13 April, 2008
The Sultan of Selangor once joked that if I assemble all our relatives and register them as voters in the same constituency, I could win the elections hands down just from the votes of our relatives alone.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
RPK, your articles are too long. RPK, you talk about too many things in one article and that is why the readers can’t comprehend your real message. RPK, you write too often, take a break. RPK, get to the point, don’t beat around the bush.
Okaylah, today I will do what you want me to do.
My great-grandfather, Sultan Suleiman, had ten wives that we know of. He might have had more that we are not aware of but I am not about to confirm or deny this. My grandfather had three wives (he remarried when the first one died and again when the second one died, so it was not three at one time). I have 44 grandparents (from Sultan Suleiman’s ten wives).
So, can you imagine how many Tengkus and Rajas are currently running around this entire world? The Sultan of Selangor once joked that if I assemble all our relatives and register them as voters in the same constituency, I could win the elections hands down just from the votes of our relatives alone.
And this same scenario applies to the other states as well. There are many royals, mini-royals, mini-mini-royals, and whatnot running around, some close to the throne, and some very remote from the throne. Therefore, when you have that many blue-blood and slightly-not-too-blue-blood populating this earth, expect them to come in many shapes, sizes, sentiments, persuasions, leanings, characters, etc.
Yes, some are left-leaning, some right-leaning, and some follow the ‘middle of the road’ path. Some support Barisan Nasional, some support Pakatan Rakyat, and some support no one because they think that all politicians are fakes, hypocrites and nincompoops. Some believe in democracy, some are republicans, some want to maintain the feudal system, and some uphold Ketuanan Melayu.
In short, in every barrel of 100,000 apples, there are bound to be a couple of bad ones.
Okay, that is my article for today. The end.
Oh, by the way, before I sign off, read the following piece from Malaysiakini -- which is totally unrelated and has nothing to do with what I have written above:
Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality
Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.
He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.
Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.
“Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.
“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.
However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.
As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”.
“The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.
‘Dominance’
He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored.
“In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said.
In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.
“The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said.
As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (penduduk asal) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity.
“We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.
“Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state... confuses the people... Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added. - Malaysiakini, 12 April 2008
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