Monday, August 31, 2009

MERDEKA

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 28, 2009 4:48 PM

1. Beberapa hari lagi genaplah 52 tahun Negara kita merdeka. Sambutan tahun ini jelas kurang meriah berbanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya kerana wabak selsema H1N1. Tidak ada perarakan besar-besaran di Dataran Merdeka mahupun di Putrajaya sebagaimana biasa.

2. Tetapi ini semua tidak sepatutnya menghalang kita melahirkan rasa bangga dan patriotisme kita terhadap Negara kita.

3. Walaupun saya tidak dapat hadir acara perayaan di Parlimen saya akan berdoa supaya Negara tercinta ini akan terus selamat. Sebagai seorang rakyat biasa saya akan tumpukan perhatian terhadap perkembangan politik, ekonomi dan sosial dalam Negara dan akan cuba menyumbang kepada bidang-bidang ini setakat yang saya mampu.

4. Saya yakin semua rakyat biasa akan melakukan perkara yang sama kerana sayang kepada Negara dan ingin melihat ianya terus maju.

5. Selamat menyambut puasa bagi yang beragama Islam dan selamat menyambut Hari Merdeka ke-52.

SOUND BITE (For the Lawyers)

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 27, 2009 3:52 PM

1. I am trying to find out whether the Constitution and Constitutional Law came into being by an Act of Parliament.

2. If they are when were they passed - before the founding of Malaya and Malaysia or after?

3. Did the Parliament create the Constitution or did the Constitution create Parliament?

4. If the Constitution is not created by Parliament, then who created it? Is it the Malayan Constitutional Commission? How did it become law?

5. I have asked people trained in law and ordinary people. They give conflicting views. Many just do not know. All they know is that it is there, that is all.

6. Perhaps some lawyers can enlighten me on this - gratis of course.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

SOUND BITES (Water for Singapore)

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 26, 2009 12:39 PM

1. Tan Sri Muhyiddin spoke the truth about my persuading him to supply water to Singapore (read here). But Lee Kuan Yew did not threaten to go to war if we did not supply water. If he had done that, I think I would have stopped any further supply.

2. We were at that time trying to be friendly with Singapore in order to solve several problems. Although raw water would be supplied at 3 cent per 1000 gallons, the understanding was that in future only treated water would be supplied when our treatment plants would be ready. We would also not buy any more treated water from Singapore at 50 cent per thousand gallons when our new treatment plant in Johore is ready.

3. When we no longer needed to buy treated water from Singapore we could raise the price of raw water to Singapore without Singapore being able to raise the price of treated water to us.

4. However when we concluded the water supply agreement Singapore raised a lot of issues regarding our railway land, the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) at Tanjong Pagar, training flights by Singapore warplanes over Malaysia and the Central Provident Funds.

5. At that stage I realised that being friendly with Singapore did not pay.

6. I don't know about the sale of land to Singapore but as it was agreed that a treatment plant be built by Singapore in Johore, land would have to be made available.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

MENYAMBUT MERDEKA

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 24, 2009 3:05 PM

1. Tahun ini kita akan sambut Hari Merdeka dengan menyebat seorang wanita Melayu kerana minum beer.

2. Cerita hukum sebat telah disebar luas di seluruh dunia. Saya tak tahu apakah ini akan memberi imej baik atau tidak baik kepada agama Islam. Sebagai orang Islam kita tidak harus ambil berat pandangan orang lain terhadap Islam dalam melakukan suruhan agama.

3. Tetapi benarkah hukuman ini tepat bagi jenayah minum arak? Apakah hukuman ini terdapat dalam undang-undang syariah di Malaysia.

4. Bagi undang-undang biasa jenayah ditentukan bersama dengan hukuman kepada pesalah yang didapati bersalah. Jika Kerajaan tidak mengkanunkan undang-undang syariah melalui proses perbahasan dan kelulusan oleh dewan-dewan undangan, atau melalui fatwa oleh ulama-ulama, bolehkah tulisan-tulisan ulama tertentu dijadikan asas hukum mengikut pendapat hakim?

