonable, just and fair.
One question....why only lately you're making lots of negative perception about Tun and not when he was in power? Is it because he was in power so you blindly supported him? Or you were afraid of your own job?
Or to put it bluntly, you were just trying to show your principles, quest for fairness when someone left the power because you know the person being attacked/ demonised cannot do anything?
If you were fighting for principles and fairness, you could have done it via your paper The Star long time back, not only lately.
If people with principles and have their own cause will not fear anything except for their cause.
So again, as you mentioned each individual should respect others of their views but at the same time people also should not take advantage of the other parties position, power etc to demonise them.
WCW, i may not agree with a your views but both of us has the right to say things that we think are.
I do agree that instead of threats etc., people can talk like mature adults. Unfortunately, it is easy to use a labelling approach to issues. Be patient.
So he feels you should be in Kamunting?
That is a lesson to all of what will happen if Mahathir returns to the seat of power through a puppet of his. Just about everyone on the blogroll will be interned, save for a few of his barking mad dogs.
This is why you should convince your pals in MCA to leave the BN and join Anwar for the future, so among other things we can once and for all put Mahathir in where he belongs: Sg. Buloh!
Zainah Anwar did have a very nice line in her coloum when she wrote - when you don't have fresh any ideas, then you use STALE tactics to scare the rakyat.
This is EXACTLY what they are doing.
Fully agreed, Datuk Wong. What ever is his name is yesterday news. No point flogging a dead carcass. (oops - carcass already mean dead. extra emphasis.)
I hope you have sent couple of reporters to Taiwan to follow our 50 or is it 49 YBs (no one seem to be sure). This the the new side show.
See Survival Guide For BN MP Study Tour.
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/09/08/%e2%80%9cthe-birds-have-flown%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-bn-mps-forced-to-flee-from-malaysia-because-of-916/
You have made your stand. stick to that. General Malaysians will support you so long you don't flip flop like our PM.
Remember what the PM promised us earlier?
suresh
i support u!!
What's wrong to speak out in democratic nation? ARE we communist?
Dear Mr Wong,
I think your critics should take note of the fact that even if Ahmad Ismail was not referring to the Chinese but instead to Indians or Eurasians here, you would have taken a similiar stand. Your regular readers would know that regardless of race, you would still point out that in a civil society, some things should not be said.
It is bad enough that 'leaders' like him think such thoughts let alone say such divisive comments to a large public audience. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would know that your intention was not to fan racial hatred but that as a respected journalist, you have a certain duty to voice out your own views! Good for you.Unfortunately it is always the brave ones like you who become the target of trouble makers who have their own political agenda. Hang in there. You are doing a great job.
Dear Datuk Wong, our Ahmad "no apology" ismail and his goons just tore up Koh Soo Kun's photo and likened us to be the Jews. It is not that we don't want to move on, will he?.....
Salam kepada semua. Saya ingin komen sedikit mengenai segelintir bloggers yg sebelum ini berkerja sbg wartawan dan kini sbg full time bloggers mengenai isu penulisan Dato Wong Chun Wai. Pertamanya sebagai manusia - kita perlu belajar menegur secara baik dan bermoral walau apa jua isu, kerana kita sama2 berada dlm alam siber kewartawanan. Ada pula blogger yg cuba ambil kesempatan utk kepentingan diri sendiri. Mereka lupa diri sendiri. Mereka ingat merekalah hero, merekalah tuhan dlm dunia blogrisme ini. Ekoran daripada Alam Siber New Media ini telah mula mendapat tempat - janganlah nak menunjuk sangat. Sekiranya kita ingin menulis keperibadiaan seseorang ramai bloggers akan hilang kerana perwatakan mereka lebih teruk lagi semasa menjadi wartawan dulu hingga sekarang. Satu hari nanti org macam ini juga akan kena. Janganlah terlalu ego. Mengenai KOMEN CHUN WAI , pula saya tidak melihat apa yg telah ditulisnya berbentuk perkauman. Beliau telah utarakan pendapatnya secara rasional. Kenapa ada org yg men.yalak macam anjing ? Adakah mereka tak dapat terima teguran? Chun Wai ? Ataupun mereka takut dgn bayang2 sendiri. Nama pun tiada nama seperti Apanama mungkin sudah takut ataupun telah terdesak sangat sampai jadi buta. Ada pula bloggers lain konon - kononya mahu menegakkan keadilan tetapi mereka lupa siapa diri mereka. Cukuplah. Perangai kamu pun macam hantu tapi nak nasihat org lain. Kpd Chun Wai, teruskan mara. Jgn tunduk kpd anasir2 barua kerena merekalah barua yg sebenar dan berselindung atas nama blog. Ada pula selindung di ..tuhan memerhatikan anda.
just take the Orang asli as an example. no one can deny how backward they are in their own land.
just imagine we have an understanding, we support them to be Prime Minister, we allow them to hold key government positions, we help them economically. we allow university seats to be reserved for them. we give them jobs in our companies at the expense of quality....
we support unjust policies at the expense of our own people so that the Orang asli, as original people of the soil, can reach on par with us .............
