Malaysia's victorious run in the AFF Suzuki Cup -- the ASEAN World Cup -- rekindled our patriotism to heights not seen since the epic Thomas Cup win of 1992. The exploits of our Harimau Malaya warriors captured our imagination, as the nation is mesmerised by the team's spirited performance against all odds, not least the fanatical antics of Indonesian supporters in Jakarta. Being extricated out of a hotel under siege and transported to the stadium and back inside a convoy of armoured personnel carriers is certainly a first in world soccer -- another Malaysia Boleh moment to cherish.
What more can I say, except: "Syabas Harimau Malaya atas keperwiraan mu."
With continued guidance, competent coaching and less distraction from bandwagon-jumping politicians, our Harimau Malaya will only get stronger as this is essentially the B team, with at least 10 first choice players injured or unavailable. The AFF Cup winning squad would certainly be pressured for places by the likes of Aidil Zafuan, Zaquan Adha, Baddrol Bathtiar and S. Chanturu plus such established stalwarts such as Indra Putra Mahyuddin, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah and Shukor Adan. This bodes well for Malaysian football as the strength in depth and competition for places would only strengthen Harimau Malaya as we compete beyond the ASEAN region.
I personally witnessed Malaysia's 3-0 demolition of Indonesia in the first leg of the final at Bukit Jalil. I've had my share of sporting events -- from the old Merdeka Tournament to NBA basketball and NFL grid iron to NCAA college football to the 1984 LA Olympics and USA 1994 World Cup -- but the electric atmosphere, the patriotic frenzy, the pride to be Malaysian I witnessed at the stadium was special.
Perhaps we were playing the auld enemy, Indonesia, in a local derby between two brother nations of the Malay World. Perhaps the trash-talk on Facebook, Twitter and innumerable cyber forum sites ignited this surge of patriotic pride. Or perhaps the 5-1 hiding in Jakarta must be avenged. But whatever the cause, the cavernous 100,000 capacity stadium was filled to the brim, with thousands more ticketless fans locked outside.
To soak in the atmosphere, my party took public transport – the LRT – to and fro between the Setiawangsa and Bukit Jalil stations. The journey turned out to be quite memorable. At every station as we got closer to the stadium, ever increasing Malaysian fans resplendent in their Harimau Malaya livery and wrapped in the Jalur Gemilang joined in the merriment, with spontaneous hearty renditions of Inilah Barisan Kita amidst the din of air horns and various mutations of the vuvuzela. I couldn’t help but snigger at the shell-shocked faces of the multifarious foreigners and patently obvious illegals who nowadays seem to roam boldly, freely and noisily in KL’s public transport system. Malaysian patriots reclaimed the LRT at least on that day.
At Bukit Jalil, as the floodgates opened -- 1-0, then 2-0, then 3-0, a legit penalty denied -- with the young Harimau Malaya warriors devouring a shell-shocked Garuda squad, the patriotic pride and camaraderie among the Malaysian supporters reached frenzied proportions. Likewise the huge crowd that watched the Jakarta return leg at Dataran Merdeka's big screen as Malaysia clinched the tie on aggregate. Of course, the throng of fans that overwhelmed KLIA security upon the team's return was almost without precedence. Quite understandably, PM Najib and other politicians quickly cashed in on this "feel good" factor and gleefully jumped on the bandwagon with various pronouncements and incentives.
Across the land, Malaysians proudly wear their replica Harimau Malaya jerseys. Sites dedicated to Malaysian football proliferate in cyberspace. Check out the numerous Facebook pages set-up by Harimau Malaya fans and browse through the often heated cyber-sparring with still sore Indonesian fans. Amidst all the cyber-bravado, "aku bangga jadi anak Malaysia" forms the basis of the Malaysian replies to tragically comedic Indo provocations centered around stolen songs and costumes and now even rendang, kunyit and various condiments as incited by their unethical media plying questionable agendas.
Folks, Malaysian patriotism is back with a vengeance.
BUT something's missing from all these festivities and feel good euphoria that gripped the nation over the past fortnight.
You know what it is?
Now, let's see .....
How come this football epic has become a Malay only story? Firstly, except for Kunanlan and coach Rajagobal, the rest of the football heroes are Malays.
And 99% of the Malaysian supporters at Bukit Jalil are Malays.
And the Malaysian patriots sparring with their aggressive Indo counterparts on Facebook and elsewhere in cyberspace are again practically all Malays.
And the huge Dataran Merdeka crowd that watched the second leg on the big screen are almost all Malays.
Plus the KLIA welcoming crowd are again almost all Malays.
... I can go on and on about hometown receptions and such, but the point is:-
Where are the non-Malays?