5. Apakah ada larangan dalam Islam untuk mengkanunkan undang-undang syariah?

6. Saya tanya soalan ini kerana terdapat perbezaan pendapat terhadap hukuman yang telah dijatuhkan keatas wanita ini. Janganlah kata saya tak Islam dan akan masuk neraka. Saya cuma tanya.

7. Dalam Al-Quran terdapat 43 ayat yang menegaskan; "Apabila kamu hukum, hukumlah dengan adil". Apakah mungkin seorang hakim itu tidak adil ataupun tersilap dalam pertimbangannya? Apakah tidak ada dalam Islam belas kasihan bagi yang bersalah buat kali pertama?

8. Keadilan dan timbang rasa jelas menjadi ajaran yang utama dalam Islam. Mereka yang tidak adil dan tidak bertimbang rasa tidak mengikuti semangat keIslaman.

9. Mereka yang ahli dalam ilmu fiqah memanglah berhak menulis kitab berkenaan undang-undang Islam. Tetapi sebagai manusia biasa kemungkinan membuat tafsiran yang salah memang ada.

10. Islam mendesak supaya kita rujuk kepada Al-Quran apabila kekeliruan berlaku atau menemui jalan buntu.

11. Sudahkah kita rujuk kepada Al-Quran berkenaan dengan minum beer (arak) dan hukuman yang perlu dikenakan supaya keadilan tercapai? Tak perlu kita ambil berat pandangan orang tetapi umat manusia perlu tahu bahawa agama Islam menjunjung tinggi keadilan.

12. Saya harap pihak-pihak yang pakar dalam perkara ini dapat menunjuk ayat-ayat Al-Quran dan kitab-kitab yang dirujuk oleh hakim apabila hukuman ini dijatuhkan.

Monday, August 24, 2009

THE DOCTORS

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 21, 2009 11:50 AM

1. I gave a talk after I was conferred an honorary degree by the International Medical University. I directed a major part of my talk to the new graduates.

2. I explained that medicine is not just a profession, a qualification for earning a good income. It is a vocation, a calling which involves dedication to the job of healing the sick and caring for them.

3. What their qualification confers upon them is not just a degree but as doctors they have been elevated to a special status and endowed with special powers. They would have in them the capacity to inspire confidence and trust in their patient. The confidence and trust are such that people would literally entrust their lives to them, allowing them to cut open their bodies and do things which could kill if done by others.

4. The skill and the power they acquire owe much to the society in which they were brought up and their access to education up to the highest level. Not all human society can do this. A poor society, an unstable society, an uncaring society would not be able to give them even primary education, much less training to become a doctor. The cost borne by the society is high.Whether they get a scholarship or their parents pay for their education, they all owe a debt to society. It behoves them to repay to society through the service in which they are trained.

5. They should therefore be ready to offer their services to the society in which they lived. It may be by serving the Government or if this is not attractive enough, at least their country. They can earn a good income in Malaysia's private sector.

6. But some easily forget their debt and are easily enticed by higher pay in other countries. These countries paid nothing for their education and training and yet for a little bit more money they get the services of the people we paid a lot to train whether in Government school and universities or in private ones. Quite often the countries which get the service of our doctors are developed and rich.

7. The nation loses a lot when the people we train opts to work in other countries.

8. But the association of doctors make matters worse by refusing entry to foreign doctors to practice. It wants to keep the opportunities for making money in this country to its members only. It does not mind Malaysian doctors going out but foreign doctors may not come in. Only if they work with the Government can they come in.

9. The flow is one-way. Our doctors can leave the country but foreign doctors cannot replace them. We are losing the brains that we develop without the foreign brain coming in.

10. Despite all the Government's efforts we are losing especially the much-needed specialists.

11. There is something wrong here. If the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) wishes to close the country to outsiders then it should also object to Malaysian doctors from leaving the country. As it is the MMA seem to be wanting to have their cake and to eating it as well.

12. I am not suggesting that as we have embraced globalisation and the free flow of capital etc that we should now allow foreign doctors to come and open their hospitals here. But I do think that if local hospitals need to employ foreign doctors then they should be allowed to.

