YOURSAY ‘Clearly his post was intended to induce hatred of the Chinese.’

'I meant stubborn Chinese traders, not all'

Telestai!: Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob can say what he wants but his Facebook posting shows his true racist sentiments.

As opposed to words spoken where one could blame it on a slip of the tongue, words in a FB posting are carefully constructed to reflect the thoughts of the author. There is no need for clarification from Ismail Sabri.

If he had been referring to rogue traders, there was no need to say "Chinese traders". Clearly his blog was intended to induce hatred of the Chinese.

Idon'tlikekangkung: If you really are truly ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’, then you would know very well that there are also “stubborn” traders of every colour and creed. It is therefore wrong of the minister to go on a tirade against traders based on race.

If the minister had real issues and real brains, then he should have been wiser with his choice of words. It is always easy to say retrospectively, that “I’d meant this or that”. It is much wiser for a minister to choose his words carefully so as to avoid having to backpedal.

This has nothing to do with Chinese or Malay-bashing (and incidentally, Chinese-bashing has been going on for years). This has to do with wisdom or the lack of it.

Do remember that the higher up we are, the more important it is for us to be judicious in our words. I suppose you will now accuse us of minister-bashing?   

Wiser: With such a racist outlook, how did Ismail Sabri ever get to be a minister? How are you ever going to be seen representing all Malaysians?

You are pitting one race against another in multicultural Malaysia. Then, having said what you had fully intended to say, with the mass media putting it on print and having got your racist point through for your political agenda, you now say this was not meant to be racist.

No minister, it is not alright to retract what you said. Malaysian do not need the likes of you -a stirrer for your own political interest at the expense of peace-loving Malaysians. 

TehTarik: If he has any morsel of self-dignity or integrity, he should apologise to the nation and resign. This would have happened in a civilised democracy. It is statements like this that destroy the national unity.

The very negative perception of Malaysia internationally is partly due to low caliber ministers like this. Now he is struggling to wriggle himself out of his self-created hole.

Anticonmen: Toll charges should not be imposed at all. Inflated electricity charges should not be imposed. IPPs (independent power producers) should be closed down. Electricity charges should be reduced because of the fall in oil prices.

Both toll and electricity charges benefit only the ruling regime and cronies. Both are a burden to all Malaysians and are the real issues we Malaysians want you to address.

Making the Chinese businesses as the bogeyman is ‘Barang Naik’ government's way of distracting attention from the real issues.

Moonraker: Racists and bigots spew their messages of hate and malice. Umno has lost ground and is now trying to outdo extremists by appealing to racist and religious sentiments, painting others as enemies of their people.

If only more ordinary Malays know how much their leaders are stealing for themselves, all in the name of helping their people.

Take for example, children from affluent and influential Malay families are heavily over-represented in the well-endowed Mara junior colleges and government residential schools.

Why can't such families give up their special privileges in favour of the deserving needy? Who will set the ball rolling? And be called a traitor by some?

Dingy: Price has a ratchet-up effect. The government policy of allowing the price of RON95 and diesel to move according to the market price of oil could result in prices moving upwards several times in a year.

When the price of petrol rises, prices of goods and services tend to rise as well. However, when prices of petrol drop, prices remain the same. If price of petrol fluctuates several times in a year, we would see price of goods and services go up in tandem, but never come down.

To prevent such happening, it's better for the government to regulate the price of petrol to make it stable throughout the year.

Jiminy Qrikert: This is all becoming quite boring really. It is the same sequence of play-acting that is being repeated - in a pre-determined cycle in response to preset criteria by pre-selected individuals with the pre-requisite pre-approvals and then pre-programmed denials.

Would anyone, even a minister, but especially a minister, dare to make such racist statements against the usual targeted community without the necessary pre-approvals first?

Would such racist provocation be required at all if not for the urgent need to create a diversion from some immediate problem or impending disaster that will strike the rakyat?

Don't we all recognise this cyclical behaviour of a government that has conditioned the Malays and Chinese to take opposing positions on polarising issues triggered by accusations of some misdeed, threat or subversion against, as always is the case, the Malays by the Chinese?

And on cue, we dance gleefully.

Fight racism, we are all not Sabri

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