The Ugly Faces Of Umno Baru

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Was Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, the MP for Pasir Salak, under instruction to cause an uproar in Parliament and divert our attention from Zahid Hamidi's trial for criminal breach of trust (CBT), money laundering and bribery
On Dec 3, Tajuddin asked if the holy ash on Jelutong MP, RSN Rayer's forehead, came from the late Chin Peng's ashes. When he was accused of insulting the Hindus, Tajuddin back-tracked and denied the charge. Police reports were lodged and social media went into overdrive
Tajuddin must protect the Umno-Baru president's reputation at all costs, and Malays must be distracted from reading the many exposes in his trial
The insult towards Hindus has had the desired effect. These racial/religious slurs have been used many times before, when Umno-Baru has bad news to bury

The distraction probably made some of us ignore the alleged corruption and excesses of Zahid (below) and his wife, Hamidah Khamis, their millionaire lifestyle, their overseas spending sprees and those in Malaysia, and the RM35,000 on road tax for their fleet of luxury cars and motorbikes
More importantly, not one sen of the money donated to the charity organisation, Yayasan Akalbudi, which had been set-up ostensibly to help the poor, had been given to any needy Malaysians
Nevertheless, what do Tajuddin, disgraced Najib Abdul Razak and Zahid have in common
They are the faces of Umno-Baru. They were elected to serve the public, but they preferred to serve themselves. Their behaviour has shamed the Malay community
One might find it hard to believe that Umno was not a party of thieves, gangsters, cronies and crass politicians
The confused Malays, who had to attend a Conference on Dignity to search for the definition of "maruah", need only study certain Umno leaders to know what people who lack maruah look like
During Najib's and Zahid's trials, video footage showed them smiling as they entered the courtroom. They acted as if the money which they had allegedly misappropriated was a small matter
Noh Omar, the Umno-Baru MP for Tanjung Karang, dropped the "p-word" in Parliament and his exchanges with MPs made Parliament resemble a backstreet brothel
The sexist and foul-mouthed Tajuddin is known for his "attention-seeking". No one can remember what he has done or which policy he advocated to benefit Malaysians. We only recall his crudity
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad encapsulated the most reprobate of them all, in the run-up to GE-14, when he called an Umno leader a "penyamun, penyagak and penipu" (robber, hooligan, liar). These three "Ps" also aptly describe the average Umno Baru politician
Tajuddin frequently repeats his bad behaviour. He delights in making vile comments and insulting people of other faiths and cultures
His son, Firdaus (above), is a chip off the old block. He started a riot in Parliament when he attacked the then opposition MP, Khalid Samad in 2016. The investigation was delayed and after much criticism, Firdaus was fined a mere RM100. His punishment speaks volumes for the disregard for democracy exhibited by the previous Umno Baru administration
When Tajuddin mocked Rayer, on Monday, he was probably testing the speaker's patience, to see if he would be punished
Parliament has a code of conduct to which all MPs must adhere. Perhaps, Umno Baru MPs, with their ketuanan mentality, think it does not apply to them
During the previous Umno Baru regime, the speaker would dismiss the accusations that Umno-Baru MPs were racist and sexist
As he was rarely punished, Tajuddin became emboldened. He was aware that the more rude he became, the more other Umno-Baru/BN MPs would cheer him on
Today, the House moved to sanction Tajuddin but we know that this is insufficient because he will create another ruckus at some point in the future
Do MPs who are suspended receive full pay and allowances? Perhaps MPs who make seditious and racist remarks should have their wages and allowances docked? Perhaps Parliament should have a three strikes ruling and an MP who is a repeat offender, should be relieved of his position as an MP
Tajuddin must be severely punished, otherwise our youth will think that bad behaviour is acceptable. Suspension alone is not sufficient. Tajuddin is not a good role model for our youth who aspire to enter politics or become public servants
He is not good for community relations in multi-racial Malaysia, as he discourages national unity
The men who represent the new face of Umno Baru lack maruah. They lack good manners and many are sexist. They treat Parliament like a brothel, shouting obscenities across the floor
Did these men learn the values which every Malay child should be taught? What happened to being polite, having good manners, and respect for others (sopan santun, tata tertib, penghormatan)
To the casual observer, the Malays may come across as rude, crass and uncultured, with a complete disregard for law and order
These four men who represent Umno Baru, have failed the Malays. Actually, the Malays and Islam need to be protected from this type of Malays
If Tajuddin is bad, what does that say about the constituency of Pasir Salak who keep reelecting him
We need race discrimination laws because Malays with the Ketuanan Melayu mentality think it is acceptable to insult the non-Malays
They are repeat offenders because they know they will get away with it. But if we come down hard on them, the country will begin to heal
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter. - Mkini

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