KASITAH GADDAM

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 20, 2009 9:08 AM

1. Pada 12 Ogos 2009 Hakim Suraya binti Othman telah dapati Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam tidak bersalah atas tuduhan dibawah Seksyen 417 Kanun Keseksaan (penipuan) oleh Pendakwa Raya. Dia (Kasitah) tidak dipanggil untuk membela diri.

2. Dengan itu tamatlah keseksaan dan kesengsaraan bekas Menteri Persekutuan ini. Selama lima tahun lebih tuduhan ini menghantui kehidupannya.

3. Tuduhan terhadap Kasitah bermula semasa dia menjadi Menteri di dalam Kabinet saya. Oleh kerana jawatannya yang tinggi saya dimaklumkan akan tuduhan terhadapnya. Saya tidak begitu yakin yang dianya bersalah.

4. Dua minggu selepas saya letak jawatan maka tuduhan tersebut telah dibuat terhadapnya. Saya terfikir mungkin kerana Kerajaan hendak menunjuk bahawa dalam kes jenayah tidak ada pilih kasih. Siapa sahaja boleh dihadapkan ke mahkamah jika bersalah.

5. Mungkin Kerajaan telah mendapat bukti yang lebih jelas. Tetapi ramai juga yang berpendapat ada sesuatu yang tersirat.

6. Sebagai rakan dalam Kabinet saya menunjuk simpati kepada Kasitah tetapi tidak mempertahankannya walaupun saya masih percaya dia tidak bersalah.

7. Proses penghakiman mengambil masa yang amat panjang dan dianya tentu terpaksa belanja wang untuk peguam dan lain-lain bagi mempertahankan dirinya. Saya tahu yang dianya tidak dapat bekerja atau berniaga semasa lebih lima tahun kes berjalan. Hartanya terpaksa dijual untuk membiayai kos mempertahan diri.

8. Beliau bergantung semata-mata kepada pencennya.

9. Keputusan mahkamah berbunyi demikian;
In the circumstances the accused stands acquitted and discharged of both the charges against him.

10. Alhamdulillah. Tetapi fikirkan kerugian dan keseksaan yang dipikul oleh yang dituduh selama lima tahun.

11. Bagaimanakah kes ini bermula? Apakah tuduhan dibuat oleh sesiapa? Apakah pegawai yang menuduh atau orang tertentu?

12. Jika atas tuduhan oleh mana-mana pihak maka tentulah selidikan akan dibuat sehingga pihak Jabatan Peguam Negara berpuas hati ada kes terhadap yang dituduh sebelum tindakan mendakwa diambil.

13. Jika setelah selidikan yang mendalam pihak pendakwa raya ragu-ragu, benefit of the doubt patutlah diberi dan kes tidak diteruskan. Dengan itu tidaklah sesiapa dianiayai.

14. Saya perhatikan ada kes yang jelas berlaku tetapi entah kenapa tindakan tidak diambil. Dalam kes seperti ini orang ramai tidak boleh disalahkan jika mereka syak yang cover-up telah berlaku.

15. Dalam urusan keadilan, kita bukan sahaja ingin keadilan berlaku tetapi keadilan ternampak jelas telah berlaku.

Nota: Kawan saya Eric Chia juga telah melalui tuduhan dan pengalaman yang sama. Akhirnya dia didapati tidak bersalah. Tidak lama selepas itu dia meninggal dunia.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS IN MALAY

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 14, 2009 4:01 PM

1. The Government has decided that the teaching of science and mathematics would revert to Malay in the Government school, with Chinese in Chinese schools and Tamil in Tamil schools. How this is going to help integrate Malaysians I do not know.

2. Since then I had conducted a poll on my blog. The result is 84 per cent want to retain English as the language medium for these subjects.

3. Admittedly the poll was conducted in the English language and English language speakers might be biased in favour of English.

