ASEAN Discussion Thread

[Dahyan]

While I'm not myself from any ASEAN country, I have lived in Malaysia in the past and am married into a Malaysian family. Does that count?

[Dahyan]

https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/05/17/a-malaysian-dilemma/

A Malaysian dilemma
By Sidi Munan on May 17, 2020, Sunday at 12:01 AM Columns, Uncle DI

Asean countries must persuade Myanmar to accept their people back. — AFP file photo

IN Mid-March this year, my source in Kuala Lumpur reported hearing about the Malaysian security authorities barring entry into Malaysian waters of boats carrying refugees suspected to be ethnic Rohingya.

No sooner was I able to confirm the authenticity of the story than a serious controversy had begun in earnest among Malaysians of all descriptions, including former top-ranking government leaders.

Opinion is divided into various dimensions. One group thought that the government should have allowed these people to land and be given food, drinks, medicine, and shelter. Another group consisting mainly of ordinary Malaysians, countering, advocated sending these new arrivals back to where they had come from, adding that there are already too many Rohingya in the country. For the moment, they said, our country cannot afford to accommodate any more outsiders. Anyway, not while the whole country is under a lockdown for fear of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Who knows these boat people could possibly be carriers of the virus and as such were potential agents of its transmission in this country? These are genuine fears among many Malaysians. These people are not strictly xenophobic but in the circumstances are in no mood to be as generous as before; those were normal times. And, times are not normal.

The tone of debate was getting vitriolic, uncharacteristic of polite Malaysians, with some debaters straying from the main topic which is the ban on entry of 202 boat people. These unfortunate souls were bobbling in rickety vessels on the high seas, desperately trying to land in Malaysia, but their boats were pushed back over the territorial waters of Malaysia. After they had been provided with basic food and drinks, my sources added.

Then the controversy became personal with religious sentiments thrown in. Like a virus it has mutated into other nasty side issues. Calls were made to the government to repatriate those Rohingya who are already here. That worsened the controversy even further. It was unMalaysian, I thought.

Views from the East

Although mostly confined to the debaters in Peninsular Malaysia, a few from Sarawak and Sabah also took part in the debate. As preemptive as they could, their stand has simply been that the new arrivals would not be welcome over here, not now, not later. That’s a genuine concern as far as I could ascertain from a cursory survey of opinion among the local political analysts and members of the chat groups to which I belong.

That is a strong signal to the federal government that there is simply no room in the two states as possible sites for settlement for the boat people.

Although Sarawak has had no problem of influx of illegal immigrants, Sabah may have another problem to compound the present. There, the problem caused by the infamous Project IC has not really been solved to the satisfaction of most Sabahans. Any attempt therefore that the state should accept non-Sabahans in large numbers as settlers (even temporary) would be a counter-productive exercise.

State interests aside, the Malaysians in these Borneo States are equally concerned with the problem of the Rohingya living in the peninsula. It’s a problem of national dimension; it’s a Malaysian dilemma.

It is hoped that the government of Malaysia will bring up the Rohingya issue for discussion at the Asean level as soon as possible. To be productive, Asean as a group has to modify its policy of hands off or non-interference with the affairs of a member state. This is not a problem of one country alone; it involves two states – Malaysia and Myanmar – and possibly a third, Bangladesh. It is a regional problem to be solved by the regional powers themselves.

The Rohingya are stateless as far as Myanmar is concerned. Imagine stateless people coming to settle in Malaysia when many of our own people are still stateless. Come to Sarawak for proof!

Malaysia is an attractive destination and a decent place to live in and raise families. And this attraction, like that of a beautiful woman’s, has brought Malaysia the trouble that she does not deserve.

Signing Convention on refugees?

The same source in KL disclosed that a pro-Rohingya lobby has been formed in KL. They have allegedly hinted that even a small country like Lebanon could accommodate a million refugees. By implication, Malaysia with plenty of room, including that in East Malaysia, can do the same provided the country signs up as a member of the Convention on Refugees 1951.

This would be an unwise move indeed. Let’s stick to the status quo: let not Malaysia become a signatory to the Convention. We are the better off without it. Nonetheless, we are obliged as a civilised nation to render assistance to foreigners in trouble the best we can. We have rendered service to the Vietnamese and others in the past. These boat people were relocated for almost a year at Bidong until Australia agreed to take them as permanent settlers.

I’m sure we will continue doing this service to humanity as a responsible member of the community of nations.

Comment

The Rohingya had come at the wrong time when Malaysians had to stay at home for fear of the coronavirus. We had to abide by the stay-at-home orders. In such a frame of mind, do not blame us in thinking of our own safety, first.

Didn’t the organisers of human trafficking, whoever or wherever they are, know that the Malaysian borders had been out of bounds to outsiders during this virus pandemic in order to prevent potential carriers of the virus to the local people?

I can’t help feeling that people who organised the human trafficking have taken advantage of the milk of Malaysian kindness. A friend called me, “They have taken us for a ride”, and I said to him that we were being blackmailed.

As the whole episode happened during the current virus pandemic, people are curious about how someone or some syndicate should be so unkind to take advantage of Malaysian hospitality.

I believe the predominantly Muslim Rohingya have outstayed their welcome here. Whether the rumors are true or not, they have no right to demand citizenship and a right to vote. I don't want to see any more Muslim migrants, legal or not, flooding into any part of my country, especially my home state of Sarawak, and upsetting the delicate racial and religious demographic balance that has already caused so many problems for us. I don't want to see Project IC playing out all over again on a national scale. I don't want to see the country Islamized any more than it already is, especially with a party of theocratic, religious bigots currently holding the levers of political power at both the federal and state level. More cheap, Muslim votes means more power to them. The Malaysian authorities should round up and detain all the illegal migrants and refugees and ship them back to Bangladesh or some other safe third country that is willing to process and admit them.

I'd be more than happy for Malaysia to admit political refugees from Hong Kong as well as Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Israeli, American, and European immigrants though, especially if they opt to settle in my hometown and state and usher in an era of real economic prosperity and cultural and political advancement. But Muslim and Mainland Chinese immigration (and Chinese tourism and investment) should be strictly curtailed to prevent any further Islamization of Malaysia as well as a potential, stealth takeover of the Malaysian economy and a gradual erosion of our national sovereignty by the CCP and its legion of spies and infiltrators.

The only Muslims Malaysia should admit on a strictly temporary basis should be Indonesian domestic helpers, who are mostly female, have family and friends away from home, work hard, learn the local language, and pose a minimal threat to both national security and our avowedly secular, democratic way of life, as is the case in Hong Kong.

As for immigration from other parts of the (non-Muslim) world, I'm open, but with reservations. More Indians and Latinos would be nice. I guess it wouldn't hurt to admit at least a handful of non-Muslim Filipinos as well. My only condition is that quotas limiting the numbers of those who can legally immigrate at any given time should be enforced to ensure that Malaysians don't lose out and that our social infrastructure is able to cope with the constant influx of newcomers. We only have so much land, manpower, and resources, after all.

The right kind of immigration would benefit Malaysia tremendously. Cultivating the right kind of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism that defers exclusively to no single race or religion would be a huge step in the right direction. We could be just like Hong Kong, minus the totalitarianism of the CCP.

Kind of hypocritical to complain about Muslims "upsetting the delicate balance" of a Muslim-majority country, only to immediately follow up by stating you would be okay wil upsetting the balance by letting non-Muslims flood in. Including Israelis (???) who are not even recognised as a country by Malaysia.

[New Bremerton]

While I'm not myself from any ASEAN country, I have lived in Malaysia in the past and am married into a Malaysian family. Does that count?