50 years on, when they are economically more stable, more educated, well to do businessmen.....they said " You tak suka , you boleh keluar dari Malaysia "
UNGRATEFUL BASTRADS !
Move on? Forget about what Ahmd Ismail said?
And I am not even Chinese.
now you know how it feels being a malay who, when trying to state a stand against racism, is being labelled a racist by other people with opposing views.
hopefully you will be more empathetic next time.
thanks.
p.s; to belittle the Tun who had done so much for you, is quite hitting below the belt. Especially when you did not mention his real objectives in writing his blog post (which you had ridiculed him - Pohon Maaf 1 & @)
Dear Wong,
Stand firm with your views.What you have said were true about Ahmad Ismail.He should be the one send to Kemunting for stirred up racial sentiments amoung Malay and Chinese.Dont test our patience..without us,Malaysian may still live on trees top and perhap caves.
Of course now media work is not easy.Those day if you angkat through the sky nobody will say anything. Now you will be called all sort of names which you are throughly deserved
can we just all focus on the economy and not be petty!!! everyone, young old, elite working class are starting to sorely miss the point which faces this country. THE ECONOMY. All else can wait!!!
yap, move on we shall in the end.
however, we must find out what is our government's stand and if making these remarks is ok to the government or not.
from our 'beloved' flip flop PM, "i'll tell him not to do it again" to "he was misunderstood" to "i'll listen to his explanation and take appropriate action then" do you know what is our government stand? or does it has one? do you want your children, your grand children and your grand grand children be labelled as a squatter and the government is silent "has approved" it???
or as long as your are making good money, and leading a spendid live, you don't care at all what is right and wrong, never bother to right the wrong?
bro,
its easy to provoke and incite racism and negative elements of all sorts. however, it wont be that easy to mend all the broken pieces together. if that happens, all critics will be meaningless. malaysia is a unique society. it needs a lot of understanding and mutual respect to attain what our leaders - now and then - have outlined. racial and religious sentiments have no place in this society, neither does the issue of roots and ancestors. this is filthy politics of those who started it. this people should have lived in south africa during the apartheid...only then will they understand what social harmony is all about.
Dear Mr Wong,
I guess by the time you see this, you would realise that Ahmad Ismail was ranting about the Chinese trying to grab political and economic power. Comparing us to American Jews. His supporters tearing down Koh's photo from the walls.
I was really pissed off - incredible to see this small pathetic fry making a name for himself by bashing the Chinese community. However, the fact is that he is trying to p_ss us off to use it to his advantage. I hope the local media does not give him that satisfaction. Arrogant people like him assume that Malaysians are stupid enough to fall for his immatured tactics. I don't think that this generation of Malaysians- be it Malays, Chinese or Indians are that stupid.
As predicted it will get worse.
These buggers are itching for a fight but let us not give it to them.
Be calm and use our brains people.
Let it be sorted out by Badawi or Najib.
Look at it this way. If Badawi or Najib now fails to take stern action, this could be the impetus for whole parties leaving BN and the realization of 916.
If Badawi or Najib takes stern action, this would trigger UMNO’s implosion sooner than December.
Either way the rakyat wins so long as we don’t give these bastards the fight that they are itching for!
It's not always an easy task to be an editor
Since you'll often be accused of being a dictator
Or worse still when you are wrongly labelled as a 'traitor'
When some readers don't use their brains properly as a factor
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 090908
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Tue. 9th Sept. 2008.
truth and facts are the integral part of responsible and professional journalism. I see no wrong in your article and stand by you.
The response to Ahmad Ismail by Gerakan and MCAis pathetic.
Severe all ties with UMNO Penang?? ONLY? You ball-less ding bats in Gerakan and MCA should quit BN altogether!!! Don't you guys have ANY dignity?? Haven't you figured out yet why the Chinese supported PKR, DAP and PAS instead of supporting BN/UMNO?? If you folks in Gerakan and MCA have any shred of dignity , you should quit BN and join PKR/DAP ! You have no future with UMNO! And you should not go down in history as supporting this bunch of bigots! Be an active agent of change to bring about real democracy, freedom and justice in Malaysia,a nd not be recorded in history as supporting this dying racist society called umno! Help make 9/16 become a reality to usher in a new era for Malaysia.
Why are the Chinese so pretentious with their racist agenda? The Malays aren't fools. We are struggling to fight off a corrupt BN/UMNO government and here they are trying to bundle a whole lot of innuendos merely to hoist themselves politically to the top. What are you expecting from us Malays-to walk off and go to South Thailand? You have adopted the position of the British and we feel it we know this. The problem is that you don't know your limits as you are not willing to accept. Ahmad Ismail out burst is what seethes in us because we know you aren't sincere.
