Response to Matthias Chang open letter

I received this open letter through my email network, and I simply can't help but chip in my 2 cents response to its $ Trillion questions.

Read this open letter which is followed by my response:

Malaysia 2012 – Open Letter To All Muslim / Malay
Leaders In The Country
By Matthias Chang,
19th January 2012, Future Fastforward

In the last two years, under the hysteria of a pending General Election, several
prominent Muslim / Malay leaders from across the political divide have been
calling,

“Muslims must unite to survive or lose power.” The sub-text is “Malay must
unite or lose power.”

In the latest sub-plot, Zaini Hassan of Utusan Malaysia takes the view that a
Third Force comprising of PAS and UMNO religious elements will become the
power brokers in the country. He said, “Malay fence-sitters will be this wave’s
target to ensure that power is achieved.”

This frenzied call for unity was and continue to be a sinister ploy to create fear
first among the Muslim / Malay community and as a collateral outcome, a
paralysis within the non-Muslim community to discover the TRUTH about
Islam – to prevent them from grasping the fundamental truth that Islam is not,
has never and will never be opposed to their religious beliefs.

Both communities have been kept deliberately in a state of stupor and
ignorance so that they can be easily manipulated to serve the hidden
agendas of those who crave for power and wealth. Religion is but a tool.
I am a Catholic of Chinese descent. But, I am a Malaysian first and no one did
my family and I any favours when I became a citizen (by operation of law). My
ancestors were here in the then Malaya much earlier than many who claimed to
be Bumiputeras (sons of the soil). Just like the Native Indians in America and the
Aborigines in Australia, only the Orang Asli of Malaya can rightly and
constitutionally claim to be natives. They are the originals.

My citizenship is not as a result of any favours granted and or any social contract
agreed by UMNO, MCA and MIC or for that matter any organisation that fought
and negotiated with the Imperialist United Kingdom.

The citizenship that I enjoy with all my fellow Malaysians is the undisputed
recognition that all our forefathers, regardless of race and creed, have
toiled with blood, sweat and tears for the country and that all future
generations will do likewise as one nation.

The United Kingdom granted Malaya “Independence” not that we have become
civilised and able to govern ourselves, but because she feared that this “Jewel of
the Imperial Crown” would be lost forever as a result of the armed resistance of
all races to her oppressive colonial rule which drained whatever little that was
left in the vaults of the Bank of England after the Second World War.
The pound was no longer the world’s reserve currency. The dollar and the new
Imperial America ruled supreme. Like many countries in Africa and Asia, Malaya
was divided as to the path to be taken to achieve freedom from oppression and
colonial slavery. This division resulted in a civil war encouraged by external
powers locked in a life and death struggle for ideological supremacy, a struggle
now more commonly referred to as the Cold War. But it was a “hot war” for many
countries. There were victors on both sides of the ideological divide, and to them
went the spoils of war and the “undisputed right” to write the history of their
struggle as they deemed fit.

This is the political reality.

As a Malaysian, I do not fear any community for I do not distinguish one from
another as we are all Malaysians.

I do not feel insecure about my future or my children’s future, or my
grandchildren’s future. The destiny of the country is in our hands.
Before I pose my $Trillion question to all Muslim / Malay leaders of Malaysia, I
want to put on record certain undisputed political and economic realities so as
to enable one and all reading this article to come to their senses and not deny
reality no matter how unpleasant it is to some, and to expose the lies perpetrated
by the powers-that-be for the past few decades.

1. The Military is predominantly of one community – the Malay /
Muslim;
2. The Police Force is predominantly of one community – the Malay /
Muslim;
3. The Civil Service is predominantly of one community – the Malay /
Muslim;
4. The Government-linked Companies are predominantly of one
community – the Malay / Muslim;
5. The Agriculture Sector – specifically palm oil, rubber etc. is
predominantly controlled by one community – the Malay / Muslim;
6. The Banking Sector is controlled predominantly by one
community – the Malay / Muslim;
7. The Oil & Gas Sector is controlled predominantly via Petronas by
one community – the Malay / Muslim;
8. The Transportation Sector (airways, railways, shipping etc.) is
predominantly controlled by one community – the Malay / Muslim;
9. The Public Educational Sector is predominantly controlled by one
community – the Malay / Muslim; and
10. The Public Healthcare System is predominantly controlled by one
community – the Malay / Muslim.