Does what count? I have a sister-in-law from HK who is married to my brother, a Malaysian citizen. I believe she should be allowed to apply for citizenship and settle down here permanently. I guess some leeway can be granted in your specific case. But I do think we have to implement a cut-off date and additional regulations for potential future arrivals to the country in order to prevent the kind of runaway chain migration and fraudulent marriages seen in some other countries. I don't think you should be allowed to sponsor your non-Malaysian relatives though to be honest. You're going to have to choose between your Malaysian family and your non-Malaysian relatives back home. I think that in your case, seeing as you're already married to a Malaysian and have lived in Malaysia previously, you should be entitled to citizenship after you've lived and worked in the country for at least five years, paid your taxes, and obeyed the letter of the law. But only because you're married, which would indicate a willingness to assimilate. People like you would fall before the cut-off date.

[Dahyan]

While I'm not myself from any ASEAN country, I have lived in Malaysia in the past and am married into a Malaysian family. Does that count?

Does what count? I have a sister-in-law from HK who is married to my brother, a Malaysian citizen. I believe she should be allowed to apply for citizenship and settle down here permanently. I guess some leeway can be granted in your specific case. But I do think we have to implement a cut-off date and additional regulations for potential future arrivals to the country in order to prevent the kind of runaway chain migration and fraudulent marriages seen in some other countries. I don't think you should be allowed to sponsor your non-Malaysian relatives though to be honest. You're going to have to choose between your Malaysian family and your non-Malaysian relatives back home. I think that in your case, seeing as you're already married to a Malaysian and have lived in Malaysia previously, you should be entitled to citizenship after you've lived and worked in the country for at least five years, paid your taxes, and obeyed the letter of the law. But only because you're married, which would indicate a willingness to assimilate. People like you would fall before the cut-off date.

I appreciate the sentiment, but just to make things clear: I am European. There is no real economic incentive for me to want to move to Malaysia, nor am I part of some sort of horde of immigrants.

That being said, I am considering eventually settling in Malaysia and applying for citizenship there. Mostly because I love the country and its people, and felt more at home there than in my native Belgium.

[New Bremerton]

https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/05/17/a-malaysian-dilemma/

I believe the predominantly Muslim Rohingya have outstayed their welcome here. Whether the rumors are true or not, they have no right to demand citizenship and a right to vote. I don't want to see any more Muslim migrants, legal or not, flooding into any part of my country, especially my home state of Sarawak, and upsetting the delicate racial and religious demographic balance that has already caused so many problems for us. I don't want to see Project IC playing out all over again on a national scale. I don't want to see the country Islamized any more than it already is, especially with a party of theocratic, religious bigots currently holding the levers of political power at both the federal and state level. More cheap, Muslim votes means more power to them. The Malaysian authorities should round up and detain all the illegal migrants and refugees and ship them back to Bangladesh or some other safe third country that is willing to process and admit them.

I'd be more than happy for Malaysia to admit political refugees from Hong Kong as well as Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Israeli, American, and European immigrants though, especially if they opt to settle in my hometown and state and usher in an era of real economic prosperity and cultural and political advancement. But Muslim and Mainland Chinese immigration (and Chinese tourism and investment) should be strictly curtailed to prevent any further Islamization of Malaysia as well as a potential, stealth takeover of the Malaysian economy and a gradual erosion of our national sovereignty by the CCP and its legion of spies and infiltrators.

The only Muslims Malaysia should admit on a strictly temporary basis should be Indonesian domestic helpers, who are mostly female, have family and friends away from home, work hard, learn the local language, and pose a minimal threat to both national security and our avowedly secular, democratic way of life, as is the case in Hong Kong.

As for immigration from other parts of the (non-Muslim) world, I'm open, but with reservations. More Indians and Latinos would be nice. I guess it wouldn't hurt to admit at least a handful of non-Muslim Filipinos as well. My only condition is that quotas limiting the numbers of those who can legally immigrate at any given time should be enforced to ensure that Malaysians don't lose out and that our social infrastructure is able to cope with the constant influx of newcomers. We only have so much land, manpower, and resources, after all.

The right kind of immigration would benefit Malaysia tremendously. Cultivating the right kind of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism that defers exclusively to no single race or religion would be a huge step in the right direction. We could be just like Hong Kong, minus the totalitarianism of the CCP.

Kind of hypocritical to complain about Muslims "upsetting the delicate balance" of a Muslim-majority country, only to immediately follow up by stating you would be okay wil upsetting the balance by letting non-Muslims flood in. Including Israelis (???) who are not even recognised as a country by Malaysia.

1. Chinese, Indians, and other non-Muslims have been around long before Malaysia even existed. We have as much right to call Malaysia home. We are indigenous sons of the soil too. We non-Malays and non-Muslims have as much right to tell Malays and Muslims to "fuck off" and leave Malaysia as they do to us. Malaysia is not, has never been, and will never be, a fundamentally Malay, Muslim-majority country no matter how much the racists and theocrats like to claim otherwise.

Mass, non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would go a long way toward reducing the racist, sectarian, discriminatory political monopoly that Malays and Muslims currently possess over non-Muslims. It would tremendously improve the demographic balance by cultivating the kind of multicultural and multiracial diversity that doesn't contradict and undermine itself by tiptoeing around the delicate feelings of only one race or religion at the expense of all else. We could finally abolish sharia and implement a total separation of mosque and state. We could eliminate Malaysia's culture of corruption, cronyism, race-based quotas and affirmative action, and ethnic favoritism, paving the way for Malaysia to finally become a Tiger economy with rapid economic growth on a par with Taiwan, HK, South Korea, and Singapore in the late 20th century. No longer will non-Malays and non-Muslims be second-class citizens ever again. Non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would make Malaysia great again.

2. Malaysia should immediately normalize relations with Israel and construct an embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing the entirety of the ancient city as its national capital. Jews and Israelis are more than welcome to immigrate here en masse, and if that triggers the antisemites, Islamists and fundamentalists, well then tough shit. There aren't that many Jews around the world anyway. Their ingenuity and capacity to innovate are exactly what this country needs. The modern state of Israel pretty much sprang from out of nowhere because of this.

[New Bremerton]

Does what count? I have a sister-in-law from HK who is married to my brother, a Malaysian citizen. I believe she should be allowed to apply for citizenship and settle down here permanently. I guess some leeway can be granted in your specific case. But I do think we have to implement a cut-off date and additional regulations for potential future arrivals to the country in order to prevent the kind of runaway chain migration and fraudulent marriages seen in some other countries. I don't think you should be allowed to sponsor your non-Malaysian relatives though to be honest. You're going to have to choose between your Malaysian family and your non-Malaysian relatives back home. I think that in your case, seeing as you're already married to a Malaysian and have lived in Malaysia previously, you should be entitled to citizenship after you've lived and worked in the country for at least five years, paid your taxes, and obeyed the letter of the law. But only because you're married, which would indicate a willingness to assimilate. People like you would fall before the cut-off date.

I appreciate the sentiment, but just to make things clear: I am European. There is no real economic incentive for me to want to move to Malaysia, nor am I part of some sort of horde of immigrants.

That being said, I am considering eventually settling in Malaysia and applying for citizenship there. Mostly because I love the country and its people, and felt more at home there than in my native Belgium.

Good for you. I'm genuinely flattered when foreigners actually praise Malaysia. Most Malaysians including myself tend not to think very highly of ourselves, and to be fair, international coverage of Malaysia, or what little there is of it, has almost always been negative. I do want to be fair and refer to rich Europeans, Americans and Japanese like yourself who wish to settle in Malaysia as immigrants rather than expats, horde or not. It's more of a class thing rather than a race thing.

[-Astoria]

Mass, non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would go a long way toward reducing the racist, sectarian, discriminatory political monopoly that Malays and Muslims currently possess over non-Muslims. It would tremendously improve the demographic balance by cultivating the kind of multicultural and multiracial diversity that doesn't contradict and undermine itself by tiptoeing around the delicate feelings of only one race or religion at the expense of all else.

By now directing such at them? Doesn't really sound sensible.

