Sabah for Sabahans

COMMENT BY FUI K. SOONG

The disenfranchisement and the resentment in Sabah towards federal politics and policies are very real, realities created by the BN administration. The dynamics that are being witnessed today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with.

SABAH for Sabahans” gained its zenith of popularity during the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) rule in the state.

To a puritan federalist it is almost treasonable. But to many proud Sabahans who remember the 1980’s struggles, it was a term that gave rise to a generation of Sabahans whose political consciousness was awoken by a sense of identity that was multi-racial, open and most of all, confident. We stood tall because we had dared challenge the federal regime of the day.

With all the talk of Sabah MPs crossing over to Pakatan Rakyat, and if anyone believes this to be another wave of Sabah defiance, they are dead wrong.

Sabahans still stand in awe when we see the shape of Mount Kinabalu sitting in the blue hues of our state flag. And in reality, the mountain is an awesome sight by itself. “Sabah Maju Jaya” is still sung with great pride by every Sabahan with no exception to any race.

We should be so insulted to be painted as a bunch of shenanigans with no virtue, moral standing or principles.

The disenfranchisement and the resentment towards federal politics and policies thus far, are very real. But these are realities created by the BN rule. The dynamics that we witness today is just a situation ripe to play mind games with.

Sabahans have to live every day of their lives alongside reportedly, two million illegal immigrants compared to one million locals. Their children litter the streets in the cities begging for scraps and odd jobs, unable to attend school, as they have no official papers.

By the day, Kota Kinabalu is looking more like Manila than Malaysia. By any moral standard, how can we allow poverty and human suffering to come to this level – whether or not we choose to recognise them as full citizens is another matter.

Sabah ranked from being the richest state in 1970’s to being the poorest state. Using UNDP’s numbers, Sabah has a poverty rate of 23.0% compared to Wilayah Persekutuan-KL of 1.5%!

In the district of Nabawan, the poverty rate is as high as 70.8%, as 21,568 households live in hardcore poverty. The dropout rate is 50%, twice the national figure and most schools located in the rural areas are equipped with very poor facilities.

Children are so poor that they do not even have soap to clean themselves with. Children attend classes naked because parents sell their free uniforms to feed their families.

In the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the total allocation for Sabah makes up 7.69% compared with 15.06% for the Federal Territories.

These are just hard numbers.

Sabah won 24 out of 25 seats contested. However, it’s still only 25 seats out of the 140 seats garnered by the BN. The lack of representation at ministerial level in truth is limited when both the states combined only represent 1.7 million out of the 10.9 million registered voters.

While Sabah and Sarawak may have held a crucial deciding factor to retain BN’s simple majority in this elections, many of the seats were won due to lack of cohesion among the Opposition parties. The extent of gerrymandering also contributed to no small amount to BN’s wins in the state.

Is this why Sabah representatives often complain that they are not treated with respect in all the political platforms from the Cabinet to grassroots, including those within their parties?

Today, both sides of the political fence paint Anwar Ibrahim in the same breath as how we saw Pairin Kitingan or PBS in the 80’s.

To begin with, Anwar Ibrahim is no Sabahan. In the 90’s, he was Finance Minister and PM-in-waiting “hero-rised” as a leader with international stature but in small-town Sabah, the people saw him as no more than an errand boy for Tun Dr Mahathir.

That said, has there been a credible Sabah leader that has been able to articulate our pain and concerns?

Is it really about more representation in the Cabinet and more royalties? Younger generations of Sabahans, unlike previous decades, are less likely to be anti-Federal.

Many of them have studied in Peninsular Malaysia in both private and public colleges and universities. They know what is like to live in a greater Malaysia beyond their Sabah shores.

Most also know that the 20-point agreement (signed when Sabah joined Malaysia) cannot be practically implemented if we are to finally come to terms with being part of Malaysia.

But what does it mean to be a Sabahan when two-thirds of the population are illegals? If the BN government does not want the situation to be hijacked by the Opposition, this is the first thing it must address – bring back what matters most to Sabah, our land.

The illegal migrant situation has become so bad that we already have a second, if not third generation of Filipinos and Indonesians born in Sabah.

In the name of humanity, I am not sure if we can even morally deport them without causing social mayhem and a localised economic collapse. But we need a definite closure because we need to move on.

