Is it justifiable if the Government were to use the ISA or Sedition Act on the likes of Ridhuan Tee and Ibrahim Ali? Of course the chances of that happening are slimmer than the first lady’s thighs (hold on, that’s not saying very much…), but should we laud such an action?

reverse-revolver

“The government should also initiate legal action against irresponsible writers, like the controversial Mingguan Malaysia columnist Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who provokes the non-Malays with his weekly diatribe against them, saying that minorities who cannot respect the special position of Islam and the Malays should return to their “homeland”, which he means China and India.”

The above view was expressed by Thomas Lee Seng Hock in MySinchew.com.

Many Malaysians have come to adopt this view but I fully disagree with it.

Racism

The fact is, there will always be distinctions between people, if not at a physical level then at an ethnic level i.e. customs, beliefs, practices, languages, norms, values, etc. There are even people who refuse to identify to any ethnic group despite how others may perceive them.

Racism as I see it stems from one’s unknowing or ignorance of a certain ethnic group. I think it is almost natural within human beings to fear something they don’t know or cannot comprehend. But the key here is what you do with that fear?

(i) Do you acknowledge that fear and try to overcome it by learning and getting to know a certain ethnic group; assimilating their goodness and sharing the good you have cultivated?

Or

(ii) Do you marginalise them and impose stigmas on them?.

There are very clearly two ways to go about this.

.

My Experience

I have had the opportunity of meeting 3 distinct groups of Malays in my life:

1. The Malays that put their hands out to me and greet me like a brother. Where in 5 minutes it becomes apparent we won’t need to use words like “Malay”, “Chinese”, “Indian” or “lain-Lain”; that we’re just people;

2. The Malays that shake my hands and are skeptical about me. They treat me like a friend but aren’t too sure internally whether a person besides a Malay can be sincere or not.

They are in cognitive dissonance; trying to understand why I am not a “greedy Chinese“, an “untrustworthy Indian” or just “out to deprieve them of their Malay rights” – as told to them by Biro Tatanegara, UMNO, Utusan Malaysia, the Malay Rights NGOs and sometimes their own family members.

Both viewpoints are in conflict, both don’t sit well together and they feel uncomfortable about holding these two conflicting viewpoints.

These people need time and exposure to what they have been made to fear; in time they will eventually discard what doesn’t sit well with their experiences with non Malays.

3. The Malays who just despise those who aren’t Malays and who seek every opportunity to hurt them, almost always verbally.

What do we do with these people? Simple. Don’t marginalise them!

Reach out to them instead and show them how wrong they are. Make them realise that we’re all here just to be happy; that to be hateful is a waste of time. I know it sounds almost “hippie-ish“, but truth is, I can’t think of any better way and I don’t think there is any better way.

These people take a longer time to convince and sometimes you may never succeed.

Most times what is said by these people can be hurtful and downright nasty but we will not convince them if we be as them. It in fact will only give credence to the prejudices they have of you. To punish them for their views and to hate them for it is only going to make matters worse.

.

The Political Solution

We must never punish anyone for their views or the language they use.

Justice Brandeis writing in the 1927 American case of Whitney v California 274 U.S. 357 (1927) said the following wise words:

Those who won our independence believed that the final end of the State was to make men free to develop their faculties… They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness, and courage to be the secret of liberty. They believed that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political truth; that, without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile;… that the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty, and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government… But they knew that order cannot be secured merely through fear of punishment for its infraction; that it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination; that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that hate menaces stable government; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies, and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones.[emphasis is mine]

I cannot help but agree.

Ridhuan Tee and Ibrahim Ali are indeed known for saying crazy things, perhaps hired to do so, perhaps not.

Most of what they say easily convinces you that they MUST come from another planet, but there is no point if we penalise them for what they say.

Penalising them will only force them to take their views underground and give them validation and that in turn will give them more support. We have no right to silence someone merely because our feelings are hurt. We must sit down and debate it out till the cows come home and then let others” decide whose idea they favour. The favourable idea gets the vote and then we work on making it a reality.

