• Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein’s keris issue apology insincere!

Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein is NOT apologizing as he shows no regrets over his keris-waving gesture at UMNO General Assembly 3 years ago.

Is the keris issue one of the main reasons why Barisan Nasional lost the 12the General Election on 8 March 2008? I’m not sure. Corruption scandals, government expenditure excesses, corrupted judiciary, human rights infringements, lack of transparency and more could’ve easily ensured Barisan Nasional losses in the polls. It is convenient to blame it on Hishammuddin and Khairy, finest pedigree of UMNO ultras. But I’m certain the threatening speech behind the keris about bathing it with Chinese blood did rattle some nerves. You draw your own conclusions about the keris. I’m already with opposition with or without Hishammuddin’s keris waving. So I wasn’t really bothered about it.

My understanding is Barisan Nasional, UMNO in particular, has always played the racial card to ensure it’s longevity as an apatheid ruling coalition. Ketuanan Melayu, May 13 riot and such issues are always up their sleeves. UMNO will never change as demonstated by Hishammuddin’s half-baked apology:

“ If it affected anyone, I cannot run away from the reality of it. I apologise to the non-Malays and the Malays … (I apologize) to the non-Malays because of the fear to a symbol which was not my intention. And to the Malays for not being able to uphold their symbol of heritage. ”

Of course Hishammuddin can never run away from it. It’ll be forever his stigma and one of UMNO’s most toxic racial tones in recent times.

Hishammuddin did not acknowledge though that the speech, the message that conveyed, during that particular UMNO General Assembly sent waves of fear across the people of Malaysia, peace-loving rational Malays and non-Malays of course. C’mon, to have an education minister so blatantly threaten that Malays will kill me and bath their keris with my Chinese blood if I ask for equal rights as a Malaysian, where is room for misintepretation here.

The keris as a symbol of Malay culture? Fine with me. UMNO can wave the keris all they want. Heck, they can wield machine guns during their general assemblies for all I care if the props are used to symbolise the fights for meaningful causes. What will those weapons be used against? Fight corruption? Fight poverty? Stop the judicial rot? No, instead UMNO is pointing the keris at non-Malays who asks for equality. The Chinese in particular.

Stop the sandiwara, Hishammuddin. You can’t fool anyone. An apology three years in the making, an insincere one to boot, is an insult to the people. Until the day Hishammuddin says “I’m sorry for threatening the non-Malays with another May 13th 1969 riot”, he’s one UMNO fella we rakyat has to be wary of.