“Sabah for Sabahans” conjures a lot of idealism as well as realities for many Sabahans even today but it does not mean we are less proud of who we are and what we still stand for. RESPECT and DIGNITY.

Whoever captures that, gets to rule.

Fui K. Soong is CEO of Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP), a think tank of MCA, an organisation dedicated to research on the removal of barriers and bias in policies that impede Malaysian unity, racial harmony and economic prosperity. You can e-mail her at fui4545@yahoo.com.

Anifah to BN: Beware of the next political tsunami!

The SUN, Thursday, 15 May 2008

Anifah: Once the defections start, there's no stopping
Llew-Ann Phang

KUALA LUMPUR (May 14, 2008): If and when East Malaysian Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians defect, the ruling coalition cannot do anything anymore (to stop the defections), said Datuk Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis).

Anifah, one of the many Sabahan and Sarawakian MPs who voiced their concern and dissatisfaction over BN’s lack of attention to issues in the two states in debates on the motion of thanks on the royal address, did not discount himself from doing the same.

"I will do it (defect) if it is in the best interest of the people," he told reporters in Parliament lobby today.

However, Anifah defended that the Sabah leaders were actually trying to stop the people from defecting.

When asked about the up till August time frame given by Datuk Yong Teck Lee (Sabah Progressive Party President and Gaya MP), Anifah said people were getting impatient and were drawn to the 20% oil royalty offer by Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

"It makes a lot of difference for Sabah. Whether it becomes a reality, is debatable. What we are saying is 'look into our grievances', the problem of illegal immigrants.

"If you can set up the Judicial Appointment Commission and the Malaysian Commission against Corruption, why can’t you set up a commission to look into this matter," he lamented.

Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan likened the situation to the government being the doctor who is not treating the aches and pains of the people, the patient.

"It is just like when we are sick, the doctor doesn’t treat you to get rid of that pain in the body, you will continue to feel sick and unhappy and miserable. The aches and pains have been expressed in the Dewan and the patient has been talking and telling the doctor they need treatment," he said, adding that Sabah MPs were merely protecting the country and its sovereignty.

"This means illegal immigrants must be sent away. We have laws which must be enforced. Who are you choosing, your citizens or the illegal immigrants? Of course your citizens must be protected," said Pairin.

On the oil royalty, Kitingan said it needed to be considered "as I see it as a lopsided agreement".

"It is also being fully exploited by the Opposition and the agreement has to be studied. You can’t just dismiss it as not being lopsided but there must be a discussion with all the MPs and leaders to look at the facts and figures so that the people are satisfied," he added.

Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) denies any knowledge of MPs "jumping ship" and says he isn’t one, for now.

However, he quipped: "If I am not satisfied, I will form my own party. Why should I jump? I don’t want to jump because the other party will also tie my legs, like BN". "All I am saying to the leadership is we don’t want to be second class citizens."

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) said the election gave the people a chance to change the political model of country and he is all for a two-party system in the country.

On Yong’s ultimatum that his party may leave BN in August if the state issues are not resolved, Abdul Rahman said he believed Yong said it in good faith as he was only presenting the views of the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

Keng Yaik admits to beggary

BN component parties 'like beggars', says Keng Yaik

PETALING JAYA (May 12, 2008): Gerakan adviser Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik has likened MCA, Gerakan and MIC to "beggars" in the Barisan Nasional (BN) as the coalition did not treat its component parties equitably.

Criticising the lack of equitability in BN, Lim stressed that although the constitution guarantees the special rights of the Malays, it also safeguards the rights of non-Malays.

He said he believed that the people, who had indicated in the recent general election their desire for multi-racial parties to work together, would also want the BN to become a multi-racial political set-up which treats all people equitably.

Lim said this in an interview with Sin Chew Daily in which he gave his views on the new political order in the country and the shape of things to come.

The former Gerakan president and former Energy, Water and Communications Minister predicted that Umno-led BN's model of cooperation will be discarded by the people one day.

He also foresaw that the coalition will change the way it operates given another two general elections.

He felt that under such circumstances, race-based parties like Umno, MCA and MIC will have to disband if BN goes multi-racial.

He said over-emphasis on cooperation among race-based parties will not make the people comfortable.