There is no other civil way to deal with racism ala Ridhuan Tee and Ibrahim Ali, if we don’t provide good counsels as remedies to their evil counsels.

It is easy to let our emotions run unrestrained and say Use the Sedition Act on him!” or “Use the ISA on him!”; that is a coward’s way of dealing with the problem. As long as Acts like the ISA and Sedition exists, till then will Malaysians continue to be shackled, repressed and un-Merdeka.

As long as Acts like this exist and can be used on citizens, regardless of whether it is Ridhuan Tee or Karpal Singh that it is used on, then we are not free people. In time, one day, it might also be used against you or me.

There are no shortcuts here ultimately – just a lot of patience, common sense and reason.

LB: The writer was up at 5.00a.m. doing his work and said that he’ll work on a bio blurb for the next post.

28 replies on “Dealing with the Ridhuan Tees and the Ibrahim Alis”

  1. Dear Aston,

    Was just following tags/liks/blogs on racism, lo and behold, your post has attracted some the of lowest scum of the earth.

    The kind of bigoted comments, which you have not moderated, only serves to create more hatred among the races.

    With due respect to your good self, I find your inaction to moderate some of the more sick bigoted comments, irresponsible and reckless.

    If its any comfort to you, you are in good company, as some of the other read worthy blogs have also degenerated to the same low level of human decency.

    I have not read any articles by Ridhuan Tee nor am I a fan of Ibrahim Ali but I abhor anything that incites, inflames and pits us Malaysians against each other.

    Have a good day.

    Freddie Kevin

  2. All the babbling about race, rights and privileges just proves how successful the race/communal strategy has been for the powers that be.

    Wake up! We're all being screwed regardless of race. These are the people you should be raging against cause these are the people who are playing these issues up for their own benefit.

    http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_c

  3. All over the world in prestigious libraries it is documented that the Orang Asli are the natives of the land known in history as Golden Chessornee ,later Malaya.

    The British called the later immigrants from Java,Sumatra and parts of Indonesia 'Malaise' ( prounounced Malays) as they were too lazy to want to work the land,hence labourers were brought in from China & India.

    Many died clearing and working the land from disease and developed Malaya and fought against the communists. Yet history book after 1969 do not mentioned the immense contributions of non malays.

    The non -malays have all along supported the NEP but do not like the way it has been abused by those at the top esp. Mahathir in enriching himself whilst the lower bottom malays remain poor.

    Its important that we have a strong middle class malays for political & social stabilty.

    One day given time Malaysia will treat all its citizens on an equal basis when there is real change as at the moment our leaders are too occupied with mixing politics with business and enriching themselves looting the wealth of the Country.Mahathir (who is a FAKE Malay, playing the racist card all the time to hide his immense loot ) and CM Sarawak Taib Mahmud are glaring obnoxious example.

    Lets return to the days of our beloved Tengku, Tun Razak & Hussein Onn who focused solely on development not building personal fortunes for themselves.

  4. Shocking! Just look at the responses this article has elicited. As for that 'Smarties' chap, I know he is not alone in his cocooned and perverted thinking – May God give him more wisdom and patience for, what is a man, if he fails to understand, that race has no place in God's plans for his people – is happily given into believing that no one has any right to this land, but the Malays themselves.

    Inevitably, there will be angry reactions to what he wrote. This is typically what is happening now. I cannot see UMNO not implicated in some way; get Perkasa and other mob-like maniacs to denounce and insult the others, to distract them from more serious issues facing the country, and, the minute there is reaction from the others, use all means to harass, pressure and remind them on who the masters are.

    As cowardly and sinister as this plot is, one cannot help but suspect, that the same tactic is being employed, time and again, as if the puppet-masters have no other talents, and are mentally bereft of any imagination.

    What else can you expect from those who have no capacity to grasp larger and more complex matters concerning nation-building and spend virtually all their waking hours dreaming of how to enrich themselves and at devising their crooked schemes to desperately cling on to their ill-gotten gains and their all-corrupting power.