No longer will non-Malays and non-Muslims be second-class citizens ever again.

Yes, and there'll be a glorious future, now that all Muslims & Malays are now the second class!

Non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would make Malaysia great again.

*kchf*

2. Malaysia should immediately normalize relations with Israel and construct an embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing the entirety of the ancient city as its national capital.

Wouldn't be likely if more incursions into the West Bank happen...

Jews and Israelis are more than welcome to immigrate here en masse, and if that triggers the antisemites, Islamists and fundamentalists, well then tough shit.

Ah yes, owning the strawmen.

Their ingenuity and capacity to innovate are exactly what this country needs. The modern state of Israel pretty much sprang from out of nowhere because of this.

The Balfour declaration called.

[New Bremerton]

Mass, non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would go a long way toward reducing the racist, sectarian, discriminatory political monopoly that Malays and Muslims currently possess over non-Muslims. It would tremendously improve the demographic balance by cultivating the kind of multicultural and multiracial diversity that doesn't contradict and undermine itself by tiptoeing around the delicate feelings of only one race or religion at the expense of all else.

By now directing such at them?

Where did I say that?

No longer will non-Malays and non-Muslims be second-class citizens ever again.

Yes, and there'll be a glorious future, now that all Muslims & Malays are now the second class!

Nope.

Non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would make Malaysia great again.

*kchf*

Yes.

2. Malaysia should immediately normalize relations with Israel and construct an embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing the entirety of the ancient city as its national capital.

Wouldn't be likely if more incursions into the West Bank happen...

It's not a matter of probability. It's a matter of doing what's right.

Jews and Israelis are more than welcome to immigrate here en masse, and if that triggers the antisemites, Islamists and fundamentalists, well then tough shit.

Ah yes, owning the strawmen.

Believe it or not, these people actually exist and run my country. Try not to get burned by your own strawmen.

Their ingenuity and capacity to innovate are exactly what this country needs. The modern state of Israel pretty much sprang from out of nowhere because of this.

The Balfour declaration called.

The Yishuv brought prosperity to the Ottoman province long before WWI and large numbers of Arabs from the surrounding region migrated to Palestine for this very reason. Palestinians, most of whom are descended from these migrants, only exist today to negate Israel's very existence. They didn't exist a century ago. But we're veering wildly off-topic.

[Dahyan]

There is a LOT to unpack here, and I have to struggle not to get a headache after reading this. Suffice to say that any ordinary Malaysian would probably get a heart attack seeing what you have concocted here

1. Chinese, Indians, and other non-Muslims have been around long before Malaysia even existed. We have as much right to call Malaysia home. We are indigenous sons of the soil too. We non-Malays and non-Muslims have as much right to tell Malays and Muslims to "fuck off" and leave Malaysia as they do to us. Malaysia is not, has never been, and will never be, a fundamentally Malay, Muslim-majority country no matter how much the racists and theocrats like to claim otherwise.

The fact that it wasn't called Malaysia yet, is irrelevant. Malays have lived in the area for thousands of years. Mass Indian and Chinese migration was brought about by the British. That is not even open for debate, it's a historical fact.

Sure, there were Indian and Chinese traders living in Malaya before the British colonisation, but the mass settling of Chinese and Indian community was deliberate British policy. Not that there is anything wrong with them being there, mind you. Just need to state the facts correctly.

Mass, non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would go a long way toward reducing the racist, sectarian, discriminatory political monopoly that Malays and Muslims currently possess over non-Muslims. It would tremendously improve the demographic balance by cultivating the kind of multicultural and multiracial diversity that doesn't contradict and undermine itself by tiptoeing around the delicate feelings of only one race or religion at the expense of all else.

You don't need deliberate social engineering in order to facilitate coexistence and fair treatment of different races. In fact, that would be immensely counterproductive.

We could finally abolish sharia and implement a total separation of mosque and state.

No way any regular Malay would ever accept that. Again, social engineering to forcibly make countries more "Western" is not a good thing.

We could eliminate Malaysia's culture of corruption, cronyism, race-based quotas and affirmative action, and ethnic favoritism

Cronyism and corruption is just as prevalent amongst the ethnic Chinese business elite as it is amongst upper class Malays, if not more. This is a ridiculous point to make.

Paving the way for Malaysia to finally become a Tiger economy with rapid economic growth on a par with Taiwan, HK, South Korea, and Singapore in the late 20th century.

The "tiger economy" propaganda is a neoliberal hoax that looks only at GDP numbers without looking at actual quality of living or welfare policies. Singapore is a great example of how to build a dysfunctional country based only on profit-making and disregarding the actual life of the common citizen.

No longer will non-Malays and non-Muslims be second-class citizens ever again. Non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration would make Malaysia great again.

Lol wut.

Malaysia should immediately normalize relations with Israel and construct an embassy in Jerusalem, recognizing the entirety of the ancient city as its national capital. Jews and Israelis are more than welcome to immigrate here en masse, and if that triggers the antisemites, Islamists and fundamentalists, well then tough shit.

Yeah... No. No self-respecting Muslim majority country is going to do that. And definitely not Malaysia. There is literally no reason whatsoever to do that.

There aren't that many Jews around the world anyway. Their ingenuity and capacity to innovate are exactly what this country needs.

Ascribing fundamental character traits based solely on ethnic or religious background, I see.

The modern state of Israel pretty much sprang from out of nowhere because of this.

Are you for real? Decades of war and ethnic cleansing don't exactly count as "out of nowhere".

[Dahyan]

I appreciate the sentiment, but just to make things clear: I am European. There is no real economic incentive for me to want to move to Malaysia, nor am I part of some sort of horde of immigrants.

That being said, I am considering eventually settling in Malaysia and applying for citizenship there. Mostly because I love the country and its people, and felt more at home there than in my native Belgium.

Good for you. I'm genuinely flattered when foreigners actually praise Malaysia. Most Malaysians including myself tend not to think very highly of ourselves, and to be fair, international coverage of Malaysia, or what little there is of it, has almost always been negative. I do want to be fair and refer to rich Europeans, Americans and Japanese like yourself who wish to settle in Malaysia as immigrants rather than expats, horde or not. It's more of a class thing rather than a race thing.

I'm not comfortable with white privilege being done for or to me, so this entire "welcome to Malaysia" thing you're giving me after previously demanding mass deportation of actual war refugees who are facing literal genocide back home, kind of has a bad taste for me.

[-Astoria]

Nope.

Tell me, did you or did you not say that immigration should be stopped only for Muslims?

Yes.

It's laughable, to say the least.

Believe it or not, these people actually exist and run my country. Try not to get burned by your own strawmen.

Bold of you to assume I brought some strawmen - blanketing all Malays & Muslims as racist antisemites clearly is one.

The Yishuv brought prosperity to the Ottoman province long before WWI and large numbers of Arabs from the surrounding region migrated to Palestine for this very reason. Palestinians, most of whom are descended from these migrants, only exist today to negate Israel's very existence. They didn't exist a century ago.

The same can be said for the many European-originating Jews as well; that's a false equivalence. It still does not excuse the inhumane treatment of innocents.

[Dahyan]

The Kedah Harapan state government led by Mahathir's son has been toppled

Kedah Opposition leader announces formation of Perikatan state govt, collapse of Pakatan and Mukhriz’s reign as MB
[Malay Mail]
Emmanuel Santa Maria Chin
Malay Mail12 May 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Kedah’s Opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today announced the formation of the Perikatan Nasional state government with the support of 23 assemblymen, effectively bringing an end to the Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan (PH) state administration.

The PAS Jeneri assemblyman, during a press conferences broadcasted “live” on PAS Kedah’s Facebook, detailed out how 15 PAS assemblymen, along with two from Barisan Nasional (BN), four from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and two former PKR members, had joined forces.