4. But some parents and teachers had also conducted a survey and the majority are again in favour of English. A petition to the Prime Minister by parents and teachers was copied to me and they were in favour of retaining English. At least one senior non-Malay politician had left a Barisan Nasional component party and joined the opposition because of the switch back to Malay, Tamil and Chinese. He claimed that he could not afford to send his grandchildren abroad as some who advocate Malay as the medium had been doing.

5. I meet a lot of people at the various forums I am invited to speak. During the usual post-meeting tea most of the participants who got to talk with me, mostly Malays regretted the Government's decision to use Malay for Science and Mathematics.

6. The reason that has been given is that Malays, particularly kampung Malays just could not do well when the two subjects were taught in English. If we follow this kind of argument we should also stop trying to get Malays to do business because they really cannot do well in that field. They are best at working as wage-earners, particularly in Government service. We should encourage them not to try to go into business.

7. If we do this then the current anger over the New Economic Policy on the part of the non-Malays would be reduced.

8. Similarly with learning English. Malays just cannot learn and speak English. We should stop teaching it so that the language would not drag down the Malays in their exams. We should see better results.

9. Malays do best at paddy planting and fishing with rods and net. They should be taught to do this, probably with new technology.

10. By switching back to Malay, we can expect them to vote for the Government party at the next election. Similarly we can expect at least some who believe their children's future has been blighted by this decision to think again about voting for the BN.

11. I cannot read Chinese but Utusan Malaysia kindly translated the editorial in the Sin Chew Jit Poh. The editorial basically said that giving "Ang Pow" would not win over the voters.

Friday, August 14, 2009

THE FREE GAZA MOVEMENT

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 12, 2009 4:08 PM

1. We all remember the brutal Israeli attacks against Gaza last year. Many of us were outraged by the killings of some 1,300 Gazan Palestinian, men, women, the disabled, the children, the sick and the maimed. Hospitals and schools were destroyed.

2. The condemnation of this brutal assaults had forced the Israelis to stop the massive retaliation against alleged Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.

3. Many of the rich countries had pledged billions in aid for the rebuilding of Gaza.

4. After that, things became quiet. There was hardly any report in the press on what was happening. I suppose most people assume that the reconstruction of Gaza was proceeding apace.

5. But the reality is far different. The Egyptians limited the medicine and the building materials from entering Gaza from its territory. The sea is blockaded illegally by the Israelis. The people of Gaza have literally been made prisoners by these actions.

6. The Free Gaza Movement led by Huwaida Arraf was set up in order to send needed supplies to beleaguered Gaza. But after five small boats were successful in delivering much need supplies, the Israeli navy began to intercept them and forcing them to abort their humanitarian aid.

7. One small boat with a number of Palestinians, Arabs, European and American (a U.S. Congresswoman) was rammed by Israeli warships. The people in the boat, all civilians were thrown into the sea. Luckily they survived.

8. Recently another little boat, loaded with food, medicine, stationery for school use and toys, with 25 unarmed civilians including a Nobel Peace Laureate from Ireland and the American women candidate for presidency of the U.S. was fired at by Israeli commandos, who then boarded the boat, giving rough treatment to the people on board.

9. Repeated shouts on the loudhailer that there were only unarmed civilians and the boat carried no arm failed to stop the commandos. The boat was steered by the commandos to an Israeli port and the people on board were thrown into Israeli jails.

10. The people of the Free Gaza Movement have now been released. They are determined to carry on sailing from Cyprus to Gaza to bring relief.

11. Winter is coming and it will be bitterly cold in Gaza. A great number of the Gazans whose houses were destroyed by the Israelis have no shelter and would suffer terribly in the winter.

12. Modern civilization is supposedly very concerned about human rights. It is only right that we care for those heroes and heroines who are standing up to oppressive Governments.

13. But shouldn't we also be concerned and caring for the 1½ million people of Gaza, who had lost 1,300 fellow inhabitants, whose houses, schools and hospitals have been destroyed, who do not have water or sanitary facilities, who will be without shelter from the coming winter.

14. It is sad that Governments who had pledged aid have so readily allowed the Israelis to blockade Gaza. It is disgusting that Israel can break international laws with impunity.