Mr Wong,
Darkness isn't absolute. It is the absence of light. If your conscience doesn't condemn you and you report without apprehension, then why should you bother about these turds?
I believe Ahmad ismail's racial remarks could be just an excuse to anger the non-Malays so that he can create chaos and be a hero. He is nothing but a mere desperate sore loser who is out to make noise. Don't fall into his trap. Everyone, it is not worth even listening/responding to him and let the press boycott this idiot from making noise. With the chaos he created, he doesn't even want malaysia to be well at all. I say to myself, this would be the last time I even mention his name!
Why are we harping on race/religion? Are we puppets of those haves who still want to have more and thus creating all these unnecessary emotions rather than help our people to compete at a global level. The global economy is not doing very well and we the average Malaysian, Malay,Chinese, Indians and our orang asli brothers and sisters are worried about the day to day affairs, putting food on our table, seeing our children have those things we did not. We are ordinary people who don't have Swiss accounts, or properties in Canada/Australia/New York/London and our childrens/grandchildrens are not billionaires/millionaires as we are not fortunate enough to be put in a position of trust where can can do that.
We are afraid that tomorrow we might not have a job and things will go very badly for us as we have expenses we need to pay and people we need to support. Are those "special" few who corrupt and raped and stole from our people worry abt their next meal? Why do we want to kill each other so that these 'special' few can guarantee that they will hve their next lobster, caviar. If this country ended up badly, does anyone of us hve properties abroad where we can go, this is our people our country let not the "special" few create chaos and havoc. The "special" few are killing themselves so why don't we sit back and enjoy the show. We are Malaysian first and foremost, the people of all races/religions in this country. I don't think we want to fight/kill each other what for??? Do u hve foreign properties Swiss accounts? Don't think so, we are usually tired after a day of honest hard work, we don't play one race to kill the other. At the end of the day, we have to answer to God, and that my fellow Malaysians is very personal and if we hve done the wrong things on this earth can be very painful in the next.
God Save Our People From The Wolves
If a developed country and matured democracy like the US could start to accept (the democrats at least) a black man Obama (or pendatang..at least his ancestors are)to lead their country, I do not see why we can't accept the simple fact that we could not show simple respect to the so called pendatang in our country. It would be naive to say other countries with "immigrants" staying there are given equal treatment, but the politicians in Malaysia have "upped" themselves by putting other people down. One wonders what goes on in their head when they utter such remarks (remember the bocor remark?). Not only have we managed to make ourselves the laughing stock to the world, we are scaring investors away. No investor, no tax, no job, no competitiveness...at the end, EVERYONE loses out. I would dread to see how long one can keep speaking rubbish (Wall-e would come in handy here to clean up) while their so called supporters worry about how to feed their family then.
Most are still in a state of denial or have they become such desperados...But then again, the politicians are such master of manipulation (or brain wash) that their so called supporters are so blinded to follow whatever crap that's been shoved into their mind...One can't help but to pity them.
And to Ahmad Ismail and his cohorts, pendatang like us are also working, , obeying the law, respecting other religion, paying taxes aka paying your salary.
Being patriotic doesn't just mean flying the flag, or wielding a keris or something...It means loving your country, doing what's best for it, not making it the laughing stock to the world & not swindling its resources.
But then again, shallow mind from characters we are fuming over (and puzzled..and laughing at) has other things on their mind...and I doubt its all about power & money.
Mr Chun Wai
Dont even bother with those who are still admant with the old ways ie viewing life, policy, discussions, statements, remarks etc etc in Malaysia via racial lines.
I'm of the opinion, they'll always rally behind racist bigots like A. Ismail.
On bloggers, i'm certain all of us realise that they(bigots) too have thEIr cyber troopers working overtime to ensure "the fire is constantly dosed with oil" to ensure the Rakyat and nation is divided, only proven method, hit on racial lines.
The PM being the representative of BN, must take action against A Ismail and his supporters. SACK THE WHOLE LOT. Remember, the two MIC MPs were suspended sometime ago.
Ah, Malaysians tak kira, Melayu, cina atau India tak hirau sama politic perkaumaan, seperti BN, yang tidak boleh berdikari. Masih nak huluran FREE dari kerajaan dengan krooneeeiiisssssmmmm ke ke ke, Pigi Dah
Lagi pun, hanya 4 tahun lagi, selepas tu, habilah engkau orang.
Chun Wai - sometimes we must break away from these THREATs of violence and openly speak on TRUTH.
In the end, none of us are above nor below any, we work to fulfil our obligations towards family and nation.
Dont feel to bad bout any of your postings, you've posted your thoughts and thats it, for those who dont agree, thats their view.