Contrary to what you might be thinking, I applaud unreservedly all these
achievements by the Malay / Muslim community which were achieved under
the New Economic Policy (NEP) that was introduced by the Second Prime
Minister, the father of the present Prime Minister.

But for these spectacular achievements, there would not be a Malaysia as we
know it and we would have ended up as a banana republic living at the behest of
the so-called generosity of the European powers.

Of course there were mistakes along the way. Building and managing a country
is always a work-in-progress. There are no standard textbooks to tell us how to
develop a multi-racial, religious and cultural country such as Malaysia.
We all made sacrifices – every community had to adjust to the new realities and
adapt accordingly for the good of the country.

If truth be told, in my travels I have been frequently asked, “You are a Christian
and a minority in Malaysia. Aren’t you afraid of the Muslim majority, the
jihadists, the extremists, and their narrow outlook?”

This question begs another question, “Why are people so ignorant and so
bias to ask such a stupid question?”

But, this is the sad reality – the mindset of the brainwashed.
They thought that I ought to be fearful, fearful for my family and the insecure
future which a minority faces in most countries. They could not understand
why I was not fearful for myself, my family or our future. They could not
understand that there were no reasons to be fearful.

But, there were reasons to be angry and frustrated – that as a nation, we could
achieve much more, to be more disciplined, more united, more ambitious and
more daring to compete at the highest levels and succeed.
However, we stumbled just when we are about to take off to the next level of
excellence in nation building.

Why?

The $ Trillion Question
When Muslim / Malay leaders issue a call for Muslim / Malay unity, what are they
uniting for, to the exclusion of the other communities?
Are they uniting to face a common enemy?
Who are these enemies, internal or external?
What are their deep-rooted fears (if any) when they are in control of all the
organs of power and the economy?
Have there been any calls by the leaders of the Christian community to unite?
Have there been any calls by the leaders of the Hindu community to unite?
Have there been any calls by the leaders of the Buddhist community to unite?
Have there been calls by the above leaders to defend their faiths against Islam?
Have there been calls by the leaders of the non-Muslim / Malay community to
seize political power by unconstitutional means?
Have there been calls by the leaders of the non-Muslim / Malay community to
replace Islam as the official religion of the country?
Have there been calls by the leaders of the non-Muslim / Malay community to do
away with our unique system of Constitutional Monarchy whereby the Sultans
elect the Agong (the King) for a term of five years as the Head of State?
Have there been calls by the leaders of the non-Muslim / Malay community to
amend the Constitution to abolish all the above entrenched provisions?

SO WHEN THE LIKES OF THE TOXIC HASAN ALI OF PAS, IBRAHIM ALI OF
PERKASA, AND HIS COUNTER-PARTS IN UMNO (TOO MANY TO MENTION
HERE) CALL FOR MUSLIM / MALAY UNITY, PLEASE TELL ME AND MY
FAMILY WHAT ARE YOU UNITING FOR?

Tell me, are you uniting against people like me and those in my family?
Tell me in my face, AM I YOUR ENEMY?
I am a Catholic, am I your enemy?

And if my family and I are your enemies that you have to unite to put down,
please tell me why the Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Lebanon and elsewhere consider me their friend and brother and love me
and my family as such?

Tell me in my face and to my children, if I am your enemy, are you willing to
point a gun to my face, as the barbaric Israeli war criminals’ commandos
have done to me once in 2010 and again in 2011, when I went to Palestine
to defend my Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters and fight for their
freedom?