What happened to the so-called "nons" amidst all the cheering and national rejoicing? Come on lah, aren't you people proud as well? Why this aversion to partake in celebrations with your fellow rakyat on such joyous occasions? Do you have to be bribed with free food and showered with tax-payers' financed Kongsi Raya giveaways before you shuffle your self-centered butts and elbow your way to sapu the buffet spread like a swarm of locusts?
You demand all sorts of "rights" and the right to be treated equally. But you do not demonstrate to us the majority your willingness to equally share our moments of patriotic joy as fellow rakyats.
You see folks, the nons get angry and demand apologies whenever their patriotism gets questioned? Zahid Hamidi was not incorrect when he questioned the nons' patriotism for their lack of interest in signing up for the armed services (or for that matter the Bomba, JPJ, Customs and other "national service" agencies). It can, of course, be argued that people with "immigrant mentalities" worldwide do not join such instruments of the established order, hence, bringing into question and debate the state of mind of the nons in this country, notwithstanding the fact that most are already 3rd-4th generation Malaysians.
So, can Kit Siang or Karpal .... naah, forget these arthritic dinosaurs, ... now, can Hannah Yeoh or Gobind Singh or Loh Gwo Burne please enlighten the rest of us why you alienise yourselves from the mainstream on such joyous occasions?
Boleh?
Ada logical answer ka?
Boleh?
Ada logical answer ka?
The way I see it, most of you nons lack a sense of belonging in this country. You don't quite fit-in beyond your immediate enclaves. This means that you are just pretenders, yup, phony plasticky citizens of convenience. To suit your needs, you'll pretend to be a Malaysian rakyat. You conveniently morph into a "Malaysian" to get your precious MYCards, priceless Malaysian passports, to acquire properties and to partake in your business activities, legal or otherwise. With those needs satiated, you typically revert to your default mode of being perpetually bitching, rabid Malay-hating subversives bad mouthing my Tanah Tumpah Darah at every opportunity in the real and virtual worlds.
Like this can ah?
And to add an ironic twist to this delusional pantomime, you nons are very adept at pretending to be the "mainstream" to a gullible foreign press and unabashedly use the "kami rakyat Malaysia" or "saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" and "we have a nation to take back" taglines in your subversive campaigns to reforge Malaysia into some sort of utopia for the nons that exists only in the minds of bored middle-aged underemployed identity-challenged lawyers.
Sick.
And to add an ironic twist to this delusional pantomime, you nons are very adept at pretending to be the "mainstream" to a gullible foreign press and unabashedly use the "kami rakyat Malaysia" or "saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" and "we have a nation to take back" taglines in your subversive campaigns to reforge Malaysia into some sort of utopia for the nons that exists only in the minds of bored middle-aged underemployed identity-challenged lawyers.
Sick.
As I've mentioned in the past, you self-segregating people stop playing team sports -- football and to a large extent, hockey -- to the point where Malays form 99% of players in the Malaysian professional soccer league and the vast majority in the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL). Of course, our national football and hockey teams have become an all-Malay affair nowadays.
Ayoyo aney and baii, you people don't play hockey anymore ah? Merajuk ka? Takpelah, Malaysia's almost all-Malay team beat India and narrowly lost to Pakistan to achieve a first ever Asian Games Silver medal.
Yeah sure, many nons like my friend Robin say that they just couldn't be bothered by the local football or hockey scene. We now have a situation where the typical Chan Yee How a.k.a. "Jimmy Chan" (with a "Tiffany Tan" -- who wouldn't know a football from other balls -- in tow) or a borderline obese John Muthiah would foam in the mouth when they talk about Liverpool or Chelsea and the EPL -- knowing even the most obscure of players and dissecting every move and "expertly" analysing team tactics over endless mugs of teh tarik at the kopitiam and mamak stalls until the wee hours of the morning -- when in reality these people have hardly touched a real life soccer ball, let alone kick it and, Tuhan forbid, actually play a competitive football match on the muddy grassfield or partake in organised competition in their schooldays and beyond.
An ESPN STARSports commentator actually said during one of Malaysia's early round AFF games that Malaysians are among the world's most avid EPL fans BUT have never set foot in a real stadium in their own country. Agreed, but this applies more aptly to the nons. Obviously the ESPN guy has never attended a Selangor or Kedah home game and I suggest you people attend a Kelantan Red Warriors game in Kota Bharu or when Kelantan makes its annual pilgrimage to Bukit Jalil for either the Malaysia Cup or FA Cup final to appreciate true-blooded Malaysian football pride and passion that would match the delirious Garuda Di Dadaku supporters at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno.