Oh, btw, it is okay to rub anyone if they have gone over board, NONE OF THEM ARE SECRETARY OF CENTINELS... ke ke ke
TOWARDS A "NON RACIST" SOCIETY. That goes for all mainstream media, bloggers and the wondrful people of Malaysia, CHANGE PEOPLE!
SHALOM
Umno and Ahmad may not realise this but his actions are giving rise to a silent "Chindraf" movement. But they won't go to the streets, they will instead support Anwar if they have not yet.
Part of this group willl stat taking away tehir capital from Malaysia and prepare homes for their children abroad. This will inevitably worsen the brain drain problem that has cost our nation dearly.
Ahmad, go right ahead if you want to be an closed island in the rapidly globalising world. Good luck to you and the Umno goons.
Democrat
Aren't we all pendatang?
The Malays originate from Jawa.
The Chinese originate from China.
The Indians originate from India.
Hang Tuah and gang are of Bugis origin.
Chedet originated from Kerala, India.
Everyone's a pendatang, even the Caucasians in America, and Ahmad Ismail and his fan club better understand that as well (sadly they don't).
Why use race and religion as dirty, dangerous and childish tactics to win the hearts of the people?
p/s Chun Wai, i think most prefer TheStar's unbiased reporting since Pak Lah era rather than a lop-sided
one when Mahathir the dictator ruled with his iron first. Good that TheStar finally came to their sense. Kudos to you and team for the healthy reporting.
- Dr. BM Ghazali
The temperature is building up and everyone should just taking a step backwards before it explodes. No one will gain from it.
Dato' Ahmad Ismail said what he had to say. And what he said is the truth. Of course the truth in this case is hard to swallow. Chun Wai is in the payroll of the Star which belongs to the MCA. But his racist sentiments is akin to the DAP's.
pepatih9
Datuk Ahmad Ismail is an advocate of fascism. He is a fascist through action and remarks. A fascist always promotes one class of citizens (themselves)that is considered superior (good) to another (bad) based upon race, creed or origin.
Islam promotes peace, tolerance and harmony. I doubt his level of Islamic teachings in him. He has brought total shame on the religion, has disrespect the constitution and King of Malaysia and the very nature of Malaysians as peace loving people.
This means war against fascist like this Ahmad Ismail. There are many more fascist out there in the country like him.
Datuk Ahmad Ismail is not fit to be a Datuk. His title should be stripped. He should be stripped of citizenship. For all you know he could be the instigator of the Jews, or the western powers like USA who sought to destabilize our country.
I support our PM and DPM to be Brave and punish and purge this criminal from our country and teach the people peace and harmony.
"Dear Datuk Wong, our Ahmad "no apology" ismail and his goons just tore up Koh Soo Kun's photo and likened us to be the Jews. It is not that we don't want to move on, will he?..... "
mmm feels like it....agreed that!
The truth is that the Malays are pendatangs themselves - the REAL bumiputeras are the orang asli di semenanjung and kaum pribumi di Sabah dan Sarawak. Of course the truth in this case is hard to swallow. Ironically, datuk nenek Ahmad Ismail sendiri adalah pendatang dari India
He is a wounded dog.LGE just open up a can of worms re-some land deals some yrs back and now he will be investigated for CBT. That's why he barks so loudly.Just like a wounded dog when cornered.Get it?
The title should read "under attack for being so glaringly inconsistent". Unlike Tun M, you only publish comments which you like to hear and filter those that you don't. A typical newspaper reporting. And yet you said its OK to be different. Obviously my previous comment was thrashed because my views were different from yours.
Ahmad Ismail is a stone age relic living in a third world mentality. No wonder NEP never achieved its aim. He's still talking about the times when his grandmother was still a virgin when everyone elsehas moved on with the development. His comments would have been neglected by the chinese if he was a part of PAS but since he is part of BN, what is Pak Lah gonna do? Throw him with the rest of the HINDRAF gang. After all they are there for the same racist reamtks right?
dear wcw,
your age as in your profile, shows that you were borned after merdeka.
it does not matter whether or not someone is hurt by his statement, Datuk ahmad is wright and always wright. he said he was refering the matter as at pre merdeka.
i fully supported his actioned. history is history. you can't change.
you are another one who refuse to accept history.
one more thing, don't ever make - remarks against TDM.
TDM has gone thru history, while you were just trying to read it.
Bluemoon and all those Tun Dr.M's fans, wrong is wrong and right is right! I don't see any positive aspect in the write up about Tun Dr.M's first Pohon Maaf blog entry. Apanama who stirred up with Kamunting thing, pls don't always hide in the skirt of ISA! It's getting repulsive! Don't get me wrong, I have always loved Tun Dr. M!
apa-apa pun tetap sama... jom cari duit lagi baik... hehehe...
http://numenmail.com/pages/index.php?refid=koloi78
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