The recent Malaysiakini video recording of a mob of Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos’s Red Shirts surrounding a defenceless Bersih supporter in Sabak Bernam, pelting him with eggs and kicking him down from his motorcycle, has received close to 400,000 views and over 1000 comments.
This, I think, may just be the incident which will bring out the true character and nature of the Malays in the country, who during my time I knew my Malay friends as “nature’s gentlemen”.
We can see from the Malay response to the incident that many in the community are waking up and want no more of the “samseng” Red Shirts.
One Malay reader was so disgusted by what happened. He wrote the following:
“when the jamal fella doing press conference in toilets and the red shits kicking poor defenceless people in the back, who looks worse? I remember the interview with the makcik felda from last year who said she was just offered a free trip to kl, and had no idea what the red shit movement was about. So sad. Felt sorry for her.”
Not only have the Malays condemned this band of paid hooligans but they have also criticised the police for their inaction. This angry mass response of Malays appears to have jolted the Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, into taking some action against this band of UMNO members who probably have been paid quite a bit to ensure their participation in harassing the Bersih convoy. Let’s see the IGP’s response.
Malaysians applaud PAS vice president Idris Ahmad who said the assault was “barbaric” and backward. “We are in the new millennium. We can no longer practise politics like we did in the 1960s or be barbarians. Match argument against argument, programme against programme. Not meeting convoys with side kicks,” he said in Harakah Daily.
Strangely or not is the complete silence on PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang. Hadi is president of the largest Islamic party in the country and second largest Malay party.
I hope his PAS colleagues can speak to him about the importance of honesty and integrity and about the need for him to lecture Jamal and his Red Shirts on the punishment that they will receive once hudud law comes into effect in Malaysia!
Perhaps Hadi is waiting for November 19 to make his maiden pronouncement on the Red Thugs who are disgracing the Malays and Islam. Jamal has also posted the following seditious threat in his Facebook account:
“I promise the May 13 tragedy will repeat along with flying parang if Bersih 5 is held at the time, date and place as planned on Nov 19. Long live Malays!”
While ordinary Malays have rejected and condemned the Red Shirts, we have yet to get a strong, unambiguous and no-nonsense response from UMNO leaders.
Malaysians, however, are still awaiting a statement from UMNO President, Najib Razak on Jamal and the Red Shirts.
Koon Yew Yin