15. I went to Cyprus to meet these brave members of the Free Gaza Movement. I was shocked at how tiny was the only fishing boat that they still have for future trips to Gaza.

16. I had been sailing in a much bigger yacht and I know how rough was the sea. Yet 25 people dare to sail in this tiny boat, sleeping on the open deck, being seasick, being without proper food, and being made to face Israeli attacks. We really live in an uncivilized world where the fate of one or two people, useful for condemning certain Governments are constantly played up, yet the suffering, the freedom of 1½ million Gazans are ignored. I admire then Gazans whose main concern is for their right to be a free people, free that is from Israeli oppression, supported by the rich people who talk a lot about human rights and freedom.

17. I don't think I would be able to endure the kind of discomfort and dangers faced by the activists of the Free Gaza Movement. All I can do is to give moral support to them.

18. Malaysians who wish to do so may volunteer to sail with these intrepid people. But if they cannot, then they can contribute towards their need to buy a bigger boat as no one would rent boats to them.

19. The PGPO (Perdana Global Peace Organisation) would like to appeal for donations in aid of the Free Gaza Movement members to purchase a small ship to carry cement and building materials apart from medicine and food etc.

20. All contributions by cheque can be issued to: KLFCW (Gaza Fund). KLFCW stands for the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War. The cheques can be addressed to the KLFCW c/o Perdana Global Peace Organisation, 5th Floor, 88, Jalan Perdana, Taman Tasik Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Cash contributions can be channeled to KLFCW Maybank Account: 5123 3430 6634.

SOUND BITES (Hiroshima)

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 11, 2009 4:16 PM

1. Generally the comments on Hiroshima proves that Malaysians are a caring people.

2. But as to the two students who died - they were Malays. Someone already commented that there were no Malaysians at that time. I don't think we can say the Sultan of Melaka was a Malaysian.

3. I am intrigued at the idea that if we all call ourselves Malaysians then there would be no racial conflicts. I agree it would probably contribute to a better Malaysia.

4. But I would like to point out that being of the same race, ethnically, cannot by itself prevent conflict in human society.

5. Socialism and Communism were conceived in single ethnic countries. What gave rise to these ideologies were the disparities in the distribution of wealth within these nations. The working class rose violently against the rich employers, killing even their own same ethnic Csar, because of the unfair wealth distribution.

6. So we must ensure fair (not equal) distribution of wealth before forgetting racial origins simply because the disparities are between races and not between class.

7. Incidentally in Singapore while the identity cards no longer indicate the dialect group among the Chinese, the Malays are now classified into Bugis, Boyanese, Javanese etc. The number of Malays are now much less.

8. themalaypress menegaskan bahawa suka tak suka peperangan akhir zaman tetap akan berlaku. Kita tak mungkin teka bila zaman berakhir. Sebab itu kita perlu bersedia menangani masalah dan malapetaka yang akan menimpa kita sebelum itu. Menolak senjata nuklear termasuk dalam usaha yang perlu dilakukan oleh kita kerana firman Tuhan dalam Al-Quran menyuruh kita mencuba mengubah nasib kita sebelum Allah s.w.t. akan menolong kita. Demikian juga usaha untuk menjadikan perang sebagai jenayah, sama seperti menjadikan perhambaan sebagai jenayah.

9. Saya tidak dapat komen tentang Amanah Saham 1 Malaysia kerana saya tak tahu kenapa ia dibezakan daripada amanah saham lain.

10. We need the support of everyone so as to make war a crime. We would love to have support from students and their leaders. The best form of support would be to spread the word that war is about killing people. Since killing people is a crime then war must also be a crime.

11. If you have friends among students from the countries which like to wage wars, tell them to campaign against election candidates unless they give an undertaking to reject war and consider it a crime.