Lunas assemblyman and state exco Azman Nasrudin as well as Sidam assemblyman Robert Ling Kui Ee are the latest defectors from PKR, who both today formally through a press conference left the party in support of the PN administration.

“It is with pleasure that I would like to announced that on May 12, 2020, on the 19th day of the Ramadan month, a total of 23 Kedah assemblymen have lost their confidence in the leadership of Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir as the Kedah mentri besar.

“With the loss of confidence, therefore the Pakatan Harapan government of Kedah has collapsed.

“In a mutual agreement, 19 from the 23 assemblymen present here today have agreed to form a new Kedah state government under the flag of PN,” Muhammad Sanusi said during the press conference.

He then explained that the candidate for the next mentri besar lies in the hands of the federal PN leadership, whom he said would decide on the nominees before presenting the list to the state government.

“There will be a consensus made at the federal level. I believe there is a consensus on who will be the leader, but that discussion is for those at the federal level.

“We won’t discuss such things among the state leaders. This will be discussed by the federal leaders; the presidents of all three parties,” he asserted.

The Kedah State Legislative Assembly has a total of 36 seats, with 19 required to form a simple majority.

Concerning the post of mentri besar, Muhammad Sanusi denied posters being circulated depicting him as the new mentri besar were legitimate, saying it was the work of cybertroopers.

“It’s (the poster) not real. I would have worn something more appropriate in the photo if it was real. This is the work of cybertroopers,” he claimed.

Muhammad Sanusi then expressed hope that the representatives forming the new state government would be allowed an audience with the Kedah Sultan to formalise the transition of power.

He added such matters concerning an audience with the Sultan were administrative procedures that would be arranged by the state secretariat’s office.

Good. Mukhriz can't be trusted.

[Imperial Majapahit]

-I'm genuinely flattered when foreigners actually praise Malaysia. Most Malaysians including myself tend not to think very highly of ourselves, and to be fair, international coverage of Malaysia, or what little there is of it, has almost always been negative-

Not gonna lie, as your neighbour, I genuinely feel like you guys are one step ahead of us in many aspects. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

[Dahyan]

-I'm genuinely flattered when foreigners actually praise Malaysia. Most Malaysians including myself tend not to think very highly of ourselves, and to be fair, international coverage of Malaysia, or what little there is of it, has almost always been negative-

Not gonna lie, as your neighbour, I genuinely feel like you guys are one step ahead of us in many aspects. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

This. I find Malaysians' general lack of patriotism incredibly odd. As far as South-East Asian nations go, Malaysia really is doing quite well, all things considered.

Inhabitants of, and even immigrants originating from, much more troubled countries such as Thailand or the Philippines (not meant in a condescending way, just taking into account things such as poverty levels) are generally quite patriotic. Malaysia should really work on its inferiority complex.

[New Bremerton]

-I'm genuinely flattered when foreigners actually praise Malaysia. Most Malaysians including myself tend not to think very highly of ourselves, and to be fair, international coverage of Malaysia, or what little there is of it, has almost always been negative-

Not gonna lie, as your neighbour, I genuinely feel like you guys are one step ahead of us in many aspects. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

Your country has over 200 million people, so it's obviously going to be much harder for your government to test and contact-trace everyone. Geography's a bitch.

Not gonna lie, as your neighbour, I genuinely feel like you guys are one step ahead of us in many aspects. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

This. I find Malaysians' general lack of patriotism incredibly odd. As far as South-East Asian nations go, Malaysia really is doing quite well, all things considered.

Inhabitants of, and even immigrants originating from, much more troubled countries such as Thailand or the Philippines (not meant in a condescending way, just taking into account things such as poverty levels) are generally quite patriotic. Malaysia should really work on its inferiority complex.

A lot of Malaysian Chinese, some of whom I know, worship China and the CCP with a passion, because "Malays/Muslims bad". I've had to put up with ignorant relatives demonizing protesters in HK as "rioters" and "terrorists". My brother in particular is fed up with their BS. If they love China so much, why don't they move there and kiss Xi Jinping's feet?

I suspect Malays tend to be more patriotic to the Moon and Stripes than Chinese and Indians are because they're the majority and they call the shots in "their" country. The draconian, anti-free speech laws that criminalize perceived slights against Islam and the monarchy are specifically enforced, if not explicitly designed, to "protect Malay/Muslim sensitivities". The current PN backdoor government, as well as the former BN authoritarian regime, is widely perceived to cater solely to Malays and Muslims if the comments section of Malaysiakini is anything to go by.

Mkini recently reported on the case of an American YouTuber who posted videos praising the Malaysian government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, leading people to suspect that he was being paid to praise the current government, an allegation he strenuously denies. Many Malaysians would prefer that he praise Vietnam, which has fewer confirmed cases than even Taiwan. Aki from Japan has also praised Malaysia's response and compared it (negatively) to his own country's response. The huge outbreak of over 16,000 cases over there seemed to vindicate his assessment, although Japan has successfully flattened its curve since then, and the U.S.-imposed constitution bars the Japanese government from imposing a full lockdown like the Movement Control Order we have here.

As for me personally, being born and raised in HK, having lived and studied in the UK, and having visited Japan (twice) and NZ in recent years, makes it very difficult for me to view Malaysia in a positive light, let alone develop any genuine patriotic fervor. Moving from a First World country to a Third World country with a deeply dysfunctional economy, society, and political culture was a huge, reverse culture shock for me and my life-long, First World standards and expectations. The closest I ever came to actually being patriotic was when then-PM Mahathir canceled a Chinese Belt-and-Road megaproject (ECRL) and China responded by threatening "economic consequences". Other than that, I find that I'm far more loyal to Hong Kong and anyone who supports HK than I am to either China or Malaysia. I have far more respect for Hong Kongers than, well, pretty much anyone else in the world, especially in the wake of protests that erupted last year. Only Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Canadians, Kiwis, and Israelis come close.

This pandemic, as well as the slow death of Hong Kong by political strangulation, has led me to appreciate living in a more remote part of the world for perhaps the first time in my life, away from the worst of the pandemic in Europe, America, Brazil, India, and to a lesser extent, Malaya and Singapore, away from the racism and religious intolerance that pervades the Malayan peninsula, and away from China and that insufferable woman Carrie Lam. Does this appreciation translate into patriotism? Not necessarily. Is it temporary? Perhaps, until the pandemic finally dies down.

Malaysia deserves praise for the way it has successfully handled the outbreak, although it's worth noting that Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, a highly competent civil servant (luckily for us), was the one who led the response and is being viewed as a national hero by many Malaysians. Not the Health Minister, the Prime Minister, or any of the assorted PN government politicians. It's also worth noting that, were it not for the sudden collapse of the previous PH government and the political crisis that followed, an outbreak numbering thousands of cases would never have occurred. The previous Health Minister was actually competent and the situation was under control. Malaysia only appears to be doing well because other countries, including many developed countries, have fared so much worse.

[Dahyan]

A lot of Malaysian Chinese, some of whom I know, worship China and the CCP with a passion, because "Malays/Muslims bad". I've had to put up with ignorant relatives demonizing protesters in HK as "rioters" and "terrorists". My brother in particular is fed up with their BS. If they love China so much, why don't they move there and kiss Xi Jinping's feet?

If anything, the Malaysian Chinese population tends so worship the worst and most reactionary Chinese places in the world. They tend to swoon over "Taiwan" and the Hong Kong protest movement (which are a bunch of degenerates waving British colonial flags at the end of the day.) I have met very few pro-CCP Malaysian Chinese ever. But perhaps I've just been unlucky and haven't met the good ones yet.

I suspect Malays tend to be more patriotic to the Moon and Stripes than Chinese and Indians are because they're the majority and they call the shots in "their" country. The draconian, anti-free speech laws that criminalize perceived slights against Islam and the monarchy are specifically enforced, if not explicitly designed, to "protect Malay/Muslim sensitivities".

