PM must show that racism not tolerated
'You can't wipe out racism, but you can send a clear message that it won't be tolerated and that all the laws and disciplinary procedures will be enforced without mercy.'
Racism: 'I can't change people overnight'
Jimmy Ng: PM Najib Razak, please don't insult our intelligence with all your talk about due process and what not. Inaction is simply interpreted as an act of condoning, pure and simple.
So please don't waste our time with your pathetic rhetoric and your "you help me, I help you" remark when all it needs is for you to demonstrate your sincerity by acting on wrongs, especially racist acts committed by civil servants, senior or not, and not hide behind excuses of having to adhere to due process, like your DPM Muhyiddin Yassin.
KSN: What a flimsy excuse. Najib, you as the PM can show that you will not tolerate racism by taking stern and firm action against those who have disgraced the Chinese and Indians for the last six months, including the civil servants.
You do not have to, and you cannot, wipe out racism like corruption, but you can send a clear message that it will not be tolerated and that all the laws and disciplinary procedures will be applied and enforced without mercy.
If you plea helplessness and try to rationalise the situation, how are you going to control the 1.2 million civil servants, who are more than 95 percent Malays? If you think you cannot do that, please Najib do not waste your time, effort and energy talking about your 1Malaysia.
Karma: Our kids reflect us as parents. The same goes with government. Malaysia has been recognised as having the worst race relations ever in the past two years. It is during your tenure, PM, so don't take Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the example - he had different issues other than race.
By not doing anything, or claiming to be unable to do anything against racist conduct, is a form of encouragement.
Multi Racial: This is a joke and Najib is a real hypocrite. Umno supported Perkasa, which is a racist NGO. Umno itself is a race-based party. Umno established the National Civics Bureau (BTN) under Mahathir and Najib continues with it in spite this organisation's propagation of racism.
If there is a will, there is a way. Najib has just confirmed that he and Umno do not have that will to change.
Malayamuda: So racism is a problem now because it is being reported in the Internet and other places? Racism is okay if no one knows about it and it is not reported by the media? What utter rubbish is he talking about?
Rolls-Royce: Sure, we can't change people over night. But when I say I am Malay first, it is okay because I am an insignificant person. But if DPM Muhyiddin Yassin openly, defiantly and stubbornly declared he is Malay first, that makes of a lot difference. It emboldens racism and extremism among the racists in our midst. Dear PM, you must make him rescind that declaration for this is the mother of all the problems we are facing today.
BTN is a state-sponsored and state-financed institution. When it spits venom year in and year out, that makes lots of difference too. It connotes national policy and government intention and innocent people get indoctrinated. You either shut it down or you make sure that those entrusted with running the programmes are multiracial in orientation. Why can't you have non-Malay officers conducting the courses to Malay participants and vice versa?
When school principals made racist remarks, they are very different from other individuals making them. School principals are in charge of education and our children. What they say and do will have lasting impression on the young. Your inaction thus far only emboldens more principals and teachers to do the same. I can assure you there will more racist remarks if these two principals are not punished accordingly.
Fighting for equal treatment is not racism or extremism. Those trying to extend the privileges more than what was constitutionally agreed are racists and extremists. As the majority, you should in fact be magnanimous and treat the minorities with respect and fairness.
Singa Pura Pura: "The days of fighting for the rights of the people in cabinet and behind closed doors are over. The people, especially the young, need to see that the MCA is really speaking out for them."
That sveltely piece of advice is the pudgiest ‘palm-and-five-fingers' the MCA has ever received on its left cheek. One wonders if it even felt the ring and the sting.
Albert: Najib said that he cannot make all racist government officers disappear overnight despite espousing his 1Malaysia as an inclusive concept.
But he can send a clear message that "appropriate punishments in a timely manner" will be taken against all the racist government officers. This will provide a strong deterrent to those racist government officers who otherwise will continue to belittle and demean the minority communities without any fear of punishment.
But is this happening in the country? I seriously doubt it. We have the two racist principals, BTN's Hamim Husain, Penang's Ahmad Ismail, the PM's Department Nasir Safar and many more previous cases over the years that go unreported (especially by BTN).
Do we honestly think that PM Najib has the political will and strength to institute the required corrective actions to mitigate future problems of racism from happening again? Is 1Malaysia for real? Or is 1Malayisa an Umno strategy or trick to cheat or hoodwink the non-Malays?
Kunta Kinte: We don't expect the PM to do it overnight. We want you to take action on these racist government officers to show that you are not racist yourself. Follow the law of course. Do something, please.
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