Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The US made a history. How about Malaysia?

Obama won. In the presidency election yesterday. The first black president in the history of United State of America.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America,"said the elected president in his victory speech.

I cannot say America had a clean history of racism, and there was murder threat posted by those white racist during the presidency campaign. But they make it, the people in US has made a history, elected a president without looking at his skin color but his ability to lead the country.

I hope the same thing will happen in Malaysia too. Someday in the near future. But what happen recently in Malaysia worried me.

The appointment of Low Siew Moi as general manager of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) has caused a serious debate, not about her ability to seat the pose, but her skin color, being a Chinese. Why do those people have dout that a Chinese won't do a good job in helping bumiputera?

Zaid Ibrahim stated out his opinion that the obsession with the Ketuanan Melayu doctrine has destroyed something precious in Malaysians.

According to him

“It makes us lose our sense of balance and fairness. When a certain Chinese lady was appointed head of a state development corporation, having served in that corporation for 33 years, there were protests from Malay groups because she is Chinese,”

“A new economic vision is necessary, one that is more forward looking in outlook and guided by positive values that would serve to enhance cooperation amongst the races. This will encourage change for the better, to develop new forms of behaviour and shifts of attitudes, to believe that only economic growth will serve social equity, to aspire to a higher standard of living for all regardless of race.

“We need to meaningfully acknowledge that wealth is based on insight, sophisticated human capital and attitude change. A new dynamics focused on cooperation and competition will spur innovation and creativity.

“Some might say that this is a fantasy. I disagree. How do we go about transforming the culture and values of the bumiputeras so that their ability to create new economic wealth can be sustained?

“By changing our political and legal landscapes with freedom and democracy.”

Ya, that is the problem of our country. But when someone speak out the truth, this is what he get

Perlis UMNO liaison chief and former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said “Zaid should repent. Otherwise he should get out of the ‘rumpun Melayu’.if Zaid continued to question the Malay supremacy concept, then he should no longer be a Malay as a Malay should be defending the Malays and not running them down.”

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, who is incidentally an UMNO supreme council member, as saying that Zaid was “a traitor to his own race and should apologise for his remarks.”

What can we hope for, if our country is still lead by this kind of politician?

A big disappoinment. I hope for change after the Mach 8 political tsunami. Although it had changed the political stucture in Malaysia it could not change the racist thinking rooted deep inside some Malaysian.

I hope. Like what Obama said before he end his speech.

"while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can."

Ya, Let's pray, Malaysia can change. Yes We Can!

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