Garland of Slippers: A Slip of The Tongue

It's a classic case of letting his tongue slip. The MIC delegate who made that rude and offensive suggestion deserve to be suspended. It is good that the MIC leadership has taken swift action. I am sure most MIC delegates did not approve of what he said about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

I am given to understand that MIC president Samy Vellu stopped the delegate from continuing his speech. The speaker had proposed putting a garland of slippers on the photograph of Dr Mahathir, who had earlier endorsed former deputy president S.Subramaniam for the number two spot.

Certainly, the delegate did not deserve the platform to speak if he has abused it. The right to speak does not mean the right to abuse people. The former PM certainly did not expect everyone to agree with his views but that's not the way to tackle anyone. A certain degree of respect should be given to Dr Mahathir and such language cannot be accepted.

There's a lesson to learn here. Grassroots leaders often use their party general assemblies to let off steam, in the name of grassroots sentiment. Regardless of their political parties, their speeches sometimes stretch to the extreme, in some cases, bordering on racial argument. They may use Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese or Tamil in their speeches but they must be aware that the proceedings are followed.

Videos: Potong Saga, KJ and Corruption

Click on images for Slovak Sting and Potong Saga, and check out all the other hilarious videos under 15Malaysia by clicking on the last image.

We need to laugh at ourselves. We get worked up too much. Here's a sampling of some good videos and also some lame ones. But they are good efforts. Malaysians need more of these. When will we see some videos on Indonesians, political cow heads and political cow dung?

Cow head demo: Umno, PAS and PKR show?

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn said it openly - the Section 23 protestors included members from BN and Pakatan Rakyat. He did not give the breakdown except to say that the unhappiness over the relocation of the Hindu temple involved all parties. It was no longer about politics. The Star reported today that of the 12, who were charged in courts, 7 were from Umno, 4 from PAS and 1 from PKR.

It is understood that the Section 23 Residents' Action Committee members is also made up of people from the three parties. The 10-member panel is said to comprise 7 Umno, 2 PKR and one PAS.

Meanwhile, a group calling itself Perkasa, a Malay non-governmental group headed by Datuk Ibrahim Ali has pledged to provide legal counsel to the 12 protestors, who have been charged with sedition and illegal assembly.

Ibrahim, the maverick MP from Kelantan, has said the group was prepared to take up the case as a jihad. The Pasir Mas MP has condemned the country's leaders as cowards. Ibrahim was in Umno, contested under a PAS ticket and is now an independent. The question now for those charged with sedition - would they still get to keep their party membership if convicted later? After all, both BN and PR leaders have criticised their actions.

Anti-Malaysian feelings in Jakarta running high

Unfriendly neighbours: A group of Indonesian nationalists blocking a road and stopping vehicles in search of Malaysian nationals in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP

Anti-Malaysian sentiments are running high in Indonesia. News agencies including Bernama and AFP have reported that a group of Indonesian men, armed with sharpened bamboos, has set up a road block to identify Malaysians. Passers-by in Jakarta's Jalan Diponegoro have been asked to show their IDs by these angry Indonesians.

The emotions have been fanned by the local Indonesian media which have blamed Malaysia for almost everything. Malaysians have been branded as "thieves" following the use of a Balinese dance in a documentary on Malaysia. Discovery Channel has since made a correction but the Indonesians are still angry.

Malaysians have also been branded as arrogant and in one case, a town experiencing traffic jam, a low budget air, presumably Air Asia, has been rapped for bringing in too many tourists. Last night, the Malaysian Students Department sent out SMS alerts to Malaysian students to avoid certain parts of Jakarta for their own safety.

The Indonesian press has ran stories claiming Malaysia has stolen its culture such as the Rasa Sayange from Maluku/Ambon and the Sundanese' angklung. They are not buying the argument that Malaysia and Indonesia shares the Malay culture, saying its Indonesian culture.

Use your head, not your heart

This is what I wrote in my On The Beat column today:

IT’S time for cool heads to prevail. The controversy over the cow-head protest, which arose because of the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple in Shah Alam, has degenerated.

Raw emotions were displayed at the meeting between Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and the residents yesterday.

The emotionally-charged meeting turned ugly when some residents reportedly shouted profanities and even tried to throw chairs and shoes at the Mentri Besar.