Obviously. They are the majority of the country. There is a lot of patriotism amongst Indian Malaysians as well though. The Tamils in general at least have done the effort to speak Malay. Many Chinese, though their ancestors having lived in Malaysia for around two hundred years already in some cases, don't even bother to do that. The lack of dedication to Malaysia is a deliberate choice made by a specific group of Malaysian Chinese who look up to Singapore.

The current PN backdoor government, as well as the former BN authoritarian regime, is widely perceived to cater solely to Malays and Muslims if the comments section of Malaysiakini is anything to go by.

The people who wrote those comments are idiots than.

Mkini recently reported on the case of an American YouTuber who posted videos praising the Malaysian government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, leading people to suspect that he was being paid to praise the current government, an allegation he strenuously denies.

That's a ridiculous allegation. Malaysia quite simply did really well. They have fewer cases than tiny Singapore, for crying out loud.

As for me personally, being born and raised in HK, having lived and studied in the UK, and having visited Japan (twice) and NZ in recent years, makes it very difficult for me to view Malaysia in a positive light, let alone develop any genuine patriotic fervor. Moving from a First World country to a Third World country with a deeply dysfunctional economy, society, and political culture was a huge, reverse culture shock for me and my life-long, First World standards and expectations.

This explains a lot. It's called occidentosis, or Westoxification. You come to Malaysia expecting it to suddenly be a First World country, completely disregarding the historical developments that led to there being things such as a First and Third World in the first place. Basically, you seem to have been conditioned into a sort of inferiority complex. It's truly sad, but it's a problem I have noticed with several Malaysians, especially upper-class youngsters.

The closest I ever came to actually being patriotic was when then-PM Mahathir canceled a Chinese Belt-and-Road megaproject (ECRL) and China responded by threatening "economic consequences".

So you're patriotic about Mahathir canceling the economic and social development of the East Coast? Typical. The "All the money has got to go to the Chinese-dominated enclaves on the West Coast, while Kelantan and Terengganu have to be starved of development" doctrine. A very typical mindset of neoliberal cronies in Malaysia.

Other than that, I find that I'm far more loyal to Hong Kong and anyone who supports HK than I am to either China or Malaysia. I have far more respect for Hong Kongers than, well, pretty much anyone else in the world, especially in the wake of protests that erupted last year. Only Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Canadians, Kiwis, and Israelis come close.

Now to use your own anti-PRC argument right back at you: Then why don't you just go back to Hong Kong? Or any of your other well-liked neoliberal outposts such as Taipei or Singapore?

Malaysia deserves praise for the way it has successfully handled the outbreak, although it's worth noting that Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, a highly competent civil servant (luckily for us), was the one who led the response and is being viewed as a national hero by many Malaysians. Not the Health Minister, the Prime Minister, or any of the assorted PN government politicians. It's also worth noting that, were it not for the sudden collapse of the previous PH government and the political crisis that followed, an outbreak numbering thousands of cases would never have occurred. The previous Health Minister was actually competent and the situation was under control. Malaysia only appears to be doing well because other countries, including many developed countries, have fared so much worse.

No, Malaysia has objectively doen better than much of the First World. Malaysias's response has been better than Belgium, for example, having fewer cases and fewer deaths despite having triple the population.

Blaming PN for the crisis is ridiculous. By the time PH collapsed under the weight of its own incompetence, the pandemic had barely reached worldwide attention. If anything, Mahathir dodged a bullet by stepping down when he did. I shudder to think how badly he would have messed up if he were still in charge today.

[-Astoria]

If anything, the Malaysian Chinese population tends so worship the worst and most reactionary Chinese places in the world. They tend to swoon over "Taiwan" and the Hong Kong protest movement (which are a bunch of degenerates waving British colonial flags at the end of the day.)

> Taiwan
> "worst and most reactionary Chinese places in the world"

Please pick one. Also, waving a pre-SAR flag does not always automatically mean that you wish to return to the days before 1997.

The current PN backdoor government, as well as the former BN authoritarian regime, is widely perceived to cater solely to Malays and Muslims if the comments section of Malaysiakini is anything to go by.

The people who wrote those comments are idiots than.[/quote]
To be fair, it wouldn't be that great to cull comments from a news website; might not hold too much water, that.

So you're patriotic about Mahathir canceling the economic and social development of the East Coast? Typical. The "All the money has got to go to the Chinese-dominated enclaves on the West Coast, while Kelantan and Terengganu have to be starved of development" doctrine. A very typical mindset of neoliberal cronies in Malaysia.

He said:

canceled a Chinese Belt-and-Road megaproject (ECRL) and China responded by threatening "economic consequences".

It's better than bowing to the PRC's influence, especially recently.

Now to use your own anti-PRC argument right back at you: Then why don't you just go back to Hong Kong? Or any of your other well-liked neoliberal outposts such as Taipei or Singapore?

Now that's just a poor deflection right there.

No, Malaysia has objectively done better than much of the First World. Malaysia's response has been better than Belgium, for example, having fewer cases and fewer deaths despite having triple the population.

Literally the first sentence in his paragraph:

Malaysia deserves praise for the way it has successfully handled the outbreak

[Green October Z]

I was born in the United States, but my parents are from Vietnam. My mom was born Saigon in South Vietnam and my dad was born somewhere in North Vietnam, but fled with his family to the South sometime in his early childhood years. After the fall of South Vietnam and the rise of communism, most of the people on my family tree were imprisoned, tortured, and executed for simply not liking communism. What remained of my family decided to flee Vietnam in 1979. Some more were killed when the communist authorities caught them and my grandpa on my dad's side was lost at sea during a storm. Eventually after years of more hardships my parents were eventually sponsored and immigrated to the USA.

Although I am American by birth, I consider myself culturally somewhat Vietnamese, even though I can barely speak the language anymore. My parents are more or less Americanized as well, but still celebrate traditional Vietnamese holidays and such.

[Reploid Productions]

If anything, the Malaysian Chinese population tends so worship the worst and most reactionary Chinese places in the world. They tend to swoon over "Taiwan" and the Hong Kong protest movement (which are a bunch of degenerates waving British colonial flags at the end of the day.) I have met very few pro-CCP Malaysian Chinese ever. But perhaps I've just been unlucky and haven't met the good ones yet.

Obviously. They are the majority of the country. There is a lot of patriotism amongst Indian Malaysians as well though. The Tamils in general at least have done the effort to speak Malay. Many Chinese, though their ancestors having lived in Malaysia for around two hundred years already in some cases, don't even bother to do that. The lack of dedication to Malaysia is a deliberate choice made by a specific group of Malaysian Chinese who look up to Singapore.

The people who wrote those comments are idiots than.

That's a ridiculous allegation. Malaysia quite simply did really well. They have fewer cases than tiny Singapore, for crying out loud.

This explains a lot. It's called occidentosis, or Westoxification. You come to Malaysia expecting it to suddenly be a First World country, completely disregarding the historical developments that led to there being things such as a First and Third World in the first place. Basically, you seem to have been conditioned into a sort of inferiority complex. It's truly sad, but it's a problem I have noticed with several Malaysians, especially upper-class youngsters.

So you're patriotic about Mahathir canceling the economic and social development of the East Coast? Typical. The "All the money has got to go to the Chinese-dominated enclaves on the West Coast, while Kelantan and Terengganu have to be starved of development" doctrine. A very typical mindset of neoliberal cronies in Malaysia.

Now to use your own anti-PRC argument right back at you: Then why don't you just go back to Hong Kong? Or any of your other well-liked neoliberal outposts such as Taipei or Singapore?

No, Malaysia has objectively doen better than much of the First World. Malaysias's response has been better than Belgium, for example, having fewer cases and fewer deaths despite having triple the population.

Blaming PN for the crisis is ridiculous. By the time PH collapsed under the weight of its own incompetence, the pandemic had barely reached worldwide attention. If anything, Mahathir dodged a bullet by stepping down when he did. I shudder to think how badly he would have messed up if he were still in charge today.

