CLEAR STAND: GPMS president Datuk Suhaimi meets the press
THE STAR 21 Dec 2000
PAS defends ChineSuqiuse group's memorandum
Withdraw memo, GPMS tells Suqiu
'Tis the season for groups not to show their folly Preamble Advance Democracy Uphold Human Rights and Justice Curb Corruption A Fair and Equitable Economic Policy An Enlightened, Liberal and Progressive Education Policy Let Our Multi-Ethnic Cultures Flourish Protect the Malaysian Environment Develop and Modernise New Villages Protect Women's Rights A Fair Media Restore Confidence in the Police Force Upgrade Social Services Respect the Rights of Workers Provide for Our Indigenous Peoples
PAS defends Chinese group's memorandum
By Farid Jamaludin
PAS has defended the memorandum submitted by Suqiu, saying many of the points raised were acceptable by most Malaysians.
PAS MP Mohamed Sabu said more than half of the requests reflected that the community wanted to make Malaysia a better place to live in.
"Most of them (points) are agreeable to Malaysians. How can we say no to efforts to weed out corrupt practice in the system or putting a stop to ISA,'' he said.
He chided Umno Youth for initiating a dialogue with Suqiu when PAS had already met the Chinese group to listen to their views.
"Although we agree that the Malay rights should not be questioned by any community, we believe the matter could be handled at the meeting table because of its sensitivities to both races,'' he said here yesterday.
Mohamed said the Cabinet had given an assurance that it had accepted the requests "in principle'' before the general election last year.
"Therefore the requests must be considered although we have to take out the sensitive requests and discuss them further or withdraw them for good,'' he added.
Mohamed said PAS had organised many dialogues with Chinese organisations as it believed that every community was entitled to certain rights as citizens.
He said the stand by PAS on Malay rights had been moderate because of the fact that the country existed on a multi-racial concept.
"We will never compromise on Malay rights but we are not going for each other to make sure that our rights are protected. We believe in dialogues to straighten things out,'' he added.
PAS president Datuk Fadzil Noor said that in line with democratic principles, the opposition front believed Suqiu should be allowed to forward its requests to be discussed and debated.
Withdraw memo, GPMS tells Suqiu
By Shahanaaz Sher Habib
The Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) wants Suqiu to be serious in its discussions with Umno Youth and withdraw its 17-point memorandum.
President Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim said that dialogue alone was not enough.
"We don't want Suqiu to talk today and make those demands again tomorrow,'' he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday.
CLEAR STAND: GPMS president Datuk Suhaimi meets the press |
He noted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had had a dialogue with Suqiu not too long ago where he advised the Chinese group against challenging the country's social contract and offending the Malays.
"But the next day, Suqiu said it would not budge from its 17-point request,'' he said.
On Tuesday, Umno Youth and Suqiu agreed to a dialogue to try and put an end to the controversy over the issue.
Suqiu, the Malaysian Chinese Election Appeals Committee, had stirred a hornet's nest in its memorandum to the Government as it implicitly called for the doing away of differences in status between bumiputras and non-bumiputras.
GPMS, which is one of the oldest and most influential Malay groups in the country with over 400,000 members comprising mostly students, then issued an ultimatum to Suqiu to withdraw its request by Jan 14 or face action.
GPMS, formed in 1948, has been in the forefront in bringing up issues relating to the Malay language.
Recently, it proposed re-introducing English in schools to improve the standard the language.
Its past leaders include educationist Aminuddin Baki, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tan Sri Salehuddin Mohamed, who now heads the Employees Provident Fund.
Suhaimi said GPMS was going ahead with its 100,000 protest gathering at Bukit Jalil unless "there are positive signs from Suqiu'' before the deadline.
He also announced that GPMS was setting up a new Malay body called "Gabungan Suara Melayu'' (GSM) or Federation of Malay Voices to unite Malays of all walks of life to speak out on issues facing them.
He said GSM would be headed by Datuk Seri Rahman Maidin, who is also the adviser of GPMS.
Rahman is also the Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) president and the Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry deputy president.
Suhaimi also took to task Umno Youth for its belated action over the Suqiu issue.
'Tis the season for groups not to show their folly
Comment by Wong Chun Wai
It's a good start--the soon-to-be-held dialogue between Umno Youth and Suqiu in a move to end the controversy over the 17-point memorandum submitted by the Chinese group.
That aside, a cooling-off period is needed now. Concession and compromise are strengths and groups involved in making demands supposedly on behalf of their communities should learn this.
As Umno Youth and Suqiu sit down and listen to each other, it is also best that the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS) help create a suitable atmosphere for the dialogue to take place.
There is too much confusion at this point. A lot of the murkiness is due to ignorance and political expediency.
For a start, despite the claims of both bodies to represent their respective ethnic groups, most Malaysians have never heard of them, until recently.
Suqiu, the Malaysian Chinese Organisations' Election Appeals Committee, claims to have the endorsement of 2,095 Malaysian Chinese organisations but the reality is that it is only two years old.
