It is indeed a sad day for Malaysia when the aide of the Top Leader openly uttered racist remarks, as reported here.
A few points came to my mind when I read about this:
1. Does his remark represent the majority thinking of those around the Top Leader? A statement issued has stated that ““The remarks allegedly made by Nasir in Malacca today do not in any way reflect the views of the Prime Minister,”.
2. If that is so, why aren’t there any vetting process in appointing this person to be a special aide to the Top Leader?
3. Why were these remarks uttered at a 1Malaysia event? Is he out to sabotage 1Malaysia or does this represent the thinking of leaders around the top?
4. Even if the Top Leader is liberal, what will happen to his policies if people around him are extremists ?
In US, some of the most powerful people are not the cabinet members , but rather the people working in the White House around the president. That is why the presidential chief of staff has huge influence.
During Chiang Kai Shek’s days in CHina, his office of aides was the most powerful. Ministers and important people had to be in the good books of some of these aides in order to get appointments , and many politicians trying to move upwards tended to bribe these people to say a few good words about them.These aides were vetted by Chiang’s intelligence service, andto be able to get into the office of the aides was a sure way to move upwards in CHina’s politics as well as amassing wealth.
As recently as just a year ago, the ‘infamous’ 4th floor boys yielded big powers; powers which did not commensurate with their official positions.
The powers of those aides to the Top leader all over the world comes from the fact that they are the persons around the Top and whatever decisions to be implemented would have to go through these little napoleons. And they can play havoc by distorting or giving wrong interpretation of orders.
Since they are the nearest , they can also give a lot of advice which can be detrimental, since the top leaders would not be able to feel the ground by virtual of their high positions, and by giving wrong feedback, they can influence policy one way or the other.
Coming back to this case, what he had uttered about being ‘beggars’ and ‘jual badan’ is seditious. If the Top leader is serious about clamping down on extremist views, he should be investigated under existing laws and face the music. Mere resignation would not be enough. This is the best time to show the rakyat that the Top is serious to rein in extremists. Failure to do so would send another signal that whatever rhetoric about 1Malaysia would remain as rhetoric.
klm
Feb 03, 2010 @ 13:32:31
Dr. Hsu. This is timely reminder of the real face of 1Malaysia. This will turn the Indians and Chinese away from the BN in the next election. If MIC and MCA can stage a walkout in a !Malaysia seminar it is a good sign. I hope that there are similar speakers in other 1Malaysia seminars.
There should be more of this outburst and each one more vehement than the last.
I sincerely hope people are not anamoured by Najib’s lalphabet soup of 1Malaysia, GTP, NKRA and KPI. These are just the magician’s distraction. People like Nasir is the real deal. See how they behave. Watch and burn. Keep the reformasi fire burning.
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el teh
Feb 03, 2010 @ 13:53:30
Yes good doctor,may we know with this latest insult on our ancestors, is Gerakan going to do something about it instead of just shouting for action to be taken?
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jhonnair
Feb 03, 2010 @ 14:25:43
This is a case of “good guy bad guy politics”. The pm portrays himself as a good guy..seems to be above the board, fair, equal to all..this is to win the other races; he goads his assistant, his aides and the mainstream umno paper to be the ‘bad guy’ for the non malays and be athe good guy for the malays…this is transparent…he is sitting between the devil and the deep blue sea..thsi si the work of his pr team…”Mr. PM..what do you think we are..morons and nincompoops?” maybe u r one..
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CYC
Feb 03, 2010 @ 15:18:45
jhonnair,
Bingo ! u hit the jackpot.
We are not morons, but there are plentiful in MCA, MIC and Gerakan.
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klm
Feb 03, 2010 @ 15:29:47
I challenge Gerakan, MIC and MCA people to sit back and not to help BN in the next election. Just give lip service and sit tight.
(EDitor: That is what many MCA and Gerakan memebrs are doing. They have not been attending to BN functions long ago….)
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klm
Feb 03, 2010 @ 16:50:40
Heh! Is that what Liow Tiong Lai’s boycott is about. He will not lift a finger for MCA. Well done, Brutus.
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disgusted
Feb 03, 2010 @ 18:01:58
As usual (I don’t know about Gerakan) MCA is “fire-fighting” with SMSes condemning the racist remarks but still keeping their self-interests intact…just the usual show. When they are privately with their AMNO bosses, the same goes on, Chinese saying, “Fanning the horse backside as it farts.” (Cantonese saying, “Pak ma Peh)
Ti Lian Ker (bootlicker) sent a couple of SMs, so what? He is also dreaming of a deputy minister post.
What I am saying is that MCA has no principles, sleeping with the devil, no matter what.
Sorry, no changes ahead! Life goes on as usual. Everybody will forget easily. But I hope NOT this time. Keep it in your brain till you die. Vote against racism.
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cilipadi
Feb 03, 2010 @ 22:36:57
Immorality is so important to them ….. to stay in power …….. or the other way, morality.
Little Napoleons are confused …. so confusing to them
Stack of filthy dirty cards ….. remember?
Morality makan cili, Immorality rasa pedas
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cilipadi
Feb 03, 2010 @ 22:51:20
This little Napoleon was confused what he can say or cannot say …. he doesn’t know what his boss wants ….. He doesn’t has his own mind? or his boss has no mind?
My Malay friend says, no different between ‘BODOH’ and ‘PANDAI’.
What is ‘BODOH’ , ‘PANDAI’?
BODOH makan cili, PANDAI rasa pedas
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ahoo
Feb 04, 2010 @ 10:58:14
This one is the bodoh & sombong type. Just because he is an aide to the PM, he thinks he has the world under his feet. Can someone check this bloke’s background ? Was he from BTN school ?
Most likely he advances in his political career by being WHO he knows rather than what he knows. We have tons of such politicians in Malaysia and slowly BUT surely they are coming out of their closet one by one. The ball is at the court of all bn component parties to take a firm stand. Someone who had recorded his entire speech should post it onto youtube and let us taste his bitterness. his would be a ” good speech ” as campaign material.
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Chauncey Gardener
Feb 04, 2010 @ 11:17:58
In relation to this issue, here’s a bit of humour :
“Only in Malaysia will you find that while the former Deputy Prime Minister is battling in court over allegedly sodomising his former aide, the current Prime Minister gets buggered by his own aide. Malaysia Boleh!”
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klm
Feb 04, 2010 @ 12:40:15
Read more about this Nasir guy in MT. He was mentioned in Bala’s Altantuya SD. This Nasir guy is no clean hands.
(editor: i think klm refers to this link:
http://malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30012:nasir-safar-the-mystery-man-the-day-altantuya-died&catid=22:the-corridors-of-power&Itemid=100085)
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