HIROSHIMA

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 10, 2009 1:33 PM

1. Pada 6hb Ogos saya mengambil bahagian dalam upacara memperingati mangsa bom atom di Hiroshima 64-tahun dahulu.

2. Mungkin tidak ramai tahu yang dua orang penuntut Melayu juga menjadi mangsa bom tersebut. Seorang lagi terselamat.

3. Seramai 60,000 orang di Hiroshima terbunuh dengan serta merta apabila letupan berlaku 600 meter dari paras bumi. Model bandar Hiroshima selepas letupan yang dipamer menunjuk semua bangunan ranap sama sekali pada kawasan tiga kilometer daripada tempat letupan berlaku.

4. Sebuah model bom berkenaan juga dipamer di muzium. Ianya lapan kaki panjang (2.5 meter) dan 1.5 kaki lebar (0.5 meter). Nampak bom ini amat kecil berbanding dengan kekuatannya menghancur satu bandar dengan 300,000 penduduk. Saya diberitahu bom Nagasaki lebih kuat lagi.

5. Hingga kini hampir 300,000 orang yang telah meninggal akibat letupan dan penyakit radiasi yang melanda mereka yang terselamat dan anak mereka, serta mereka yang membersihkan kawasan letupan.

6. Acara yang diadakan bukan sahaja untuk mengingati mangsa tetapi juga sebagai satu usaha dalam kempen menentang senjata nuklear.

7. Datuk Bandar Hiroshima, Dr Tadatoshi Akiba menegaskan bahawa sasaran bom nuklear ialah bandar-bandar. Memandangkan kerajaan negara-negara tidak berminat untuk menentang senjata nuklear secara rasmi dan bandar-bandar yang dijadikan tebusan, maka Dr Akiba berpendapat pentadbiran Bandar dan Datuk Bandar harus mengetuai kempen anti-nuklear.

8. Untuk menjayakan kempen ini Datuk Bandar Hiroshima telah berusaha untuk mendapat sokongan Datuk Bandar bandar-bandar lain di dunia. Sehingga kini lebih 3,000 Datuk Bandar seluruh dunia telah mendaftar sebagai penyokong gerakan ini. Mereka dikenali sebagai Datuk Bandar untuk keamanan (Mayors for Peace).

9. Di Malaysia kita sudah lancar kempen untuk menjadikan perang sebagai jenayah (Criminalise War). Kita menyarankan jika semua masyarakat manusia menganggap pembunuhan sebagai satu jenayah besar yang boleh dihukum dengan hukuman yang amat berat, kenapakah pembunuhan beramai-ramai dalam perang tidak dianggap sebagai jenayah dan mereka yang melancarkan perang tidak dianggap sebagai penjenayah dan dihukum dengan hukuman yang berat.

10. Ramai sudah pejuang-pejuang keamanan di Kanada, Amerika Syarikat, Britain, Eropah, India dan Jepun yang telah menyokong dan menyertai kempen kita.

11. Memandang bahawa kempen anti-nuklear juga bertujuan untuk menghapuskan perang nuklear, kita akan sokong gerakan Datuk Bandar untuk Keamanan.

12. Walaupun kita berasa terselamat tetapi ingatlah bahawa Negara tertentu masih anggap satu cara untuk menyelesaikan pertikaian antara Negara ialah dengan berperang iaitu dengan membunuh orang yang tidak berdosa dan menghancurkan Negara. Rakyat Iraq, Palestin, Afghanistan, Rwanda dan lain-lain sedang dibunuh dengan kejam dalam peperangan sekarang ini. Di Palestin dan Iraq bom dan peluru yag disalut dengan kimia nuclear (depleted uranium) telah diguna oleh Israel dan Amerika Syarikat.

13. Janganlah kita berpendirian kerana kita selamat sekarang, maka ada atau tidak ada perang bukan masalah kita. Sebagai manusia yang prihatin kita perlu bersimpati dengan mangsa perang dan kita harus berusaha untuk menghapuskan perang sebagai cara menyelesaikan masalah antara Negara. Kita perlu menjadikan perang sebagai jenayah. Untuk ini kita boleh bermula dengan menyokong kempen mengharamkan senjata nuklear. Sesungguhnya tumpuan sekarang ialah untuk memaksa kuasa-kuasa nuklear mengurang senjata nuklear yang ada pada mereka dan akhirnya memusnah semua senjata nuklear.