The people not only hope to see BN become a coalition of multi-racial parties but also want BN to play roles that reflect its multi-racial characteristics.

Lim pointed out that 39 years after the May 13, 1969, riots, the people have seen through the domination of a race-based party.

He said the fact that there was no repeat of the (May 13) bloodshed when the Opposition won big this time around showed the maturity of the people.

He said although Gerakan espouses political multi-racialism, it suffered a major setback in the general election mainly because its candidates were fielded in non-Malay-majority constituencies.

"Why were the non-Malays angry with BN? (It's) Because of the arrogance of Umno, the dominant party in BN. Many people also felt uneasy with the racist remarks made by Umno leaders. These had also caused all BN component parties to suffer in the polls."

He believed that if BN takes the multi-racial path, at least Umno leaders would be more careful with what they say in the future.

Ghapur's warning to BN

Ghapur accuses BN of practising double standards

KUALA LUMPUR (May 12, 2008): Amid strong rumours of Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians crossing over to Pakatan Rayat (PR), Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) poured fuel into the fire while debating his motion of thanks on the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) today.

Accusing the ruling BN government of practising double standards, Abdul Ghapur issued a "serious warning" that BN would suffer greatly if this did not stop.

"Sabah mahu keadilan (Sabah wants justice)," he said, drawing a roar from his fellow parliamentarians.

After a moment, he corrected his phrase saying: "Sabah wants justice, not the party."

In a press conference later, Abdul Ghapur was asked if PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had approached him and if he was considering defecting, he denied it.

However, Abdul Ghapur kept emphasising that if not for the number of MPs from Sabah and Sarawak, PR would have managed to get the simple majority to form the new government.

"One-hundred-forty seats minus 54 from Sabah and Sarawak, there would not be enough to even form a simple majority (for BN)," he told reporters later.

He had also called for oil royalty to Sabah to be raised to 20% from its current annual rate of 5% amounting to RM500 million.

If approved, some RM2 billion, which "is not too much", can be channelled on an annual basis to help the state alleviate poverty rates and solve "a lot of problems in Sabah".

In his debate earlier, Abdul Ghapur said the BN did not listen or act on the complaints and issues of the people of Sabah and if the BN did not change its ways, "in the next election, it will not just be BN which will lose. Even I will lose".

In voicing the issues that inundated the state, Abdul Ghapur brought to light that the people in the rural areas drank water from the wells.

"If there is no rain, where will they find water? Even in the urban areas the waters coming out of the pipes are the colour of teh susu (tea with milk).

"Electricity supply is often disrupted in cities of Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. Is this the meaning of independence?" he asked, also raising housing, inflation, security and housing problems.

Describing Sabahan voices as going into the right ear and coming out of the left, Abdul Ghapur said East Malaysia were sidelined and it felt like the states were step-children.

"We are a country but we are made to be second-class citizens and maybe people will say that Kalabakan speaks like the opposition.

"The fact is, we have been doing this even from before. It also looks like Sabah is being taken for granted," he said, adding that "if there is opposition in the BN, accept it as it is constructive".

Abdul Ghapur said: "If a public referendum arises, Sabahans may prefer to opt to be part of the Philippines if the long-standing issue of undocumented migrants was not dealt with."

Sabah's dilemma

Crossovers still an issue (NST, 14 May 2008)

- Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee felt that supporters in the state would give the BN until September to resolve outstanding issues or face the possibility of crossovers.

- Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president, Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili, said his party leaders had yet to meet the prime minister on the issue.

- PBS president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said MPs intending to cross over must quit and seek a fresh mandate from the people.

- Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok declined to comment when approached. "I will give a proper interview tomorrow," he said when met at the Parliament lobby.

- Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said there was no need to repeatedly assure Abdullah about the allegiance of Sabah BN MPs.

Talk of 'jumping ship' upsets BN reps (NST, 14 May 2008)

THE rumour mill worked overtime in the house yesterday as backbenchers wondered who among them was crossing to the opposition. If the story on Monday was that Sabah BN members were crossing, yesterday it was about Peninsular Malaysia backbenchers switching.

It was said that the big switch would take place today (Wednesday), with 15 members going to do it.

Here are some views from BN members on the rumours.

- Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau): "Let's wait and see. I'm confident whatever the rumours are, it will be baseless."
- Razali Ibrahim (BN-Muar): "It is an irresponsible statement by rumour-mongers as it undermines the integrity of MPs."

- Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn (BN-Alor Gajah): "No one approached me. All this talk about crossing over is just a form of psychological warfare by the Opposition."

- Salleh Kalbi (BN-Silam): "I haven't been approached. I have my own principles. BN has a proven track record but now it is time for them to realise development should not only be concentrated in the peninsula."

- Datuk Chua Soon Bui (BN-Tawau): "Any party has the right to do what they want but whether they will get any positive response remains to be seen."

- Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (BN-Mambong): "My principles are very clear -- I will never abandon BN. It's just political manoeuvring by the opposition."

- Alexander Nanta Linggi (BN-Kapit): "This is all about integrity, and I personally feel hurt by the opposition's claims."

Datuk Eric Majimbun's Plea (NST, 14 May 2008)
- Take heed of Sabah's problems

I AM now in my second term serving the Sepanggar constituency, and my time spent at the August House so far has been, for the most part, a positive experience for my constituents and I.

However, like my fellow Sabah MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, there are some reservations which, for a while now, we have held close to heart.

The recent speeches by Datuk Anifah Aman (BN-Kimanis) and Datuk Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) when debating the royal address were a clear indication of where we, as Sabah leaders, stand.

It is not that we are not grateful for the assistance the government has accorded our state, especially in education in my constituency, which houses Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

The crux of the matter is that Sabah's needs are simply not taken seriously.
The people have been, for too long, deprived of the most basic of infrastructure, such as proper roads, running water and electricity.

The Kokol road and the flood-prone Telipok-Kiulu road are examples.

These roads are key access routes for tourists and the public, particularly poor rural folk.

Then there is the hardship faced by fishermen in my constituency, particularly the trawler operators who are hard-pressed to find sufficient fuel to achieve their three-trips-a-week quota.

I was made to understand that the Sabah Fisheries and Fishermen's Development Corporation is given two million litres of subsidised diesel a month, but only 500,000 litres go to the Kota Kinabalu Fishing Boats Association.

Currently they can only go out to sea at the most twice a week, when they need at least 800,000 litres to make the quota.

The poor are not getting it any easier, with the increase in the import tariff for frozen meat by some 20 per cent on April 1 this year.

Imported meats, particularly chicken parts, have, for a long time been a staple for the lower income groups who cannot afford the fresh chicken in the markets.

As to how this tariff affects their lives, take the cost of grilled chicken wings at roadside stalls, which in the not so distant past went for RM1 each. Now it costs RM1.80 for one chicken wing in Kota Kinabalu.

We are not demanding for extravagant gestures from the federal government.

All we are asking is this - listen to our problems and make a serious effort to help us help the country.

Petronas royalties to stay

Dewan Rakyat: Oil royalty to states stays at 5pc
By : Reports by V. Vasudevan, B. Suresh Ram, Eileen Ng, R.S. Kamini, Ili Liyana Mokhtar and Joseph Sipalan
NST, Wednesday 14 May 2008



THE five per cent royalty going to Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu on oil and gas extracted by Petronas will not be reviewed. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz, said financial considerations prevented the government from acceding to their requests for an increase in royalty.

This was because any increase in royalty to the states would eat into the 10 per cent royalty the government received from Petronas.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Alexander Nanta Linggi (BN-Kapit) on whether the federal government would look into increasing its royalty from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

To another supplementary question from Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh), Amirsham said the formula involving royalty on oil and gas saw the government receiving 10 per cent, of which five per cent was given to the three states.

To the original question from Dr Wan Azizah, Amirsham said that between 2004 and last year, Petronas paid a total of RM26.839 billion in royalty to the federal government, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu.

The Federal Government received RM13.4 billion, Terengganu (RM7.3 billion), Sabah (RM1.2 billion) and Sarawak (RM4.8 billion).

Amirsham said that based on current oil extraction methods, crude oil and oil condensates were expected to last 22 years while gas reserves would last 39 years.

"Even though there are many years for the reserve period (oil and gas) to expire, the fact is that the country also imports oil and gas to meet some local energy needs.

"Thus, the country is expected to be a net energy importer by 2014," Amirsham said.

To another question, Amirsham said oil production in Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak for the financial year ending March 31, last year, stood at 241.3 million barrels of crude oil.