No people, these are not Merah Putih fans at Gelora Bung Karno. These are Malaysian football fans, yeah ... supporters of the original merah putih team, Kelantan. Kelantan's Merah Putih livery (1924) predated Indo's version (1945) by 21 years.
Ngapain loe ciplak donk? Gue protes gimana?
Patriotism and politics go hand in hand if you want to appeal to the Malay masses. And this is where the nons lost the plot.
You see, the predominant politics of the nons -- as manifested by the Pakatan Rakyat (see the liberal use of "rakyat" by these people) -- is not about patriotic pride or national advancement. Their politics is driven by hate, by huge chips on their shoulders against the imaginary Malay bogeymen and based on personality cults revolving around the DAP Ah Peks and a feisty old Baii fronted by Malay Apologists such as Brother Anwar, acclaimed by his flock as Anugerah Tuhan, God's gift to this country.
The nons created their current state of political confusion -- with alternative fronts and such -- when they began to belief their own rhetoric and propaganda in a weird process of political self-proselytising among the already converted subversives. A cursory glance in political fantasy sites such as the entertaining People's Parliament (haiya .... again self-designating themselves as representing the rakyat, the "people") reveals the skewed mindset of the congregation. The dozen odd regulars in that blog, blinded by their pathological hatred of the Malays (code named "BN/UMNO" of course), are immersed in a delusional orgy of self-relevance, where they actually think a handful of tak tau cakap Malayu nons -- alienated from grassroot Malaysiana with not even an iota of patriotism -- would determine the future of Malaysian politics from Kuala Perlis to Tumpat to Samarahan to Semporna. These people think Malaysia is a neat little collection of Bandar Utamas or Seri Kembangans where a bunch of kaypoh Ah Sohs and some nothing-better-to-do Indian loyars can influence public opinion and impact the ballot box.
Hence the birth of the MCLM and the Third Force.
Of course, these new political movements are a godsend to BN, particularly UMNO's wobbly political sidekicks, MCA, Gerakan and MIC. Third Force candidates won't win a single seat, but they would cannibalise enough anti-Malay votes from Pakatan to swing the results to BN's favour in 15-20 marginal seats such as Batu, Kelana Jaya and Wangsa Maju come PRU13.
I wouldn't be surprised if BN/UMNO makes sure MCLM and the Third Force thrive over the next six months. I can imagine BN/UMNO's cryptic cheer each time the Third Force earmarks yet another loud-mouth Malay-hating lawyer from the fringes of the social cesspool to be the alternative candidate to BN and PR in PRU13. Of course, Brother Anwar's gang might attempt to co-opt the Third Force by absorbing many of the nominees and make them PR candidates, but these bored, restless, angry menopausal middle-aged men and women -- the ultimate toxic Trojan Horses -- would wreak further havoc inside PKR and DAP with their anarchist streak wrapped in a wickedly condescending "we know what's good for you" demeanour.
These nons never cease to amaze me with their distorted view of their actual relevance and clout in the real Malaysia. I call this ailment the acute inbred cyber proselytising syndrome, a situation where small groups of anxious people from the lunatic fringes of society actually believe their own mutually reinforcing delusional thoughts to the point where they are convinced they can unilaterally retrofit (as the only "moving part" of Malaysia's complex socio-dynamics while the Malay Muslim majority lies frozen in suspended animation) the predominant societal ecosystem to suit their own parochial, prejudiced-laced ethno-cultural existence.
Middle-Aged Political Fantasy Trip a.k.a. Third Force meeting.
Not more than a hundred nons and a sprinkling of their
Not more than a hundred nons and a sprinkling of their
Malay stooges here actually believed THEY hold the
key to Malaysia's political future
key to Malaysia's political future
This irrational sense of relevance to Malaysian politics is demonstrated by the occasional candlelight vigils over nothing. You see, whenever a couple dozen nons hold a candlelight vigil to protest something (... usually a long-winded way to spew some pent-up anti-Malay, anti-Muslim sentiment), they would unabashedly proclaim themselves as the voice and face of the Rakyat, as the anointed front that will "take back" this country from some imaginary dark force.
Huh? Take back what from whom?
Aisey Uncle Aloysius, when was Tanah Melayu and the Borneo states ever in your grasp? Or is this yet another fairytale uttered in SJKC history lessons?
Now let's see, 84% of the electorate for the 1955 federal legislative election were Malay, with Chinese at 11% and Indians 4%. Then we went through the process of dilution of Tanah Melayu's Malay essence with the naturalisation at Merdeka of over a million resident aliens. These pendatangs spawned today's pretend-only Malaysians who now think they have this nation to take back from someone else. Huh? Imagine a tenant of a bilik now wanting to "take back" the whole rumah from the landlord?!
