And what is reported today in The Star page N17 is worth reproducing for my ER -- many who don't buy MSM anymore, but Desi sometimes does, will explain later! -- to keep abreast.
Monday September 27, 2010
Awang Selamat’s views are more suited for the 60s, says minister
KUALA LUMPUR: The tirade between Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz and a columnist has persisted, with the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department accusing the writer of “having a long way to go” in accepting that Malaysia is a country belonging to Malaysians of all races.
“To be a Malaysian does not necessarily mean to be anti-Malay,” he said.
Nazri, in his second open letter to Awang Selamat over what the latter wrote in Mingguan Malaysia yesterday, said:
“If I am a Malaysian leader today, a lot of credit must be given to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I hold him responsible for what I am today and I owe him a lot.
“I just want my ‘sifu’ to continue to help me and the others to be good leaders of this blessed country of ours and not to divide us by race, creed, cult and gender.”
Yesterday, Awang wrote in his column that it was short-sightedness of anyone to accuse the newspaper of being racist, saying that Utusan was a Malay institution which had made many sacrifices.
At another event in Taiping later, Nazri described Awang as a narrow-minded person whose views were more suited for the 60s.
On Awang’s assertion that the minister was too close with the Opposition, Nazri said Opposition politicians should also be respected because they were voted in by the people, too.
Nazri said that after 53 years of independence, Malaysians should not be talking about tolerance. Instead focus on accepting the differences of the other races, he said.
“I should be told where I have done wrong when I said that I’m a Malaysian first and a Malay second. If they are not happy, then kick me out,” he said at a press conference after launching compressed natural gas powered commercial vehicles assembled by Super Coach Assembly Plant Sdn Bhd at the Kamunting industrial estate here.
Nazri said he was willing to be “a sacrificial lamb” if his stand on the 1Malaysia concept was in collision with Umno’s struggle.
He said Umno had been the backbone of the then Alliance, where parties representing the other races were brought together to fight for a common cause.
“I may be in conflict if Umno is racist and I believe in what I am doing. Unless Umno tells me it’s not fighting for multi-racialism, then throw me out,” he added.
Nazri said he only worked for his boss – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who appointed him with the consent of the King.(Copied from thestaronline.com.my)
DESIDERATA: It'sgood once in a while to have an UMNO old guard speaking out "independently" -- especially those who are at the wrong end of the stick of former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- so he/she can give a contrarian view of the mostly-toe-the-line old UMNO politics, including from ex-UMNO ministers/deputy ministers-cum-froggies like Perkasa head Ibrahim Ali, who I must remind he was elected an MP on a PAS ticket. I too digress a byte reminding MPS like Wee Choo Keong and Tan Tee Beng they were elected into Parliament on PKR tickets, and the electorates won't forget this factor cometh the GE13!
Meanwhile, I will continue elaborating on WHY someimes I but either the New Straits Times or The Star and share some nuggets from my doctor-brother-migrant-DownUnder back in Furong for a Eat-Sleep-n-ENJOY NegaraKu's better sides. Yes, NOT all is bad and bleak in Malaysia, and NOT all is bad in UMNO as Nazri proves. Once in a w'ile:)-lah, YL, Desi,knottyaSsusual
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