Gas production was 2,081.4 billion square feet, he added.

He said crude oil and gas products exported by the subsidiaries of Petronas were sold at current world prices whereas the price for domestic sale of gas-based products for the electrical and non-electrical sector was fixed by the government.

A terrible crime and a terrible shame on our law enforcers

Woman left for dead after robbery (NST, Saturday, May 10, 2008)

Lee Hui Fun lying on the ground bleeding after she was stabbed several times in the back. — NST picture by Afendi Mohamed

KUALA LUMPUR: A woman was stabbed at least four times in the back and left for dead by robbers in a senseless attack yesterday morning.

Lee Hui Fun was found unconscious in Jalan Maktab, near the police college in Cheras, by policemen on patrol duty.

It is believed that the 33-year-old victim, a clerk from Taman Kencana, Cheras was attacked while she was walking to work.

The victim's handbag, containing her identification documents, was taken in the robbery.

Police have still not been able to interview Lee, who is said to be still in a state of shock.
She was warded at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital where her condition was reported to be stable.

Lee was found unconscious about 9.40am.

Policemen and several passers-by gave her first aid before sending her to the hospital.

What is one or two deaths - NS to stay!

NST Online, Friday May 9, 2008

National service to stay despite trainee's death
By : June Ramli

The National Service programme will not be scrapped despite another death among the 18 year old trainees. National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kecil reiterated that the training programme will not be scrapped “just because of one or two deaths.

“It is our policy that the NS camps go on. What we are doing now is to rectify the problem,” he told the New Straits Times.

He was commenting on calls by bloggers for the scrapping of the programme following the death of 18 year-old Too Hui Min on Wednesday. She was the 16th NS trainee to have died during training since the programme was incorporated four years ago.

Abdul Hadi said the department’s officials will be meeting Health Ministry officials on June 3 to decide on a technical committee to make it compulsory for all trainees to undergo health check-ups before entering the three-month programme.

Several departments have to streamline the processes before the health check-ups can be done.
In Too’s case, Abdul Hadi said the trainee had a colon problem.

“She might have been suffering from it for a long time and did not know about it until her death, ” he said.

He said the department was doing its best to ensure that the facilities in the camp are safe, by getting the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to certify the campus premises.

The NS programme is a brainchild of the National Service Training Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye. Participants, aged 18 years old, go through a three-month programme likened like a summer camp.

Motion to debate NS trainee's death

NST Online, Friday May 9, 2008

MP puts notice on motion to debate NS trainee's death
By : Brenda Lim

Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan is putting in a notice for an emergency motion for the Parliament to debate the death of 18-year-old NS trainee Too Hui Min next week.

She said one death among National Service trainees is too many, said

"I hope this will be debated as there has been too many incidents of deaths among NS trainees," she told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin at his office here yesterday.

She said Too's death on Wednesday and previous cases of fatalities showed that the NS training programme was riddled with weaknesses to the extent that parents cannot be reassured on basic issues such as the safety and health.

Fong called on Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to stop the NS training programme, observing that some 110,000 are expected to undergo the programme this year.

She said she never supported the programme since it was first mooted in 2003.

"In just 90 days, you cannot achieve the three objectives of the NS training programme - racial unity, patriotism and character building," she said.

On her meeting with Nizar yesterday, she said she presented a memorandum listing several problems faced by her constituents, including food hawkers being told by the Kinta Barat district council that they could not renew their licences without purchasing a grease interceptor from a certain company.

"The grease interceptor is expensive and not very effective," she said, adding that traders were informed that they could only buy from a Selangor-based company.

She also highlighted the plight of the Perak Chinese Women Association, a non-profit body for single mothers, children and the elderly, which received pledges of up to RM140,000 for a new building on Jan 27, but had yet to receive payment from the former state government (RM30,000), Barisan Nasional (RM50,000), the Association for Wives of Perak Elected Representatives or Baiduri (RM20,000), former deputy state speaker Datuk Yik Phooi Hong and former state executive councillor Datuk Tan Chin Meng (RM20,000).

Other problems include squatters appealing for lower premiums, a temple requesting for more burial ground, and calls for repairs for the leaking roof of the Menglembu wholesale market.