  5. Danny LoHH,

    it is not right as per Islam, or any religion henceforth. Islam believes in honesty, fair and just. most Malay muslim had used religion as a tool of evil. sad to see this coming from once my favourite commentator in Forum Perdana.

    i strongly believe that equality is meant for all despite skin or beliefs. we are all in one boat; we are responsible for it thus we are entitled for same allocations. not all chinese,indians,punjabs and "lain-lain" are wealthy. any form of subsidies are meant for the unfortunates; all Malaysians in this case. plus, there is no such term as special rights in constitution nor there is any form of bias and prejudice teachings as per the Holy Book. thus, which laws that they abide?

    we are not going anywhere by keeping our prejudice on other race. to make things worse, condemning religion to support their conviction. i wonder if most of the people here did read what Aston posted above. there must be sacrifice made to achieve unity. what we must sacrifice is our blatant ego and hatred. chauvinistic people can mock and curse as much as they want. but, i will not degrade myself by entertaining their tantrums.

    truth is, individual is the one that should be blame. not the ethnic they belong or the faith they believe. i put my chips on the new generation of Malaysian that believes in unified nation.

  6. Wow, the comments here has definitely gotten out of hand.

    Those who supported "Malays Special" right, as usual failed to point out exactly where in the Constitution Law of Malaysia that have "guaranteed" them "such rights".

    Then, we have chauvinistic "Chinese" Commenter with their incoherent rantings and emotional outburst that made no sense and contributed nothings in terms of intellectual discourse or discussion.

    What I do not understand is, why is asking for equalities such a taboo thing for some?

    Are you saying that we have a choice in whether we could be born a Malay, Chinese, Indian and/or the most insulting "Lain-Lain" race?

    If you were a Malay, is it an achievement on your part, or did you work hard so that you could be born as a Malay?

    If it wasn't your choice to be born a Malay, why is it that you are entitled more compared to others?

    I didn't choose to be born a Chinese, but according to your logic, because I am born a Chinese I should be forever doomed to be discriminated by you, a fellow who is "lucky" enough to be born a Malay. Is that right in your religion?

  7. My dear blog writer,

    I applaud your effort to explain the racism point of view from the malays. But I wonder, why from the point of view of the malays only? Look at the comments here, the racism is just as rampant as it is from the non-malays.

    Or easier, for those who are not satisfied with Malaysia – please leave and live where they say that the non-muslim countries are better and fairer etc.

  8. Yes. Every human have a working brain except malay, even the malay itself agree. Malays are stupid, lazy and idiotic. Malays are the most stupid human race ever exits.

    Of course Chinese is way smarter and more superior in every fucking way compared to a retarded malay. Chinese is a world race, a race with pride, with a great history and civilisation, we are hardworking and clever, every country lead by Chinese is strong and rich.

    This is not self compliment but prove can be seen at Taiwan, Singapore and China. China has an economic growth so fast it has never happen in any other country before. Even the Americans agree.

    What is malay? Malay is just a tiny piece of cow dunk left over in this earth. No one like malay. Do not agree? Show me which country lead by malay is well developed?

    Hahaha. Malay should be left for extinction from this world as they are a bunch of stupid retarded lazy asshole.

  9. Bravo to all the bull & cock being written here!

    Sad to see Malaysians not accepting the facts that you are living because of non-malays and subsidies from the so called fair government which only take care of their own – malays (please do not call yourself bumis unless you are the aborigines from the jungle).

    Chinese are wealthy because they work 100% more than your lazy ass. They live on their own and not on your incentives. Nothing was given anyway.

    Cut the story short, face the fact and dance to the rhythm. Without the non-malays, you are nothing just as Dr M said before he stepped down from UMNO.

    (You do not even have your own culture and language, the bahasa has been copied from many such as the Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil etc.)

    By the way, tuan is Chinese! Wake up, you are living under the helm of 1Malaysia – 1Murderer!