And if my family and I are not your enemies, then tell me, ARE YOU
WILLING TO UNITE AND GO TO PALESTINE TO FACE THE BARBARIC
ISRAELIS SO THAT TOGETHER WE MAY FREE THE PALESTINIANS –
MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS?

It has been reported in the mass media that the toxic Hasan Ali wants to join
forces with the elements in UMNO to establish a Third Force to defend the
Islamic faith.

I therefore call upon the Muslim / Malay leaders of the Barisan Nasional and the
Pakatan Rakyat, to tell me and my family (and all non-Muslims who support my
stand) whether you subscribe to the insidious politics of Hasan Ali, Ibrahim Ali
and religious fanatics within UMNO?

Once again, if truth be told, the non-Muslim community have more respect for
Tok Guru of PAS (notwithstanding that they may not necessarily agree with him
on all matters relating to politics) than any leader of the Barisan Nasional for his
simplicity and humility. Of course, he is not a saint.

And finally, after years of disinformation about Islam by certain quarters, the non-
Muslim community had overcome their fear of Islam, largely through the efforts of
Tok Guru and his exemplary lifestyle as a Muslim.

Again if truth be told, the deciding factor that convinced the non-Muslim
community that they need not fear Islam is the consistency and
steadfastness by which Tok Guru practices his faith and upholds the tenets
of Islam.

It is a sad day for Islam and Muslims that a non-entity such as Hasan Ali who has
not contributed one iota of effort to promote inter-faith understanding (but, on the
contrary has done more to alienate non-Muslims from Islam) is trying to
demonise this humble teacher with his allies within and without PAS and in
conjunction with fanatical elements in UMNO.

It is indeed ironic that our Prime Minister has just concluded a conference on
moderation, but has done little to ensure that the fear which the non-Muslim
community once had of Islam would not be instilled again by such fanatics.
If Barisan Nasional wants to remain as the ruling party, it better disassociate with
the likes of Hasan Ali and his allies in PAS and UMNO. PAS displayed
exceptional political courage in dismissing this ignorant fanatic from its ranks.
Does UMNO dare to do the same with its fanatic elements?
Finally, with regard to “Muslim / Malay Unity”, this is the kind of political oxymoron that deserves utter contempt.

UMNO, please look into the mirror and ask,

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was our leader. Yet, within weeks of his
retirement, we, who once kissed his hand with respect, and called him a
great Malay / Muslim leader set about to denounce and demonise him. Why
were we so disrespectful? Why did we not unite with him as our former
leader to continue developing our country?

Why, as Muslims and Malays, we consider the Chinese in Malaysia as
potential enemies (an economic 5th column), when they contribute over
80% of the national income tax, and play a vital role in our economic
development, BUT KOW TOW TO LEE KUAN YEW AND THE KIASU
CHINESE OF SINGAPORE?

Why, as Muslims / Malays, we unite against the Chinese in Malaysia, but
fight with each other to compete for favours, monies and “investments”
from the Chinese PAP of Singapore, a country that have close links with
Israel, the mortal enemy of Muslims?

In conclusion, and before any further calls are made for Muslim and Malay unity
to your “herds” of followers, re-examine your conduct and see how bloody stupid
and self-defeating this kind of bigotry has done to your cause.
And our Muslim / Malay leaders tell the whole world that Malaysia is a model
country for “moderation”, whatever that means!

Please do yourself a favour. Tell your so-called leaders for unity to stop this
charade!

The following are my reply:

My fellow Malaysian Mathias Chang did well in expressing the sharp and stark analysis
of the contemporary Malaysian politics. I have long suffered in silence the stupor and distaste toward the current political scenario, and share the concern as to where it will lead to. The scenario is certainly not pretty. Politics are never intended to look good except for its masters.

