Mahathir gives despicable twist to meaning of loyalty
Loyalty is defined in all dictionaries as giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution. The synonyms for the word include dutiful, trustworthy, steadfast, faithful and committed.
In general terms, it is faithfulness to a nation, cause and country. It can be of an individual to the country of birth, or one’s declared home nation by naturalisation. It involves patriotism and respecting the nation’s constitution and laws.
In the context of the contributions of citizens, those words are simply about Malaysians being law-abiding citizens who pay their taxes, respect the laws of the nation, respect the rights of others and are not seditious, among others. And who are thankful for the many good things the country has provided.
That is also true of most forebears of non-Malay Malaysians, stretching as far back as three or four generations.
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We’re all Malaysians, no need to question each other’s loyalties, says Rafidah
A FORMER minister called on all Malaysians to “truly gel together” in solidarity as united Malaysians, respecting and accepting all diversity among us.
Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, who was a former international trade and industry minister, said Malaysia has been independent from colonialists for 67 years and has been a united country.
“Its citizens are all Malaysians. We do not need to question one another on issues about loyalty and love for our nation.
“Those who bring shame and disrespect others certainly do not care for the nation’s good image,” she said on Facebook today.
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Aaron Ago Dagang should not meet up with Dr M
From Terence Netto
Dr Mahathir Mohamed, prime dispenser of racially toxic politics in the national discourse, has invited unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang to meet up for a chat.
Apparently, Aaron is under the impression that a chat with Mahathir offers the former a chance to dissuade him from the racialist stances that these days emanate from the former premier.
Aaron is being naïve: Mahathir’s racist orientation is well known and entrenched.
A meet-up with Aaron will only enable Mahathir to create a rhetorical smokescreen behind which he can plausibly portray himself a realist, not a racist; and one who is willing to call a spade a spade.
Unless one is skilled in forensic reasoning, it is futile to joust with Mahathir.
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Is Tun M a Malay or a Mamak?
BY VIRTUE of his grandfather Iskandar Kutty being an Indian who married a Malay, is twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad genetically a Mamak or a Malay?
This question would not have arisen had the nonagenarian not raised the question about the loyalty of the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia whose ancestral roots may go even more than Dr Mahathir’s two generations back.
The Peranakan Chinese, for example, have even deeper roots going back to the Malaccan sultanate.
The question about Dr Mahathir’s identity card is a matter of the court between him and UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi which will not be discussed in this article.
However, it must be stated that his seditious remarks made recently has mainly hurt the feelings of the Indian community.
His frequent punching bag
The Malaysian Chinese community have generally tolerated his babbling long enough over the past few decades. Instigating the Malays to label the DAP as “communists”, the former Langkawi MP has often used the Chinese as his punching bag whenever he tried to garner the support of the Malays.
Therefore, what he is saying now about the Indians and Chinese being disloyal to the country hardly disturbs the latter because it is already a well-acknowledged fact that the nonagenarian’s unfettered tongue spews toxic speeches.
Many leaders in the past, including the country’s statesman and Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman had warned UMNO against Dr Mahathir himself.
Much of what we know today about the political – rather than racial clashes in the May 13 incident – can be traced back to the poison letter written by Dr Mahathir himself. This instigated the Malays against the Tunku.
He should have been charged for sedition as his poison letter led to political clashes between the winners and losers of the third general election in 1969.
While there was fighting in the major cities, the entire country was still enjoying the peace and harmony. Malays and Chinese, for example, were looking out for each other.
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