Insults were hurled and insensitive remarks were made by those present, which shocked the Selangor elected representatives and pressmen.

The Aug 28 protest by about 50 people who marched from the state mosque to the state secretariat building to oppose the relocation of the 150-year-old Maha Mariamman temple from Section 19 to Section 23 has now become international news.

It would have been just an ordinary demonstration if the protestors had not paraded the head of a cow, an animal deemed sacred by the Hindus, and placed it at the state secretariat building.

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Sultan of Selangor summons PAS' Hasan Ali

Hasan Ali leaves Istana Bukit Kayangan after being summoned there by the Sultan of Selangor. — Malaysia Insider picture by Jack Ooi

The Sultan of Selangor is not happy. There are plenty of reasons for his unhappiness. As the head of state, the Tuanku is responsible for religious affairs. He expects to be consulted on all issues relating to Islam. His consent is naturally necessary before new directives or new laws are proposed. That's lesson number one for Selangor PAS chief Hasan Mohamed Ali, who is also the state executive councillor in charge of religious affairs.

Hasan Ali was summoned to the palace at noon today. It was a longer than usual meeting. My sources tell me that Hasan was given a royal ticking off. But no one's issuing any statement on the meeting as a face-saving gesture. The Tuanku is said to be unhappy with Hasan's directive to appoint mosque officials to arrest Muslims drinking in public.

The order included arresting Muslims for selling or storing liquor, which would affect thousands of mostly Muslim workers in 7-Eleven outlets in Selangor. They could lose their jobs as the management would have to hire foreigners as cashiers instead. Obviously Hasan did not give much thought to his decision.

Hasan was tight-lipped when he left the palace at 2.25pm. The meeting lasted over two hours and since it is fasting time, no lunch was served, and it was entirely business. MB Khalid Ibrahim, however, confirmed that Hasan's directive was discussed, according to a Bernama story. However, it is unclear whether the Tuanku discussed the cow head protest in Shah Alam as well, which is said to include protestors who were members of Umno, PAS and PKR.

Cow head protest - arrest the bigots quick.

I don't think any level-headed Malaysian would tolerate any form of extremism. Certainly staging a protest by carrying a severed cow head is highly provocative and insensitive. What were they thinking? That they can get away with their bravado? The protestors, claiming to represent the residents of Section 23, have every right to protest and to voice their unhappiness over plans to build a Hindu temple in the area. But surely they could have handled the issue in a more reasonable manner. They have gone overboard this time. Carrying a severed cow head, regarded as a sacred animal by Hindus, is extreme.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is right to warn against such actions that could lead to racial tension.

The only right thing to do is to arrest the organisers of the protest. They must be charged for sedition. These are men with evil intentions. There was nothing remotely holy about their actions. If the arrests are not done fast, it would send a wrong message to Malaysians. It would even encourage others to follow suit or lead to retaliation. It is not difficult to identify those behind the Shah Alam protest as they have bravely spoken to the media in the most emotional manner. Their faces are all over the Internet. We also want to know what political parties they represent.

They must be prepared to face the consequences of their drastic actions. They are not the religious martyrs that they have imagined themselves to be. They may like to believe they are but to most Malaysians, they are just a group of foolish racists and bigots. They should realise their foolishness could lead to serious implications.

Malaysia is a multi-racial country. The pluralism is an asset which we all should be proud of. Certainly, we have showcased our multi-culturalism to the world. In Penang, one can see a Taoist temple, mosque, church and a Hindu temple along Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling. It is about tolerance and mutual respect. Certainly the religious activities of the faithful have not been disrupted as a result of these places of worship being located next to each other.

I am glad I grew up in Penang where openness has always been a way of life. All these places of worship are located in one single street. It has been like this for such a long time that everyone has taken this for granted.

Some may argue against this, regarding what has taken place in the past as an age of ignorance from a religious perspective. Or is it simply because some of us have become less tolerant and more extreme? Have we lost our moderation, which we are so proud of? Tolerance is the key mark of all religions. All religions teach noble values. It is better to have more places of worship than places which breed sins. Racism and bigotry certainly run against the teachings of any religion. Let's use our head to think before we speak, write or protest.