Let me know if you think we're racist or prejudiced

By Haji Amde Sidik

Top picture was taken in Bongawan below, a pose look like a ¡®long lost' relatives from Kg Pantai met at fish market Sipitang..

This material is in response to one in my FB, but since then many are asking me if I could elaborate of my views. I've written earlier in my earlier blogs and newsprint, but anyway¡­enjoy your reading
It's interesting to get your comments perhaps it'd be more interesting if I can sit down with you. I now recalled you must be the one who earlier asked me the questions-to encapsulate the topic, its about race and religion.

Before that, could I know if you're Sabahan by origin or not? Because by tracing this way would help me to identity if Sabahans are racist or less racist compare with other groups that I've encountered.

My interpretation, you're saying leaders of SAPP often hurt the feeling of Malays and Muslims? Wonder if you could be specific who SAPP leaders are, and from what ethnic group

With regards to term Malay in Sabah you've to refer to other material later.

Next, who again talk bad (browbeat) about Bumiputras? As far as I can tell you more than half of party supreme council members are Bumiputra perhaps to be fair do mention to me also if any Bumiputra say bad thing about non-Bumiputras, so that I could act fairly to all.

I can be outright sometimes for certain things; some politicians disagree with my style but never mind, I don't expect everyone to like it.

Prejudices and discrimination

I might not be successful in eliminating all the element of prejudices and discriminatory attitudes in my Party- SAPP but I promise you, it's easier than being in UMNO (can keep this note for record)
Prejudices and discriminations happen all over, even in your home, but as country grows older I expect certain maturity comes with it.

While you're reading I would also want you to imagine of other political parties, see if there are differences in style and the composition.

Briefly for background info, I've been with SAPP for the last four years, knew the top leader since student's time in England more than thirty years ago.

I joined the party because of the party ¡®s struggle simply fares well for the majority of the people in Sabah and good for a longer term, I shall come back just for this topic later.

Before I joined SAPP I looked around who if any Sabahans that we Sabahans could rely on in the struggle for Sabah?

I couldn't wait to see Kadayan, Lundayeh & Brunai (my ethnics origin) none, and in the long list that I knew of, I'm yet to see one that takes deep interest, besides having the same wavelength.

Having similar vision is important to me I think would help to shape the struggle and SAPP has this to offer -a multi racial and multi religious party not just the outlook but with spirit for the people and for the State.

We regressing instead of progressing

This leads me to think that we've past that rhetoric 1 Malaysia slogan, I realised our doing now is no less than telling the world we failed our race relations test.

We should be preoccupying ourselves with something sophisticated not again and again about basic domestic matters such race and religions.

In this long winded thought I've to cut it short, and in fact if you've been with me for the last ten years I wouldn't have to rewrite.

You may care to check my earlier versions, in my I Beg To Differ, Published by BookStand, 2007 and or some with Daily Express.

To tell you frankly, Malaysia has the most racist political system in the world, see around, UMNO for Malays, MIC for Indians, MCA for Chinese, this is extended and mirrored to Sabah, UMNO Muslim Bumiputra, PBS Kadazan Dusun, UPKO, Kadazan, PRBRS Murut, LDB Chinese¡­these are well groomed racist institutions? I'm not talking about PAS and DAP yet.

For Sabah, this has been the most effective device to silent the bickering among the people and another, it's a control mechanism; what is also called divide and rule method.

Divide and rule strategy

As far as UMNO leaders are concerned, say if they disfavour certain leaders in one particular group they could just switch align, say from PBS to UPKO or to PBRS bah. Didn't Sabahans already learn this?

In Sabah Muslim leaders are yearning to re register USNO-the defunct political party for years now, do you think USNO will ever get registered? No, in so long as the current political system remained intact or even if there is new federal government no guarantee they won't adopt the same school?

My view is USNO would only get registered if SAPP formed the government. Because UMNO fears Muslim voters desert the old archaic idea, registering USNO would act as safety net.
What democracy?

Take another anecdote, beside Americans, millions of Malaysians proud of Obama, the first black to become President of USA. My fellow countrymen, this idea of black becomes President wasn't just mooted twelve months ago. Please read Martin Luther King.

The different, compare with our political system is, Americans learnt and shared together new schools of thought no more segregation¨Ccolourless, while we in Malaysia our school of thought is marred with distinct colours

Let see this, how about Joseph a brilliant scholar, son and grandson of equally Malaysian's brilliant scholars, shall I say, all eyes on him deserved to become Prime Minister of Malaysia. Can he?

My answer is, he can't be Malaysia Prime Minister because he is not Malay and not a Muslim either, and with this argument would lead me to tell you, this is why UMNO leaders prefer giving MyKads to Suluk since the 70s.

Ponder this who is more Malaysian, that (mundu) Suluk or Joseph? Isn't this prejudiced against our own people at broad daylight?

Our lives are compromise ..Mahathir's making

Our right to live in peace in Sabah has been compromised. I think in my legalistic view, Mahathir and a few more should be brought to World's Criminal Tribunal of Justice for recruiting terrorists Muslim of Suluk to Sabah. Is he not betraying his own country?

Malaysia Government gave away Mykad either by back or front door, the issue remained, it constitutionally not legal.

Now Sabah people are living in fear while some get killed.

Just for information my grandma remained with red identity card until she died, and she was from Sarawak.

So who threatens who and who gets hurt?

Hj Amde Sidik is Deputy President of SAPP, Director of Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis and Citizen Journalist Malaysia.