Totally unrepentant Umno seditious trio and Johore Mentri Besar’s rejection of Bangsa Malaysia make a total mockery of next year’s 50th Merdeka celebrations as climax of Malaysia’s half-a-century of nation building

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Monday) : The 50^th Merdeka celebrations next year  as the climax of Malaysia’s half-a-century of nation building has been cast under a further pall over the weekend by the Umno Supreme Council’s handling of the racist, incendiary and seditious utterances at the recent Umno general assembly,  the totally unrepentant Umno seditious trio who were given a “ticking off”  and the continued open rejection of the Bangsa Malaysia concept by Johore Mentri Besar,  Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

From yesterday’s New Straits Times report, “Fiery Umno delegates to still speak but carefully”, it is clear that there is no regret or remorse on the part of the  three Umno general assembly delegates – Perlis delegate Datuk Hashim Suboh, Umno Youth delegate Datuk Azimi Daim and Malacca delegate Hasnoor Sidang Hussein – for their insensitive, racist, extremist, incendiary and seditious utterances at the recent Umno general assembly. 

Instead they put the blame on “those who did not understand the metaphors used, particularly members of opposition parties” who “should be given  lessons on such literary devices”.

Their  utter lack of regret or remorse is illustrated by Azimi’s claim  that “it was not our Barisan Nasional comnponent parties which stoked the argument, but DAP and Keadilan”.

The Prime Minister and Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was asked at his press conference at the end of the second day of the Umno general assembly whether some Umno delegates had gone against his advice not to hurt the feelings of Barisan Nasisonal component party members when raising issues. 

Abdullah said that although some speakers had spoken very strongly on certain issues, they had kept within limits and that this was acceptable, adding that he was satisfied with the proceedings so far.

Under these circumstances, the Umno Supreme Council’s “ticking off” for the three “fiery Umno delegates” has become a most unhealthy precedent, even more so if it is taken as a message by  the Police and the Attorney-General that police reports lodged against the racist, incendiary and seditious utterances at the Umno general assembly were not to be taken seriously.

The continued open challenge to the Bangsa Malaysia concept of Vision 2020 by the Johore Mentri Besar, who re-opened the issue in his speech at the Datuk Onn National Conference over the weekend, has brought to the fore the question as to what is the meaning of nation-building on the occasion of  the 50^th Merdeka celebrations next year.

What is the position of the Federal Government and the various Barisan Nasional component parties to the open  challenge to the concept of Bangsa Malaysia in Vision 2020 posed by the Johore Mentri Besar?

(4/12/2006)