Considering his background, my fellow Malaysian is articulate and convincing in his
arguments and suggestions, but he had somehow missed several crucial points. Before
I dwell on those points, let me first offer 5 relevant political backgrounds:

1) Malaysian politics for the past 54 years is UMNO politics. UMNO dominates, set
the precedence and determine the political landscape. They set all the examples
on how the game should be played and won. Others adopt, adapt, adjust and
react to the 54 years of UMNO political environment. They behaved the way
they behaved in the process of seeking power, when they are in power and as
they sustain to stay in power… In politics, the ends justify the means.

2) ‘Bumiputra’ is political word invented by UMNO to expand the base of their
electorate. The survival and relevency of UMNO depends on the ‘Bumiputra’.

3) ‘Malay’ has become a confusing political status in UMNO politics. It is an original reference before the term ‘Bumiputra’ was used and still is the most explosive and indispensable component of UMNO politics.

4) Muslim must not be confused with Islam. The behavior of Muslims may not
necessarily reflect the teaching of Islam. There are Muslim leaders who seek
power in the name of Islam. The truth lies in their political agenda, their way of
life and their dealing with others. I am not too sure about Malay/Muslim, but I
dare say that no one should be afraid of Islam.

5) Malay/Muslim Unity is a long standing political agenda in UMNO politics. Quite
recently we were introduced to another slogan on Malaysian Unity in 1Malaysia.
The Singaporean, Indonesian and Thais may perhaps ask their $Trillion
questions.

Since the subject of unity becomes the core of my fellow Malaysian arguments and
suggestions, here are my 2 cents perspectives:

a) After 54 years of UMNO political dominance, Malay/Muslim Unity is still an
active, attractive and winning political slogan.

b) For 54 years UMNO strives in the scenarios described above. It is ironic that
the very reason they should be held accountable seem to be the reason for
their survival and relevancy. It is largely due to the loyalty of the Malays and
the non existence of any strong alternative political party. Thus the UMNO
political leaders kept harping on the Malay survival and unity to secure their
votes and continue holding power.

c) Hassan Ali, Ibrahim Ali and other ‘toxic’ elements that my fellow Malaysian
repeatedly referred to are politicians who grew and groomed by the political
environment described earlier. He and others reacted to the similar way the
political game was played to win. He and others advocated similar slogans -
Malay rights, Malay unity, etc. etc. Nothing new? No surprises? One can
criticize them for not being creative in their political agenda. I agree, but that
is exactly the profile of Malaysian politicians. If they did not scream those
sentiments, then nobody will vote for them. Period. I do not see any new
breed of Malaysian politicians who have the guts and attitude to be different.
We hear the same song being sung during the entire 54 years.

d) By the way, my fellow Malaysian surely knows that the term ‘unity’ has
positive connotation. Families use it. Sports use it. Schools use it. So does
commerce. It is applicable to any competitive situations. ‘Unity’ does not
necessarily mean ‘hostility’ towards one another. Family unity can simply
mean to gather collective strength to face life together. Football teams do the
same battle cry. Manchester United is excellent at doing that. Likewise
Malaysian political leaders and their party members can call for Malay,
Chinese, Indian unity to gather collective strength in order to face their
political foes in a battle to win election. That is how they play the game. To
equate Malay unity as hostility against other communities is a very serious
error.

Honestly, I see the greatest Malay/Muslim enemy is the Malay/Muslim
themselves. They have to be blamed for their own shortcomings. Not others.
So it is quite becoming for the Malays leaders to call for unity to gather
collective strength to interface and improve their weakness. How their
politicians want to do that is another issue altogether. UMNO has not been
very successful in doing it for 54 years. I am not sure who can. Anybody
think Hassan Ali can? As long Malaysia is surrounded with issues relating to
racial polarization and having leaders from all communities promoting similar
mindset, unity will always remain a political illusion…..and a popular agenda.

So my dear fellow Malaysian please be rest assured that Hassan Ali and the
gang may be toxic, but you and your family are definitely not his enemies.
The episode is simply a misinterpretation on your part. By the way, I do not
even know who Hassan Ali is, which is not important. You will witness many
more Hassan Ali profile as long as the current Malaysian politics prevail.

I rest my case.