Bolding mine for emphasis.

This is not how to argue your position. You are clearly more than capable of making your points without resorting to the personal attacks and sweeping generalizations that serve no other purpose than to pour gasoline on a heated topic. Please review the site rules.

*** Dahyan, WARNED for trolling/flamebaiting. ***


~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Mod
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

[New Bremerton]

Smh. Seems I was wrong to give you the benefit of the doubt. Now I know exactly where you're coming from and I know not to take anything you say seriously.

A lot of Malaysian Chinese, some of whom I know, worship China and the CCP with a passion, because "Malays/Muslims bad". I've had to put up with ignorant relatives demonizing protesters in HK as "rioters" and "terrorists". My brother in particular is fed up with their BS. If they love China so much, why don't they move there and kiss Xi Jinping's feet?

If anything, the Malaysian Chinese population tends so worship the worst and most reactionary Chinese places in the world. They tend to swoon over "Taiwan" and the Hong Kong protest movement (which are a bunch of degenerates waving British colonial flags at the end of the day.) I have met very few pro-CCP Malaysian Chinese ever. But perhaps I've just been unlucky and haven't met the good ones yet.

A pro-CCP shill and literal Marxist-Leninist tankie who thinks anyone who supports freedom and opposes tyranny is a "bourgeois, neoliberal reactionary". We're all degenerates to you. I take it as a compliment coming from an ultra-woke, far-leftist. Damn right I prefer British rule to Chinese rule. And way to generalize all Malaysian Chinese. The ones you haven't met are "the good ones". Yours truly need not apply. Got it.

I suspect Malays tend to be more patriotic to the Moon and Stripes than Chinese and Indians are because they're the majority and they call the shots in "their" country. The draconian, anti-free speech laws that criminalize perceived slights against Islam and the monarchy are specifically enforced, if not explicitly designed, to "protect Malay/Muslim sensitivities".

Obviously. They are the majority of the country. There is a lot of patriotism amongst Indian Malaysians as well though. The Tamils in general at least have done the effort to speak Malay. Many Chinese, though their ancestors having lived in Malaysia for around two hundred years already in some cases, don't even bother to do that. The lack of dedication to Malaysia is a deliberate choice made by a specific group of Malaysian Chinese who look up to Singapore.

Personally, I don't look up to authoritarian Singapore. I'd rather die poor and free than live in a gilded birdcage where I don't have a fucking say. As I said before, we Malaysian Chinese were around before Malaysia even existed. The Malays alone don't get to decide what language, religion, race, and identity this country revolves around. Malaysia is NOT and has NEVER been a fundamentally Malay and Muslim country. That is a racist lie you've bought into. We have as much right to tell Malays to "fuck off" as they do to us. Not to mention we Sarawakians and Sabahans never signed up to this racist BS from UMNO/BN. We've been saddled with a corrupt Chief Minister-turned Governor who has plundered my home state's resources and the indigenous people's livelihoods to enrich West Malaysia. If anyone needs to brush up on their history, it's you.

The current PN backdoor government, as well as the former BN authoritarian regime, is widely perceived to cater solely to Malays and Muslims if the comments section of Malaysiakini is anything to go by.

The people who wrote those comments are idiots than.

Nice, because I agree with the sentiment that BN is racist and theocratic. I must be an idiot then.

Mkini recently reported on the case of an American YouTuber who posted videos praising the Malaysian government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, leading people to suspect that he was being paid to praise the current government, an allegation he strenuously denies.

That's a ridiculous allegation. Malaysia quite simply did really well. They have fewer cases than tiny Singapore, for crying out loud.

I agree.

As for me personally, being born and raised in HK, having lived and studied in the UK, and having visited Japan (twice) and NZ in recent years, makes it very difficult for me to view Malaysia in a positive light, let alone develop any genuine patriotic fervor. Moving from a First World country to a Third World country with a deeply dysfunctional economy, society, and political culture was a huge, reverse culture shock for me and my life-long, First World standards and expectations.

This explains a lot. It's called occidentosis, or Westoxification. You come to Malaysia expecting it to suddenly be a First World country, completely disregarding the historical developments that led to there being things such as a First and Third World in the first place. Basically, you seem to have been conditioned into a sort of inferiority complex. It's truly sad, but it's a problem I have noticed with several Malaysians, especially upper-class youngsters.

And if you look over here, we have a white, Muslim, Marxist-Leninist tankie from Europe who, out of an abundance of socioeconomic privilege (not to be confused with "white privilege", which I didn't even bring up in my last reply as I wasn't even sure if he was white and Japanese people aren't exactly known for being white), has decided to immigrate to MY country, make up some bullshit terms, psychoanalyze, and lecture to ME, an Asian dude, about racism and privilege, all the while defending a government that OPENLY practices institutional racism and discrimination against Chinese and Indians and has done so for decades. As a citizen of my country, I have EVERY right to complain and call out all the dysfunctional, Third World bullshit that happens in Malaysia. I have EVERY right to hold my own country to a very high standard, and indeed, a higher standard, than other similarly-troubled countries around the world. You have NO right to tell me otherwise, especially a foreigner and prospective immigrant like you who's FOB (fresh off the boat), knows NOTHING about what's actually going on and believes all the UMNO/BN lies you've been fed.

You must be so proud to be part of the ongoing discrimination and humiliation of Malaysian Chinese, which is *obviously* part of your Marxist-Leninist ideal that everyone should be treated equally, isn't it? Because we Malaysian Chinese don't fit neatly into your false, self-serving narrative of intersectional oppression which ranks white people, and Jews and Christians, at the top, and black and brown people, and Muslims, at rock bottom, you throw us under the bus like any typical woke leftist would. Bullshit like this is why I stopped associating with the Left in the first place. Unlike most mainstream leftists, however, you are also throwing my friends and classmates in Hong Kong under the bus by siding with Xi Jinping and implicitly endorsing the slow death of Hong Kong. That is a big red line for me and you just fucking crossed it.

The thought of people like you becoming Malaysian citizens and voting to subjugate us just because you happen to be Muslim and support Barisan Nasional literally makes my stomach churn. This is EXACTLY the kind of immigration our racist government wants and that I do NOT want to see in my country. I was wrong to give you the benefit of the doubt. You're not welcome here. Malaysia needs non-Muslim, non-Mainland Chinese immigration to cancel out all the racist bullshit that you endorse while claiming to be a "progressive", "anti-racist", Marxist-Leninist. Funny how you're suddenly against multiculturalism and racial equality when it doesn't suit you.

The closest I ever came to actually being patriotic was when then-PM Mahathir canceled a Chinese Belt-and-Road megaproject (ECRL) and China responded by threatening "economic consequences".

So you're patriotic about Mahathir canceling the economic and social development of the East Coast? Typical. The "All the money has got to go to the Chinese-dominated enclaves on the West Coast, while Kelantan and Terengganu have to be starved of development" doctrine. A very typical mindset of neoliberal cronies in Malaysia.

When did I ever say anything about "Chinese-dominated enclaves"? And Islamist-controlled Kelantan and Terengganu are more than welcome to declare independence and secede from the Federation. The Belt-and-Road initiative, in case you didn't know, is a series of debt traps masterminded by Beijing to suck our economies dry. Everyone in Malaysia will be worse off if China has its way. If we don't resist China now, we're screwed. Try to look at this beyond the narrow racial lens that UMNO has hammered into your skull. UMNO has a history of corruption and authoritarianism (remember 1MDB?), and corrupt regimes are much more willing to do business with China, race and religion aside.

I've found that foreigners who defend the CCP tend to lead relatively comfortable lives and know NOTHING about the plight of ordinary people in Hong Kong and Mainland China, not to mention Malaysia, who have had to live under the thumb of an authoritarian regime. It's very easy for you to defend the CCP from afar. To use your own leftist logic, check your privilege.