Too Hui Min - latest NS statistic

The Star, Friday May 9, 2008

Family wants to know why girl not sent to hospital earlier

By DHARMENDER SINGH

KUALA SELANGOR: National service (NS) trainee Too Hui Min (pic) had complained of constipation for three days before she died and her family wants to know why camp officials did not take her to the hospital earlier.

Her mother, Chin Kwee Choo, 52, said she was told by the Geo Kosmo National Service Training Camp staff in Kuala Kubu Baru that her daughter had complained of constipation for several days.

“But they said she only started to complain of pain when she went to the shooting range in Banting on Wednesday morning,” she said, adding that even then the camp authorities should have taken her to the hospital at once.

She said someone from the camp called her four times on Wednesday, with the first call at 8pm, to say that Hui Min was being taken to hospital, followed by another call at 9pm to say she was having problems urinating.

At 10pm Chin was told that her daughter would be warded and the final call, just before 11pm, was to tell her of Hui Min's death.

NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said Hui Min died on Wednesday at 10.45pm at the Slim River Hospital in Perak.

The teenager and 177 other trainees had chicken rice for lunch while training at the shooting range in Jugra Banting, Selangor. They arrived at the range at 1.45pm.

Shocking news: Hui Min’s sister Hui Wen (left) and cousin Ching Ya Shi grieving over the sudden death of the trainee in Kuala Selangor yesterday.

“We are in a state of disbelief because she was an active and healthy 18-year-old,“ the distraught mother said. She has two other children.

Chin said Hui Min, who scored 7As in her SPM examination last year, was to enter Form Six at SMK Bukit Kuda in Klang on Monday.

“She was to come home today (yesterday) and apply to be exempted from the rest of the training to attend school but instead we are bringing her body back. My daughter is gone.”

She said the last time they spoke to Hui Min was when she called home on Monday. Soon after her body arrived at the family home in Taman Bayu here at about 3.15pm, seven of Hui Min's fellow trainees who shared the same hostel with her arrived to pay their respects.

NS Training Council member Joseph Wang, who visited the family, said an internal investigation would be conducted to find out what led to Hui Min's illness.

Hui Min’s body will be cremated at the Fairy Park cemetery at noon today. The hearse will leave the house at 11am.

Antara Tuan dan Hamba

The Star, Friday May 9, 2008

Tee Keat: Drop the "Ketuanan"

KUALA LUMPUR: The phrase, ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), should not be brought up any more as it creates the impression that one race is the master while the others are slaves, MCA vice-president Datuk Ong Tee Keat said.

Ong said the phrase had nothing to do with the Federal Constitution and was not something that needed to be said any more considering the special position the Malays already have.

“For other races, ketuanan (superiority) implies the word kehambaan (slavery). The root word of ketuanan is tuan (master), and that does not give it a good meaning.

“In Malaysia, we have lived together for so long and the relationship is not the same as between a master and a slave,” he said, after launching the 6th Golden Bull Award 2008 for Malaysia’s 100 outstanding small-medium enterprises (SMEs).

Ong said Malaysians had to move forward with more respect for each other and deal with more important issues.

When asked if he was afraid of any backlash, Ong said:

“What backlash? I’m speaking the truth.”

About the Golden Bull Award, Ong said it was to recognise the contribution of SMEs to the country and that as Transport Minister, he would ensure efficient transportation services so that SMEs could flourish.

Nanyang Press Holdings Berhad executive chairman, Datuk Paul Leong, said the awards ceremony would be held in conjunction with the Global SMEs Trade Fair 2008 that would be held in Hanoi, Vietnam in November.

Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Malaysians should not to be overly sensitive about the term ketuanan Melayu but view it positively from the angle of history and the Constitution.

He said it did not mean that Malays were the masters and non-Malays slaves.

“Let’s not politicise this until it reaches the level of a new polemics,” he told Bernama at the Parliament lobby.

He said all quarters should refer to history as the country had once been ruled by Malay Sultans and Rajas (Kings), who were the masters of the Malay lands but were willing to give up their powers to the people under the constitutional monarchy system.

According to the constitution, Ahmad Shabery said the Malay sultans and rajas were symbols of Malay supremacy in this country.

Ahmad Shabery added that Article 182 of the Federal Constitution also touched on the immunity of the Sultans and Rajas, which was an interpretation of the Malay supremacy term.