It may represent these Chinese organisations but it cannot claim to represent the community as a whole when there is the MCA which has elected representatives in the Government.
The GPMS claims to be 100,000-strong but as the name states, it is supposed to represent students. Apparently, it goes beyond that.
A student body just doesn't call the shots, like a semi-government body, and adopt confrontational responses.
Besides these groups, it is best that vernacular newspapers restrain from taking emotional positions. It is worse when one or two distort or sensationalise the statements of politicians.
And speaking of politicians, Barisan included, they cannot talk about national unity and, in the next breath, play to the gallery by raising statements with racial undertones.
Suqiu also has to take a lot of blame for its lack of savvy in presenting its case to the media, especially the influential Bahasa Malaysia dailies and academicians.
It is the same with the Dong Jiao Zong Chinese education movement. The Chinese groups should make it a point to have Bahasa or English equivalents of what they are about and what they are asking for.
Many Malaysians are not even sure how the names of the two Chinese groups are pronounced.
No group can exist in isolation. Both Suqiu and GPMS must understand that they can make demands but other Malaysians have their perspectives and objections as well.
Because Suqiu lacked good public-relations skills, it failed to emphasise that its name merely means to beg and to appeal.
It failed to emphasise in its memorandum that its points were only requests and proposals. In reports by certain vernacular dailies, the requests were turned into tuntutan or demands and made to look like an unreasonable stance.
The 17-point memorandum suddenly jumped to 83 points in some papers while others reported 89 points. In retaliation, GPMS said it planned to put out a 100-point memorandum--an apparent act of one-upmanship.
What GPMS and Suqiu can do is to come to a common agreement. There can be a meeting point of sorts, particularly on issues with universal values.
In the memorandum, Suqiu called for national unity, democracy, human rights and justice, curbing of corruption, a fair and equitable economic policy, a review of the privatisation policy, a liberal and progressive education policy, multi-culturalism, protecting the environment, development of new villages, housing for all, women's rights, a fair media, restoring confidence in the police force, upgrading social service, respect of workers' rights and protecting indigenous people.
It is hard to find fault with these wishes.
The fault lies in asking the Government to take steps to abolish the difference in status between bumiputras and non-bumiputras under the heading "promoting national unity''.
In this, Suqiu ventured into a sensitive area.
The issue is best left to the Malay community to decide.
In an act of accommodation as concerned Malaysians, Suqiu and GPMS should withdraw their memorandums simultaneously.
Suqiu and GPMS can then discuss points which Malaysians cherish irrespective of their ethnicity and religious beliefs.
The rule in Malaysian politics is simple--the thunder and lighting approach doesn't work. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Suqiu was invited to join the National Economic Consultative Council (NECC) but it refused.
If it had accepted, it would have appreciated the need to argue its case and listen to what others have to say. This is what the politics of accommodation is all about.
No ethnic group can have its way 100%--this is the reality and the basis of success in managing the country.
Sometimes, a simple whisper in the ear is more effective than handing over a thousand memoranda.
This country remembers its founding fathers for their farsightedness and compromise. We do not need self-appointed heroes harping on racial sentiment.
As we approach the festive season, let's forgive and forget.
Let's talk about common values instead of differences.
For the first time, Malaysians will celebrate Christmas, Hari Raya, New Year and Chinese New Year over the next one month.
We want to have a good time and no hot-headed politicians or wannabe politicians are going to spoil the party.
Suqiu's Appeals for the General Election 1999
The coming general elections will elect the Government and peoples' representatives who will lead the country into the next
millennium. Forty-two years after Independence, Malaysia has evolved into a dynamic multi-ethnic nation with progress in all
sectors, thanks to the efforts made by Malaysians of all ethnic communities. However, certain national policies, especially those
related to equality between ethnic communities, democracy, human rights and judicial autonomy, still leave much room for
improvement.
The economic crisis of the last two years and the Nipah virus epidemic are two recent disasters which have caused the Chinese
organisations to take serious stock of the future of this country. The government should have a more comprehensive integrated plan
to develop our small and medium-scale industries as well as New Villages which have been established more than fifty years ago.
While the government endeavours to carry out mega projects in our schools still faced by lack of funding, classrooms and teachers.
We hardly need to point out the depressed sectors among our indigenous peoples, estate workers, urban settlers and small
farmers.
Besides, we are very concerned about corruption, deviations in the implementation of government policies, lack of accountability
and transparency, bias of the media, all of which have aroused public concern.
In view of our love for the country and apprehensions for the future, we call upon all political parties and candidates in the coming
general elections to declare their support and endorsement of our appeals, and we urge all Malaysian to jointly work together
towards the realisation of these appeals.
