Perkasa full of crap too

This is another article out in the Malaysian Insider:

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Vernacular schools cannot be treated equally with national schools, claims Perkasa, as it “contravenes” the Federal Constitution.

The Malay rights group said today that such a demand was seditious, adding that national schools still needed to be given priority as they promoted the national language Bahasa Malaysia, unlike vernacular schools.

“The demand made by Chinese groups that vernacular schools be accorded the same treatment as national schools is against Article 152(2) of the Federal Constitution, and they can be charged with sedition,” said Perkasa Wiranita chief Datin Paduka Norkhaila Jamaludin.

Her remarks were aimed at a Sun daily report today that more than 80 Chinese NGOs turned up for the launch of the “Justice for Lim Lian Geok” campaign on Sunday.

The campaign, held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the revocation of the citizenship of Lim, a revered Chinese educationist, aims to petition the government to restore his citizenship, and give equal and fair treatment to all schools that use different mediums of instruction.

According to a statement issued last week by the LLG (Lim Lian Geok) Cultural Development Centre, vernacular schools should be treated equally along with national schools and that all forms of discriminatory practices against vernacular schools should be stopped.

Perkasa lodged a police report against the campaign today.

“The late Lim Lian Geok was stripped of his citizenship because he betrayed the country and the demands are a threat to national security and against the country’s laws,” said Norkhaila.

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You know, they have pressure groups in the US who is actually able to lobby for change in the Congress and at the White House. The effectiveness comes from a combination of know who and especially know how. The lobbyists tend to be professionals who are very knowledgeable and skillful in their undertaking. In Malaysia, we try to immitate in form, but not in substance, hence cretins like Perkasa are born. With half a brain and some inkling of what history and politics (and the constitution) are all about, they go about bandying half baked ideas of what these complex things could mean, making up things as they go along as long as it suits them and their paymaster, which is none other than powerful forces (and warlords) within UMNO.

In these few last weeks, their enemies have multiplied:
1) there was originally some unnamed bogeyman who is challenging Malay/Muslim position in the constitution (until this date we don't know who they are referring to)
2) since Sarawak state election, DAP is now a Chinese chauvinist party even though the swing to opposition is by urban voters, not just Chinese voters
3) DAP is now also a proponent of Christian state, even if BN's partner MCA has been repeatedly accusing DAP of working hand in glove with PAS to create an Islamic state (both untrue of course)
4) and now the latest twist in their increasing list of grievances, they are accusing certain Chinese groups as seditious for suggesting having a free hand to grow vernacular schools
5) and oh, they are even demanding only bumi contractors (qualified or otherwise) are given the task of building the MRT (heaven help us all)

In this land where pride overides good judgment, and sensitivity sweeps honest discussion under the carpet, Perkasa has obviously missed the whole point about this perplexing education debate. Chinese groups are pragmatic folks. Do you think they care that the entire education system only consist of national schools, if the education system is of top notch quality? Can Perkasa deny that the vernacular Chinese schools teach better math and science? Even President Obama has acknowledged that Asian schools have surpassed US schools in coming up with better maths and science students, and I betcha he ain't referring to national schools in Malaysia.

It's really not a pride issue as far as the Chinese are concerned, and even far less a Chinese chauvinist position. It is purely an education issue - people (and I mean even Malays and Indians) are sending their children to Chinese vernacular schools because it's proven that the system there works better in educating children on these subjects. Perhaps Perkasa can think of it this way - that the Chinese are very serious about their children's education. It's like being a protective parent. Can Perkasa understand this analogy? I hope so, because child protection is a human instinct that even if Perkasa refuses to engage their logic, they should be able to feel that what the educationist groups are requesting is right.

What I cannot fathom is how does asking for vernacular schools seditious or against the constitution? Are the education groups inciting hatred towards anyone else? A call for diversity in schools are equivalent to asking for more democratic space. Since when is asking for more democratic space seditious? It would have been different if the education group says "down with national schools and convert everything to Chinese medium" - now, that would not only piss off the Malays, but probably some Chinese themselves for the undemocratic stupidity that it represents. Likewise, Malaysians having the right mind would probably think the same if Perkasa keeps harping on having ONLY national schools because that's undemocratic.

Seriously, Perkasa should stop shooting from the hip. You really don't have to meet the daily or weekly quota UMNO sets for you to make your million ringgit fees. It's ok (in a commercial sense, illegality notwithstanding) to be an extremist and fundamentalist party bent on racial and religious division (you're just doing your hatchet job), but please do your research and come up with smarter arguments that could actually change people's minds instead of idiotic pronouncements that not only turn the non-Malay/Muslims away, but probably the moderate Malay/Muslims as well. And for goodness sake, stop using the "we Malays will be angry if you do that and you won't like it when we're angry" because firstly, Perkasa are not Malays/Muslims, and then you stop meaningful dialogue and it becomes a purely intimidatory exercise. It's fine for you to intimidate under a BN government (in a machiavellian sense), but you should remember that after the 13th general elections, when the top BN leaders have escaped the country to avoid getting arrested (yes, I mean Pakatan will take over the federal government, in case you don't know how to read between the lines), the rest of you are still here, and you will be arrested for a multitude of criminal offences, and upon conviction, you can rest assured your days in prison will be a long and hardy one.

Perkasa members, bail out while you can, from a sinking vessel. It is inevitable and predestined that such a day will come very soon.