YOURSAY | ‘What is Ismail trying to prove by bringing up communism?’

PAS MP: I raised Chinese new villages issue due to ‘security concerns’

Vijay47: With the current heat wave, it is only to be expected that brains get frazzled leading to political worms crawling out of the woodwork. Yet there may be merit to Maran lawmaker Ismail Abd Muttalib’s concern that communists may be lurking in locations where a particular community may be the sole inhabitants.

Never mind that Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, and Kim Il-sung are long dead and gone decades now, but it pays to be cautious, as Ismail has pointed out.

Our new villages with their concentrations of Chinese were long suspected of being sanctuaries for communist sympathisers, never mind again if the Chinese themselves were the biggest victims of the Malayan Communist Party’s atrocities.

Going by the Maran MP’s formula, a concoction of race - exclusive habitat - and communistic sentiments, whatever they mean, are inimical to our national well-being even if the only crimson tendencies these days, if you don’t know by now, are ‘Simply Red’ who are holding back the tears.

Chin Peng’s closest associates included Abdullah CD, Rashid Maidin, Shamsiah Fakeh, and Abu Samah Mohamad Kassim. I may be wrong, hence I am still ‘Holding Back the Tears’, but going by their names, I would assume that they were hardly Indians or Chinese but Malays.

Stir in concentrations of community and we have - gasp and voila - Kuala Lumpur’s Kampong Baru! Tell me, Ismail, does this mean that the Special Branch and 7th Cavalry and Fleet should make a sweep of that area to unearth, yes, communist sympathisers?

And while they are at it, they could also keep a lookout for LTTE supporters.

Apanama is back: Maran PAS lawmaker, you are the security concern for all the right-thinking Malaysians.

Moreover, you and your party are presenting a clear and present danger to multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society in this country.

It is mind-boggling that you and your party are allowed to spew racial and bigoted venom every now and then under our Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. You must be lucky because he is being soft.

If this country is not Malaysia, you and your party will be history by now.

BobbyO: Ismail cited security concerns. He was born 69 years ago. So, by this time he knows the actual position of these villages. So why raise an issue of communism, when he knows very well that its practices do not exist anymore?

Then there’s the issue of giving citizenship to coloured people. What are you insinuating, Ismail? That the non-Malays do not deserve citizenship, or they should not be given this privilege?

You are using race to your advantage by raising ridiculous questions or even suggestions. For a senior politician, you know very well how to score political points, and you use race and religion to further your political agenda.

Oct: Agree. I don't understand why Ismail is still talking about communism in the 21st century. Anwar has even visited and successfully brought back billions of ringgit in investment. Every country in the world is trying to do business with China even though they know it is a communist country.

They are the second largest market in the world. China is about to overtake the US in almost every business and technological field.

Don't kill the golden goose just because of your narrow thoughts and fear of the nonexistent threats.

China is helping Malaysia in so many areas like the ECRL, ports and trade. Yet, Ismail wants to spite them. Most of our consumer products are brought in from China. What is Ismail trying to prove by bringing up the subject of communism?

Ismail should bring up topics that will help the country to prosper. Malaysia is enjoying peace. There is no need to create chaos and be protective when there is no ghost under your bed.

SRMan: I lived in a new village for more than 30 years before moving elsewhere in the same town. Ismail, what perception and security concerns are you supposed to 'worry' about?

It's already more than 30 years since the Malayan Communist Party laid down their arms in 1989 after having signed a tripartite peace treaty with Malaysia and our neighbour Thailand.

Has our enforcement authority caught a single communist insurgent or sympathiser in our country post the peace treaty?

Yes, they were communists, but they kept their side of the bargain. Did our democratic government do the same thing?

In the early 60s, villagers in my area had to conduct late evening and night patrols around the village against communist infiltrators. It was a "Rukun Tetangga" of sorts.

New villages were not grounds for communism to thrive as some ignorant politicians might like to think or are seemingly worried about.

Walk into a new village and you will find that the residents there are generally friendly, peaceful and law-abiding citizens. They too pay taxes contributing to the coffer of the country.

Talk to the villagers and you will hear how some of their children have become professionals like doctors, and lawyers and even hold directorships in publicly listed companies.

Ismail, do not make 'communist' a dirty word as it may come back to haunt you. I pray that our country will not come to a stage where we need to beg for help from an economically powerful communist regime.

A system of government in that country should only be abhorred if it breeds violence, terrorism, corruption, and self-serving leaders.

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