14. Dan seterusnya kempen untuk menjadikan perang sebagai jenayah perlu dijayakan.

15. Satu forum akan diadakan pada hujung tahun ini untuk mengembang lagi hujah bahawa perang adalah jenayah yang terbesar sekali dan mereka yang mencetuskan peperangan dan menyerang dengan senjata harus dianggap sebagai penjenayah dan dihukum oleh mahkamah dunia.

Monday, August 10, 2009

BUDAYA ANWAR

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 7, 2009 10:37 AM

1. Apabila sahaja saya dilantik sebagai Menteri Pelajaran pada tahun 1974, maka Anwar Ibrahim pun mula menghasut penuntut universiti untuk mengadakan tunjuk perasaan jalanan. Isunya apa saya sudah lupa.

2. Walaupun Anwar bukan pengasas demonstrasi jalanan tetapi sejak dia memasuki politik, taktik memperalat orang untuk menjayakan dirinya melalui demonstrasi jalanan kerap diguna olehnya. Dianya memuncak apabila disingkir daripada jawatan Timbalan Perdana Menteri. Tiap minggu demonstrasi diadakan.

3. Budaya demonstrasi datang dari luar. Memang dalam keadaan terlalu tersepit dan tidak ada cara lain untuk memperjuangkan sesuatu, demonstrasi jalan terpaksa diadakan. Demikian semasa melawan Malayan Union, orang Melayu berdemonstrasi.

4. Tetapi apabila cara lain terbuka luas demonstrasi tidak sepatutnya menjadi pilihan.

5. Sebabnya ialah orang yang menjadi mangsa bukan Kerajaan sahaja. Yang jadi mangsa ialah peniaga, terutama peniaga kecil yang kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang. Bagi mereka ini demonstrasi adalah mala petaka yang lebih buruk daripada hujan lebat. Barangan jualan terutama makanan sudah disiap dan tidak boleh disimpan. Kerugian sehari tidak dapat ditampung dengan keuntungan 10 hari atau lebih.

6. Peniaga lain juga akan tanggung kerugian. Tetapi kerugian yang terbesar ialah pembangunan negara untuk rakyat. Kita sedar bahawa pembangunan negara membawa banyak nikmat kepada seluruh rakyat. Banding sahaja pendapatan per kapita sebelum Malaysia dibangun dengan selepas kemajuan dicapai.

7. Apabila demonstrasi jalanan diadakan, pelabur samada tempatan atau asing akan curiga untuk melabur. Dengan itu peluang untuk kontraktor, pembekal barangan, khidmat pengangkutan, pekerja dan penjual makanan untuk pekerja - semua peluang ini akan hapus.

8. Polis terpaksa ambil tindakan. Gas pemedih mata dan belantan diguna. Kegunaan cara keras ini biasanya diumpan oleh pendemonstrasi. Imej polis dan negara jadi buruk. Ini sangat menggembirakan Anwar kerana inilah ceritanya kepada orang luar negeri. Malaysia katanya adalah tidak demokratik, zalim, tidak ada kebebasan bagi rakyat, dan lain-lain. Demonstrasi bukan untuk mengugut kerajaan sahaja tetapi untuk tunjuk kepada dunia betapa buruknya Negara sendiri. Secara tidak langsung tujuan demonstrasi ialah supaya dianya memerintah Negara ini. Na'uzubillah.

9. Ada negara-negara di mana demonstrasi kerap diadakan. Di rantau ini pun ada. Apakah negara-negara ini berjaya?

10. Demokrasi mengizinkan demonstrasi. Samada demokrasi menguntungkan pengamal bergantung kepada pengamal. Jika pengamal tidak faham cara mengguna demokrasi, kebaikan dan keuntungan tidak akan tercapai.

11. Ada orang di sebelah sana, di Barat yang amat gembira apabila kita tidak dapat bangunkan Malaysia. Nama mereka adalah seperti Wolfowitz, Cohen dan lain-lain yang menjadi sahabat karib DSAI.