By the way, the wealthy business elite in Hong Kong defected to supporting Beijing's plans to integrate Hong Kong and suppress democracy, because real democracy in Hong Kong, when it was implemented prior to the Handover in 1997, led to left-wing, social democratic politicians being elected, who, in turn, passed legislation curtailing the moneyed interests of this overly-pampered upper-class. Similarly, many of the wealthy and corrupt Malaysian Chinese you speak of support MCA, a component party of BN, the government that you support at the expense of ordinary Malaysian Chinese, Indians, and yes, even Malays. Hard to believe, huh? If anyone's defending authoritarianism, racism, neoliberalism, corruption, and cronyism, it's you.

Other than that, I find that I'm far more loyal to Hong Kong and anyone who supports HK than I am to either China or Malaysia. I have far more respect for Hong Kongers than, well, pretty much anyone else in the world, especially in the wake of protests that erupted last year. Only Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Canadians, Kiwis, and Israelis come close.

Now to use your own anti-PRC argument right back at you: Then why don't you just go back to Hong Kong? Or any of your other well-liked neoliberal outposts such as Taipei or Singapore?

None of your business. You think I don't want to return to HK? You think the Jews who lived in Europe didn't want to return to Eretz Israel and determine their own destiny, which they finally did after nearly 2000 years? And I don't like Singapore one bit. Why don't you go back to Europe?

Malaysia deserves praise for the way it has successfully handled the outbreak, although it's worth noting that Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, a highly competent civil servant (luckily for us), was the one who led the response and is being viewed as a national hero by many Malaysians. Not the Health Minister, the Prime Minister, or any of the assorted PN government politicians. It's also worth noting that, were it not for the sudden collapse of the previous PH government and the political crisis that followed, an outbreak numbering thousands of cases would never have occurred. The previous Health Minister was actually competent and the situation was under control. Malaysia only appears to be doing well because other countries, including many developed countries, have fared so much worse.

No, Malaysia has objectively doen better than much of the First World. Malaysias's response has been better than Belgium, for example, having fewer cases and fewer deaths despite having triple the population.

Blaming PN for the crisis is ridiculous. By the time PH collapsed under the weight of its own incompetence, the pandemic had barely reached worldwide attention. If anything, Mahathir dodged a bullet by stepping down when he did. I shudder to think how badly he would have messed up if he were still in charge today.

I did say Malaysia did well, didn't I? And I wasn't defending or talking about Mahathir. I dislike Tun M as much as you do. I was referring more to former Health Minister Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, who, like Noor Hisham, had the virus under control. No, PN is to blame for the initial wave of infections in the first place. As to your make-believe scenario where PH messes up, it's worth remembering that Muhyiddin was the Home Minister at the time. He had the authority to implement social distancing and shut down that Sri Petaling tabligh gathering instead of scheming to form the unelected, backdoor government that you so enthusiastically champion and defend.

Betrayal is what you defend. Reneging on one's promises and failing to practice what one preaches, whether intended or not, are ugly by-products of far-left ideology, persisting long after a leftist regime has ceased to be leftist in all but name. The PRC being a perfect case in point. The very PRC that you shamelessly and unironically defend.

Don't even bother replying to this post. I have a policy of blocking pro-PRC shills, and you're blocked.

[Dahyan]

I was born in the United States, but my parents are from Vietnam. My mom was born Saigon in South Vietnam and my dad was born somewhere in North Vietnam, but fled with his family to the South sometime in his early childhood years. After the fall of South Vietnam and the rise of communism, most of the people on my family tree were imprisoned, tortured, and executed for simply not liking communism. What remained of my family decided to flee Vietnam in 1979. Some more were killed when the communist authorities caught them and my grandpa on my dad's side was lost at sea during a storm. Eventually after years of more hardships my parents were eventually sponsored and immigrated to the USA.

Although I am American by birth, I consider myself culturally somewhat Vietnamese, even though I can barely speak the language anymore. My parents are more or less Americanized as well, but still celebrate traditional Vietnamese holidays and such.

Have you, or any of your family, ever returned to Vietnam? I remember reading that some of the South Vietnamese diaspora have been visiting Vietnam quite a bit in recent years, with some of them even resetting there.

[Dahyan]

Blocked or not, I'm still going to reply. I'll do my best to keep it more civil this time.

A pro-CCP shill and literal Marxist-Leninist tankie who thinks anyone who supports freedom and opposes tyranny is a "bourgeois, neoliberal reactionary". We're all degenerates to you. I take it as a compliment coming from an ultra-woke, far-leftist. Damn right I prefer British rule to Chinese rule. And way to generalize all Malaysian Chinese. The ones you haven't met are "the good ones". Yours truly need not apply. Got it.

I never called you a degenerate, nor did I generalize about Chinese Malaysian. I only spoke about the Hong Kong rioters in such terms. I've actually met a lot of very friendly Chinese Malaysians, just never ones that openly like or praise the PRC or CCP. So as far as my experience goes, your claim that a lot of Chinese Malaysians support the CCP is highly unlikely.

As I said before, we Malaysian Chinese were around before Malaysia even existed.

I have addressed that already. It's entirely irrelevant whether they were there before independence. They were NOT there prior to the Malay population, that's a simple fact. The Chinese migration was enacted by the British colonial administration.

Malaysia is NOT and has NEVER been a fundamentally Malay and Muslim country.

That's objectively false. Even before the Portuguese came, the land was mostly populated by Malay and Muslim realms. There is nothing wrong with stating that basic historic fact.

Not to mention we Sarawakians and Sabahans never signed up to this racist BS from UMNO/BN

That's an entirely different matter. The issue of Sarawak and Sabah can best be decided by referendum or similar solution. But that is not what you started out with. You called for a social engineering through guided mass migration all over Malaysia, with the specific goal of suppressing the Islamic and Malay majority.

Nice, because I agree with the sentiment that BN is racist and theocratic. I must be an idiot then.

I am not a BN supporter. But claiming BN only caters to Malays is simply untrue.

And if you look over here, we have a white, Muslim, Marxist-Leninist tankie from Europe who, out of an abundance of socioeconomic privilege (not to be confused with "white privilege", which I didn't even bring up in my last reply as I wasn't even sure if he was white and Japanese people aren't exactly known for being white), has decided to immigrate to MY country, make up some bullshit terms, psychoanalyze, and lecture to ME, an Asian dude, about racism and privilege, all the while defending a government that OPENLY practices institutional racism and discrimination against Chinese and Indians and has done so for decades. As a citizen of my country, I have EVERY right to complain and call out all the dysfunctional, Third World bullshit that happens in Malaysia. I have EVERY right to hold my own country to a very high standard, and indeed, a higher standard, than other similarly-troubled countries around the world. You have NO right to tell me otherwise, especially a foreigner and prospective immigrant like you who's FOB (fresh off the boat), knows NOTHING about what's actually going on and believes all the UMNO/BN lies you've been fed.

The whole load of vitriol doesn't exactly help your point, but I gather from is that simply because I'm from Europe, I'm not allowed to have any other opinion rather than the mainstream liberal/conservative capitalist one.

Which is simply ridiculous. The copy-paste of Western capitalist society in Third World societies has failed pretty much every single time it has ever been tried. And you're damn right that I don't support such naive policies being tried in Malaysia. I support local traditions and cultures of the Malaysian people, yes. And I see parties such as DAP as neoliberal dangers that will only further exacerbate the inequality that is already festering in Malaysia.

As I said, I am not a supporter of BN or UMNO, nor do I like the present Bumiputera system. But you can't deny the fact that there is a significant "state within the state" amongst certain Chinese Malaysians, resulting in a policy of de facto voluntary segregation. That system is untenable and destructive in the long run.

If any leader did a good job running Malaysia, it was Tun Razak. His example is something where inspiration should be drawn from.