Promote National Unity
National unity must be based on the interests of all Malaysian irrespective of race. Unity and solidarity can only be forged in an
environment in which there is equality and non-discrimination:
Enact a Race Relations Act to combat racism, racialism and race discrimination and institute a Race Relations Commision;
social background and religious belief;
Democracy is more than the ritual casting of a ballot once every five years -- there must be democracy at all levels of government in
order that we can realise parliamentary democracy and ensure free and fair elections:
Uphold Human Rights and Justice
Human rights must be upheld for the political, social, cultural and economic benefit of all peoples and for justice, peace and freedom in
our country:
Corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to the nation's deveopment. It has not only deprived the people of benefits but has
adversely affected the functioning of the government administration and erodes accountability. Corruption must be eradicated at all levels of the government and civil service:
A Fair and Equitable Economic Policy
It is time to review the country's economic policy and overcome the weaknesses that have been exposed during the recent financial
crisis. Businesses must be allowed the opportunity to compete on a fair basis regardless of race, and contracts and shares must not be
given out through nepotism, cronyism and corruption. It is clear that modernisation and development of the small & medium industries
have been grossly neglected while the Government has focussed on the business and industrial development of the Bumiputeras
during the last thirty years. The Government has also been negligent in the handling of the plight of pig rearers and victims of the
epidemic during the recent crisis in the pig-rearing industry:
Review the Privatisation Policy
The objective of privatising our public utilities is to improve efficiency and alleviate the economic burden on the public sector.
Although certain privatised utilities have provided more convenience to the people and enhanced economic growth, the lack of transparency in their operation has given rise to private monopolies. This has added to the burden on the people, led to the practice of cronyism and placed obstacles in the way of further economic development:
An Enlightened, Liberal and Progressive Education Policy
To face the challenges of the next century, we must review the entire Malaysian education system both in relation to human potential,
human resource demands as well as creativity, initiative and critical faculties of our students. The Chinese organisations are particularly
concerned that the 1996 Education Act does not give fair treatment to the mother tongue education of the Chinese, Tamil and other
ethnic minorities in our country. Chinese and Tamil primary schools are today in crisis because they face inadequate funding,
classrooms and teachers:
ensuring the use, teaching and development of the mother tongue of all Malaysian ethnic communities;
Increase the expenditure allocation for education;
Improve the salaries and conditions of teachers;
Introduce a system of student grants and loans for all, irrespective of ethnicity, based on a means-tested sliding scale;
Let Our Multi-Ethnic Cultures Flourish
Malaysia is a multi-cultural society. The existing National Cultural Policy of the Government is inclined towards mono-cultural,
hindering the flourishing of our country's myriad cultures. The formulation of a cultural policy based on the pluralistic nature of our
country is crucial to remedying this situation:
Protect the Malaysian Environment
All development projects which impinge on highlands, forests, wetlands, burial gounds and other heritage sites must be subject to
more stringent control. Laws and standards of environment protection in Malaysia need to be enforced strictly:
Develop and Modernise New Villages
Fifty years after their establishment, the 452 New Villages in the country where some 1.5 million Chinese Malaysians inhabit, are still
excluded from the mainstream of the national economic development plans. Their basic infrastructure still need improvement and, many
do not have their land titles or have these renewed:
There must be more positive action taken to realise the objective of housing for all in order to solve the urgent problem of housing for
the middle and lower income groups:
Women's rights must be addressed in both the public and private sectors:
The Malaysian media must be independent and fair and be allowed to operate without Government interference:
Restore Confidence in the Police Force
In recent years, the way in which the Malaysian police have conducted themselves has been a cause for concern and could well have shaken the confidence of the public in the police force:
Everyone has the right to live and die with dignity and to social protection against unemployment, sickness, disability, old age, death or other circumstances beyond a person's control:
Workers should have the right to fair working conditions and a safe, humane and democratic working environment in line with international labour standards:
Provide for Our Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples are increasingly marginalised and fall victim to development projects:
The above appeals were initiated by the following national Chinese Organisations:
1. United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong)
2. United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong)
3. United Chinese School Alumni Association of Malaysia
4. Nanyang University Alumni Association of Malaya
5. Taiwan Graduates Alumni Association of Malaysia
6. Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
7. Federation of Guangdong Associations of Malaysia
8. Federation of Guangxi Associations of Malaysia
9. Federation of Sanjiang Associations of Malaysia
10. Federation of Fuzhou Associations of Malaysia
11. Huazi Research Centre Malaysian
The appeals were endorsed by 1,848 Malaysian Chinese organisation as at 16th August 1999.
In 2000, another two Chinese organisations, in addition to the 11 above have joined Suqiu.
They are:
1. Negeri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall
2. Federation of Hokkien Associations of Malaysia
Before the 1999 Election, Suqiu has been endorsed by 2,095 Malaysian Chinese organisations.
THIS ARTICLE IS TAKEN
FROM THE THE STAR. IT IS ONLY FOR PERSONAL
REFERENCE IN CASE
THEY REMOVE THE ARTICLE PERMANANTLY. THERE IS NO
INTENTION TO INFRINGE ON ANY COPYRIGHT
LAWS ENFORCED.