  10. Our current malay generation is racist now because they desperately want to hang on to privileges which I frankly believe it slowly causing the malay race to rot away and become a pathetic race on crutches dependent.

    I think that malays are the most stupid idiots on earth – they might have big sized bodies bud in their heads, but they have puny brains.

    Thus coming to the conclusion that they are the most stupid black blocks on earth – they are coloured black and stink like a garbage dump.

    Does malays ever think twice about their religious? What if yours believe is not what you think!

    You malays will rape anybody just for sexual pleasure. You didn't read about the malay who raped his own sister?

    Not only that! They yell 5 times per day and expect to go to heaven! After committing so many sins like steal, rape, killing!

    Malays are so stupid that deserve to be robbed by their own government. They in fact deserve to be raped as well. Maybe we were better off as British rule Malaysia after all.

    Malays are jealous of Chinese, that is why they hate them. Americans are not jealous of Chinese, because they don't need tongkat. They buy a lot of Chinese goods. If they hate, they would have boycott the products. Bodoh!

    Oh! Bodoh! Only blind man needs tongkat.

    If Americans don't hate the malays, why is there so much bad press against Mahathir when he scolded the Americans? You malays are brainless and never read the newspaper. Everyday special rights here and there……….still like your tongkat so much!

    You go to American embassy and see which country now is blacklisted? Did they blacklist Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong?

    Even the Japanese look down upon the malays because they are just a bunch of fool, corrupt, lazy person who feed on the Chinese income tax for their existence.

    The malays want to produce as many pig babies as they want, but doesn’t teach them what is honesty, hardworking, civilisation!

  11. UMNO = Untuk Makan Nasi Orang

    This is a new generation of lazy malays who evolved from their lazy ancestors. Not surprising la! Wait for the next generation of lazy malays on the future with better parasitic economic policies.

  12. F***k Muslims and all malay pig in Malaysia.

    I feel ashamed to call myself a Malaysian nowadays because you malay pig are making us losing our pride day by day by corrupting the once dignified image of this country, you know Malaysia is now a laughing stock among the non-Muslim countries in the world!

    People despise this country still protecting the lame lot and not doing anything to improve the deteriorating situation, still practising double standards among its own people, still expelling the non-malay genius to other countries, still depriving the rights and benefits of other races to its own race, still criticize and blame the Chinese for their minority poverty.

    Hey, what is wrong with you malay pig? Haven't you fed yourself enough with the loots yet? Still want more? What a worthless thieves bunch!

    You malay pig are worse than a maggot. We need a leader not a faggot to rule this country. Get lost you freak!

    For all the bad things you stupid melayu babi say about the Chinese, when you are in trouble and big shit, what do you do?

    You come crawling back on your knees to the Chinaman to help you, because you can't trust all your malay pig who are sodomy rapists, incest culprits, drug addicts.

    Without the Chinese, you malay pig will still live on trees, swinging from tree to tree like monkeys, or forages on the ground by your 4 legs to eat all the shit.

    You malay pig are a truly ungrateful lot – the minute all the Chinese leave Bolehland – you malay pig will collapse into the sea and die – that is your destiny!

    I think the problem of malay pig race is their culture – it is in born in their gene – nowhere in the world that you will see affirmative action is focusing on the majority because it is always the minority that need the protection.

    Worst, the minority in Malaysia has been systematically marginalized just to suppress them of their growth.

    Let the malay pig make Malaysia the most corrupted place to live in and see what happened in 2020? I guess malay pig will go back to Indonesia as Malaysia don't belong to them, they are also immigrants from Sumatra, Sulawesi, Jawa, etc.

    Please get it into your pea-sized otak udang plastered with layers and layers of tahi babi encased in your kepala kayu that Malaysia belong to the Orang Asli who are the true bumis of the country.

    Niffy pellmell malay pig are in fact pendatang haram who swam across the Melaka Strait illegally from Sumatra. They should be caught, given severe caning and deported back to their pig sties in Sumatra.