When did I ever say anything about "Chinese-dominated enclaves"? And Islamist-controlled Kelantan and Terengganu are more than welcome to declare independence and secede from the Federation.

Again, completely missing the point. The East Coast Rail Line is a massive opportunity to breathe life into the East Coast of Malaysia, an area deliberately neglected and denied development by generations of Malaysian elites and rulers. Kelantan and Terengganu don't even receive their share of the profits of their own oil industry.

The ECRL would finally help the East and North of Malaysia develop and prosper, instead of focusing only on the wealthy enclaves such as Penang.

The rest of your anti-China vitriol is not even worth responding to.

None of your business. You think I don't want to return to HK? You think the Jews who lived in Europe didn't want to return to Eretz Israel and determine their own destiny, which they finally did after nearly 2000 years? And I don't like Singapore one bit. Why don't you go back to Europe?

This makes absolutely zero sense. The "go back to your country" argument, which you originally started with, remember, only makes any sense if used against someone who hates their country if residence and wants to change it into the system of another country.

Out of the two of us, I am the one who defends Malaysian values and traditions to an extent, while you want to copy Europe. So "go back to Europe" makes no sense when used against me. I hate the European neoliberal system. So why would I seek to emulate it?

Also, if you had actually read my posts, you would know I actually do live in Europe at this very moment.

Also, weird segway into talking about Israel again. But no, European Jews can't "return" to Israel. Because they're not from there, but from Europe. But that aside.

I did say Malaysia did well, didn't I?

No. You said Malaysia was only doing well when compared to other nations in the region. Which is objectively false. Malaysia has done far better than most of the First World in curtailing the Covid-19 pandemic. And that deserves to be said.

----

Note: I am aware the guy blocked me, and this discussion as such is probably over. But I do hope I have the right to respond to what he wrote above even so.

[New Bremerton]

Sacked - Dr M, Mukhriz and three others axed from Bersatu

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his son Mukhriz and three others have been expelled from Bersatu for sitting on the opposition bench during the Dewan Rakyat sitting on May 18.

The decision was conveyed to them by organising secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya via a letter dated today, sighted by Malaysiakini.

The others sacked were Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman as well as Bersatu supreme council members Maszlee Malik and Amiruddin Hamzah.

Mahathir was the chairperson of Bersatu whereas Mukhriz was deputy president.

According to the letters, the decision to sack them was made based on Articles 10.2.2 and 10.2.3 of Bersatu's constitution which states that an individual's status as a member would be terminated with immediate effect if the member is found to have declared their intention to leave the party or has formally joined another political party.

Responding to media queries, an aide to Mahathir said the former premier had left his office in Putrajaya and had yet to sight a physical copy of the letter.

In a statement, Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan insisted that the leaders were not "sacked" but rather their membership status was automatically nullified due to their own decision to join the opposition bloc in Parliament (below).

"I would like to stress that they were not sacked [...] for comparison, when a person voluntarily walks out of their own house, they are not being removed from the house.

"It is their own action that caused them to be outside of the house. That is what happened in this case," he said.

Wan Saiful further insisted that no party in the world would allow its lawmakers to switch sides in Parliament.

"There is no problem with having differing opinions but it must be done from within the same bloc, not outside," he added.

Rumours of a plot to remove Mahathir and his allies had been rife since earlier this month with a planned Bersatu supreme council meeting - which was later postponed - convening to allegedly endorse the decision.

Bersatu split in the aftermath of the Sheraton Move which saw party president Muhyiddin Yassin leading a majority of its leaders out of the party to form Perikatan Nasional.

Mahathir, who is mounting a no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin's prime minister's post, had remained on the opposition bench along with four other Bersatu MPs during the May 18 Dewan Rakyat sitting.

...an individual's status as a member would be terminated with immediate effect if the member is found to have declared their intention to leave the party or has formally joined another political party...

So explain to me how Tun M and co. ran afoul of his party's constitution, because I'm not seeing it.

...Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan insisted that the leaders were not "sacked" but rather their membership status was automatically nullified due to their own decision to join the opposition bloc in Parliament...

They never left the PH opposition bloc. You, on the other hand, joined the former opposition bloc consisting of UMNO, PAS, and GPS.

I would like to stress that they were not sacked [...] for comparison, when a person voluntarily walks out of their own house, they are not being removed from the house.

Were they sacked or not? If they weren't sacked or removed, will you let them back in? You must think people are stupid not to see through your bullshit.

Wan Saiful further insisted that no party in the world would allow its lawmakers to switch sides in Parliament...

Then why the hell did you, Azmin and Muhyiddin defect and join the opposition bloc? If anyone should be expelled from BERSATU (and PKR), it's traitors and turncoats like you for orchestrating a power grab against the wishes of the Malaysian people who DIDN'T vote for UMNO, PAS, or GPS.

With new coronavirus cases now at an all-time low, it's almost time for you and your fellow travelers to be thrown out of office in a vote of no-confidence and for the people to have their revenge. Keep cowering until then.

[New Bremerton]

A 24-year-old male celebrity in Kuala Lumpur has been charged with "seducing a married woman" under Section 498 of the Penal Code after the 36-year-old woman's husband filed a complaint that she left with the man without his permission.

We still have this retrograde, colonial-era, misogynistic law that classes women as the property of men, which happens to be totally compatible with sharia.

Also, PAS is attempting to introduce sharia to non-Muslims by stealth, citing drunk-driving as an excuse.

This is on top of already-existing de facto blasphemy laws within the Civil Code, including the Sedition Act among other things, that have seen many outspoken non-Muslims jailed for upward of 10 years for "insulting Islam".

We non-Malays and non-Muslims must NEVER submit to be ruled by theocratic, totalitarian, Muslim supremacist, fascist bullies.

[New Bremerton]

Deputy works minister quits amid turmoil in Bersatu

Deputy Works Minister Shahruddin Salleh has resigned and if he withdraws his support for Perikatan Nasional, the nascent alliance would be left with a single seat advantage.

Speculation of his resignation followed the circulation of a statement dated today attributed to him, in which the Sri Gading MP said he made a "political mistake" in supporting PN.

According to the statement, the Bersatu lawmaker said he should have acknowledged that the voters in Sri Gading cast their ballots for Pakatan Harapan in the last general election.

"In my first step to rectify this mistake (of supporting PN), I have tendered my resignation because I was appointed by the prime minister (Muhyiddin Yassin) and PN government," the statement quoted him as stating.

According to the statement, his resignation, which comes amid a power tussle in Bersatu between its president Muhyiddin and disputed chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, takes immediate effect.

Although the statement could not be verified, Shahruddin confirmed his resignation in a brief text message to Berita Harian.

"Yes, it is true that I have resigned," he said.

Earlier, PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil also confirmed the resignation in a Twitter post, in which he pointed out that the Muhyiddin-led government is now left with a single-seat majority.

Subsequently, Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is aligned to Mahathir, tweeted his gratitude to Shahruddin.

"Perhaps his decision to resign is a big lesson for us all. Regardless of the positions, titles and power offered, the love for the nation is the real key to Malaysia's success.

"The voters in Sri Gading are fortunate to have him as their leader," he added.

On Monday, Shahruddin said he hoped Muhyiddin and Mahathir would close ranks and not permit the infighting to weaken Bersatu.

Based on the last Parliament sitting on May 18, it was revealed that PN only has a two-seat majority while Harapan has hinted that it possesses sufficient numbers to reclaim Putrajaya.

PN stormed into power following a political coup in late February after Muhyiddin withdrew Bersatu from Harapan, triggering the collapse of the coalition's 22-month-old government.

Following a week-long political crisis, Muhyiddin was sworn in as the eighth prime minister after forming the PN alliance with Umno, BN, PAS and GPS.

Muhyiddin's flimsy house of cards is about to crumble to ashes.