From Najib's Chinese Tsunami to Dr Mahathir's Chinese Dilemma
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| Chinese tsunami, Chinese dilemma |
Dr Mahathir Mohamad's thought-provoking piece The Chinese Dilemma has sparked quite a debate. Despite the fact that the piece is actually a tribute to the power "kongsi" (sharing) practice by the ruling political parties, which the Statesman says is now at risk because one particular ethnic race seems to feel that they don't need the others, the reaction to the article published by the New Straits Times has been extreme, even violent in some cases where people resort to calling the ex-PM names.
Some of the responses, which range from the stupid, feeble, comical, dismal, and desperate (not necessarily in that order):
1. http://news.abnxcess.com/2013/07/no-chinese-dilemma-but-a-mahathir-dilemma-kit-siang/
2. http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=136612:dr-mahathirs-pack-of-lies-on-the-so-called-chinese-dilemma-koon-yew-yin&Itemid=2#axzz2aVIRJUtk
3. http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/mahathirs-nightmare-not-chinese-dilemma/
4. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/07/30/turning-the-tables-on-mahathir-mohamad/
5. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/heres-the-thing/leslie/article/dr-mahathirs-dilemma
Don't we love a good debate! But unlike the critics above, Dr Mahathir was not born yesterday and like it or not he's been proven right, time and again, on matters that affect the well being of Malaysians, be it race, Internet or the economy. A lot of people were quick to call him a racist while calling him 'mamakutty' and other derogatory titles in the same breath. Well, I don't blame them: more powerful people in this world have resorted to calling him names when they can't make him go away.
The same critics (more or less) reacted the same way when PM Najib Razak spoke ofThe Chinese Tsunami that hit us during the 13th General Election. One Chinese writer put down the loss Chinese votes of PRU13 to Najib's "failure to read the Chinese mind". The writer is only partly right. I think the Chinese have failed to understand the Malay mind, too.
Dr Mahathir's The Chinese Dilemma (as with Najib's Chinese Tsunami) reflects the suspicions, the fears and the aspirations of the Malays on the ground. Not all Malays, of course, but enough Malays. Kit Siang and his hound dogs shouldn't be too defensive; there are excerpts in that article that may help them understand the Malay mind better.
p.s. A bonus to me is Dr M's article has brought back SatD, one of my favourite bloggers, from a long, peaceful slumber to an unexpected posting, The Cinion Dilemma. The thing is, the things he has to say are brutal (and brutally honest) so is you feel like agreeing or disagreeing with him, go over to http://satdthinks.blogspot.com and leave your comment there. Make it thought-provoking ...
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