Haiya Ah Pek and Ah Soh, if there ever was a group that needs to "take back" this country -- after giving away soooo very much of everything -- it would be the Melayus laa!
Betul ka?
Betul ka?
See what happens to a congregation when bombarded repeatedly by the same deviant thoughts by some cyber High Priest? Sick.
Apa ni? 10-20 orang main lilin birthday cake pun sudah
mengaku jadi wakil seluruh rakyat Malaysia ka?
mengaku jadi wakil seluruh rakyat Malaysia ka?
Cute little candles are for kiddies'
birthdays lah Uncle and Auntie ...
Now ... these are my type of candles ........ road flares!
Real patriots guna flares maaah ..... and move aside Che Guevara. Make way for SuperMokh, Mokhtar Dahari ... a true patriot.
Nah, tengok ni.
100,000 orang PATRIOTIK di Bukit Jalil. Macam ni baru lah
boleh claim wakili seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Betul ka?
Bukan 20 orang main lilin bikin bising tepi longkang.
Oh, ... lu olang belani pigi sana ka? Gua tunggu.
Anyway, as I've said before, the Third Force and MCLM choirboys (misled by that peculiar malignant narcissist non with a Malay name, ... but that's another story) are nothing more than spoiled rabid Malay haters in need of another playpen after their ill-fated three-year infatuation with the unrepentant crooks and bungling simpletons of PR. Oh yes, these racists are cunning enough to parade pseudo-Malays or Malay-like faces in the forefront to legitimise their agendas. They would court the Melayu Sesat, the lost Malays, plus confused "Malay" half-breeds brought up in a non-Malay universe by estranged non-Malay parents, which they then unleash into the political scene as convenient DAP-hugging "Malayus."
Naah, these are not the real rakyat. These are not patriots. You wouldn't find them in stadiums to support the Malaysian Super League teams or our young overachieving Harimau Malaya national team. They don't want to live in harmony with the rest of us, not least the Malay majority. They are not interested in nation building, in forging a unified nation with a shared destiny. No. Malaysia to them is just a comfortable roost for the next leg of their multi-generational social journey towards some ill-defined promised land.
See what happened to PM Najib's 1 Malaysia logo in PR-controlled Selangor? Banned. The very symbol of Malay concessions -- Najib's foolish recognition of alien cultures and languages to be placed on the same pedestal as Bahasa Melayu and Malay culture in this land called Malaysia -- is itself rejected by the nons themselves, by the very people that should have rejoiced at the government's extra-constitutional means to explicitly accept their lingua-cultural specificities in a policy of pragmatic multiculturalism.
Yes, even 1 Malaysia they reject.
Si Melayu Liberal mau kasi apa lagi?
And this rejection of Malay concessions is spearheaded by a cocky little prick named Liu Tian Khiew a.k.a. "Ronnie Liu." Wau lau eh, this "Ronnie Liu" so terrer one laa, ... can overrule the federal government of Malaysia in the richest and most strategic state of the federation. And you nons still have the cheek to play with birthday candles and tell the world there's no democracy in this country?
Like this susah lah.
Lu olang suka main lilin. Lilin itu api. Kita olang pun suka main api. Tapi kita pakai lagi busat punya api. Gua ingat kita dua-dua jangan main-main sama api maaah ...
So folks, you want to see the real Rakyat?
Si Melayu Liberal mau kasi apa lagi?
And this rejection of Malay concessions is spearheaded by a cocky little prick named Liu Tian Khiew a.k.a. "Ronnie Liu." Wau lau eh, this "Ronnie Liu" so terrer one laa, ... can overrule the federal government of Malaysia in the richest and most strategic state of the federation. And you nons still have the cheek to play with birthday candles and tell the world there's no democracy in this country?
Like this susah lah.
Lu olang suka main lilin. Lilin itu api. Kita olang pun suka main api. Tapi kita pakai lagi busat punya api. Gua ingat kita dua-dua jangan main-main sama api maaah ...
So folks, you want to see the real Rakyat?
Follow my footsteps and board the LRT to Bukit Jalil the next time Harimau Malaya plays. See the tens of thousands of young patriots who are the real future of this nation, who will vote and who will propagate over the next two decades to forge the real Malaysia of the next 20-30 years. They are the future face of Malaysia, not the odd dozen Ah Bengs, Ah Mois, aunties and uncles and the occasional Uncle Raju with a weird fetish for birthday candles who actually believed they represent Mainstream Malaysiana in the face of demographic realities.