  13. The malay race is an inferior race due to inbreeding amongst themselves. They are moronic and to make matter worse – choose Islam as their religion.

    As everyone knows, Islam is a stone-aged religion. No matter how long you spoon-feed them they will never change. They are worse than PIG.

  14. Hi SETH…

    Its nothing wrong with Mr Smarties opinion…He's telling the facts which i don't think we can changed it anymore…Why must Chinese him/herself call PROF KHOO KHAY KIM as a traitor after his trying his best to explain the MALAYS issue as published in MALAYSIA TODAY recently and i belived he had a good intention for 'Racial Harmony'….Its seems you are the one MR SETH who are trying to pour more fuel in the fire by 'DEMANDING' something which you know can spark even worse or more conflict…And whats your say regarding Malaysian Chinese 'WHICH PROVEN' at age 51yrs but still unable to 'SPEAK BAHASA'….Are you telling me by shouting 'WE ARE MALAYSIAN' but the one who are 'THE LOUDERS' are the one 'WHO FAILED' to 'RESPECT AND LEARNED' Bahasa Rasmi for his or her own country…Next time please try to be HONEST by explaining to all MALAYSIAN whats the 'TRUTH AGENDA' behind all this…GOD KNOWS…

  15. Dear Smarties on how we should be grateful…

    LOL nice try bud.. you are so not Chinese but if you are .. I guess there are TWO Ridhuan Tees now. :) You must be his one fan lol.

    The Malay rights were written in to equalize.. it has been 50 years of it, and now its enough… time for equal rights before we create a nobility class based on race.

    Nothing you have said is even remotely close to any Chinese I have lived with or talked to has even ever agreed. So no you are not Chinese… and heck you might not even be human.. you are willing to condemn your own and your children to a life without equality when someone who just declares they are of a certain faith and get the bumi meal ticket…

    You may or might not be Chinese … but one thing for sure.. you are a flipping idiot.

  16. Hi all,

    Had you fellas read the below link???:
    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/artic

    Like it or not, MALAY RIGHTS & PRIVILEGE must be protected. This is in our Constitution despite some may NOT like it but too bad…"This is indeed the FACT".

    I'm a CHINESE & it amazes me why of late there are so many non-Malays coming out so strongly to GET RID of the 'Special Rights' that are given to the MALAYS when it's clearly stated in our Constitution it must be protected.

    Are these non-Malays simply coming out to make unnecessary 'HAVOC'??? Or is it becos' of the recent political TSUNAMI of which led to many non-Malays thinking they are POWERFUL enough to get RID of something that is clearly stated in our Constitution. One fine example is that so-called wanker name TONY PUA of DAP.

    We the non-Malays MUST accept the FACT that our forefathers came from other countries such as CHINA & INDIA to seek better life in this land called MALAYSIA. Just becos' our forefathers had stayed put here & thus, brought us to this world in this land…."It DOESN'T mean we can go against the CONSTITUTION by simply asking for the abolishment of the MALAY RIGHTS & PRIVILEGE"!!!

    In fact, we should be appreciative & thank the MALAYS for giving us CITIZENSHIP. Otherwise, we the non-Malays will be residing in MALAYSIA like some FUGITIVES with no whatsoever citizenship or even a mere "Permanent Residential" status.

    Many non-Malays had been BLINDLY misled by the EVIL INTENTIONS of PAKATAN RAKYAT that non-Malays deserve EQUAL rights as the MALAYS. I find this TOTALLY ABSURD!!! This is likened to a DAYLIGHT ROBBERY (sad to say this).

    I may be ANGERED by the remarks of IBRAHIM ALI & company but if we come to think of it, they are just plainly fighting for the MALAY RIGHTS of which is stated clearly in the Constitution. I CANNOT see how ISA can be used on them.

    On the other hand, if ISA were to be enforced, then, it should be designated for people like TONY PUA, LIM KIT SIANG, LIM GUAN ENG & gang. These are the GENUINE wankers that are going against the Constitution by fighting something that's stated clearly in our Constitution.

    So dear all Non-Malays, please be GRATEFUL for what we have. It may NOT be FAIR from your point of view but we have to look upon our conscience to know that MALAYSIA was NEVER our ORIGINAL HOMELAND. Thus, who are we to really ask for EQUAL RIGHTS, correct???

    Perhaps, it's "JEALOUSY" that is taking control of ourselves. Let's be FAIR & let's have a good sense of LOGIC. Our Constitution says it all (Like it or not)

  17. To Ridhuan Tee,

    In case you pretend or don't understand what is the meaning of the words, Orang Asli, let me tell you what it means 'original people'of Malaya. Got it !

    Even though the Umno appointed and funded historians has now come up with a new term calling them a different Malay just so to justify the Orang Asli country being robbed and forcefully taken away from them by the half breed Indonesian Malays, they are still foreigners even though they called themselves Bumiputras. What kind of Malays are these and you

    want to be one of them. What a bloody shamble and a disgrace !

    To begin with according to the Umno introduced law to be a Malay one must be a muslim and the Orang Asli are not muslims, they kill wildpigs without first praying and then eat them. They recently in a protest in K.L. the Orang Asli even protested that they are called Malays by the Umno Malay for their own benefits.

    This was once acknowledged by shenanigan Mahathir that the so called Malays are just like the white Australians that came to Australia and took control of the land from the real natives and rule Australia calling themselves Australia.

    The Brits came to Australia and used it as a penal colony for their prisoners and their descendants to day still has rings marks around their legs to day just like the so called Malays who came to Malaya as pirates and still behave like pirates to day. At least the once P.M. of Australia apologized to the natives not to mention that the Australian never had a policy like NEP that Malaysia has.

    The worst thing is the Malays would threaten people to cut off their limbs or kill them and calling them names who disagree with them and even calling them to return to their mother land. This is something that the Malays been using for so long and they cannot even come up with something new or innovative show you how stupid are those that are doing that. How can you turn cow horns into elephant tasks ! And Ridhuan Tee wants to be a Malay just like all the half breeds in Umno and finally my offer to have Tee's DNA tested and if his DNA test result shows he is a Malay I will gladly

    pay for the test but if it fails he will have to pay. Come on Ridhuan Tee accept my challenge if you have what a man should have in between your legs !

  18. Go watch namewee's video "Nah!" before you jump into conclusion that his rap is racist in nature. He is definitely vulgar but to say that his rap is racist is too far a fetch.

  19. Exactly.

    Which got me thinking about those who supports the continuation of the ISA. Would they still support it if they themselves becomes a victim. They need not be on the wrong side of this law. They just need to be on the wrong side of the political divide.

  20. People like them should be ignored. Give them no coverage whatsoever, if it's feasible.

    They are clearly suffering from a lack of attention.

    Punishing them will not necessarily change their stand / mindsets. Having them detained under ISA would be extremely cruel. Reacting to their statements only makes them happier and stronger. So ignoring them would do the trick, IMHO.

  21. The woeful situation will not change until the governing way is changed.Teresa was ISAed immediately due to an UMNO lie. These people foaming at the mouth all the time and no actions are taken.

    Any wonder even the educators and the other civil servants are following suit when dealing with the nons. It is now you or urs

    while Rome burns. Sigh!

  22. The Bible asked to turn to the other cheek. What happened especially after 53 years of Merdeka when we ran out of cheeks?

    People like Ridhuan Tee and Ibrahim Ali are totally blinkered into not accepting any other viewpoint nor compromise on their position. How then do you engage people like these two?

  23. Wonderful piece of writing.

    They can talk about you and you can't talk about them, bcoz they fear you know too many of their fears.

    No wonder they can't explore the world. Too many fears.

  24. Good point(s)…

    Ridhuan Tee and Ibrahim Ali prey on the ignorant minded. Let them speak and engage them in a contest of ideology. In times, they will be exposed to their real sinful racist color.

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