Wednesday, May 09, 2007

JJ apologises to Sheena

Boston: Jamaluddin Jarjis yesterday offered an apology to student Sheena Moorthy over remarks he made during a lunch with about 40 students, including Sheena, in Los Angeles last week. The minister told a gathering of a few hundreds students here that he had said some things in jest; nonetheless, he wished to apologise to "the student in LA" if he had offended her, an aide told me on the phone.

I have sent Sheena a couple of mails seeking more info since she sent me her mail on May 3 about how upset she was. JJ has come under fire on-line, with some blogs even calling for his sacking [here]. Sheena confirmed in her latest mail this morning that she was away in Boston the last couple of days. I've shot her another mail asking her views about the apology. Am awaiting her comments.

JJ did right to apologise, in my opinion. It is a quality missing in many politicians. Even journalists. Till today, for example, people are still waiting for Kalimullah Hassan to apologise for the June 11 column he wrote in The Sunday Times [read here]. Khairy Jamaluddin also hasn't apologised for his racial slurs he made against the Chinese last year [incidentally, Rustam Sani mentioned KJ's refusal to apologise in his posting today; read here].

56 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:16 pm

    Rocky,

    I agree with you. Forgiveness is the only right step in response as JJ did the right thing. Unlike a callus Oxfart trained politician and many others in our midst.

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  2. Anonymous12:51 pm

    JJ has been gracious and man enough to apologise. I think the public should leave it at that and stop demonising him. we should stop the holier-than-thou attitude.

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  3. An apology is the first step towards healing the rift.

    Take the responsibility for making a callous statement and learn not to make insensitive remarks.

    Malaysia will be a better place if all parties can adhere to this standard.

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  4. Anonymous2:25 pm

    Hi Rocky,

    This is the recent development related to the blogosphere in the US.

    New bill to give bloggers same shield law protection as journalists

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2:49 pm

    "The minister told a gathering of a few hundreds students here that he had said some things in jest; nonetheless, he wished to apologise to "the student in LA" if he had offended her.."

    Is this really an apology? The student has a name and he should know it as well, why just mention only "The Student"

    To me a personal apology must be made to Sheena even though he had apologise in the big gathering.

    Why he took so long to swallow his pride?

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  6. Hopefully more will be like him :)
    Adios

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  7. Mr Rocky, is this true? cant believe it..am glad at least the minister is humble enough to admit his misstake and apologise..

    :D ( /me all smiled up )

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  8. Anonymous4:05 pm

    That's a gentleman and we wish JJ all the best...

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  9. Anonymous4:11 pm

    Ahhh what a great and generous gesture from the honorable minister...an apology even. And the magnanimously malaysian response from all our fellow blogspeople.... He has apologised, its best we forget and move on, JJ has been gracious, he's being a MAN...he's being responsible... Am I missing somethin here??? Hullo! The only thing that this man has been is rude. racist, a bully, and in my opinion, quite unremorseful. He publicly bullied and humiliated a young defenseless girl in a foreign country, snuffed her into the ground and he wants to get away with an apology??? Read (The MINISTER!! told a gathering of a few hundreds students here that he had said some things in jest...? )..he wished to apologise...if he had offended her...??
    Come, come and he gets away with a muttered and qualified apology? As Mr Teoh would say NIAAMAH!!

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  10. Sdr Rocky,

    NSTP agm is on Thursday, 17 May at 10.00am.

    I plan to attend to collect the door gift. Haha.....

    A new man is in the chair -- Dato' Seri Mohamed Jawahir.

    Hope to see you there. Several oldtimers told me that they will be attending.

    As for JJ, at least he said sorry and apologized. Is Ainon still serving him?

    Thank you.

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  11. Anonymous4:47 pm

    Bru,

    KJ (Khairy Jamaluddin not Kak Jane) might not have apologised to the Chinese. The Chinese too are not demanding too strongly. They can squeeze more out of the father-in-law by sparing the son-in-law. Chinese are not stupid you see. They know how to skin a cat, especially a fat one like KJ. Money is better than apology. Money can buy things. An insincere apology from a politician has no value.

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  12. Anonymous4:52 pm

    Bru, you"re back attacking Mr Kallimullah Masheerul Hassan! Not a contempt of court aaah? Bravo. Mr Kali and gang are back in ECM Libra Avenue. Shahrir Samad freed ECM from its sin of paying cheaply for publicly-owned Avenue Asset. Thank you Shahrir!

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  13. Anonymous4:57 pm

    JJ's problem is not that he is racist. JJ's problem is that he looks down on people and because of that, he does not treat them with the respect that every person deserves.

    This dude thinks very highly of himself. He has got a huge ego.

    If an apology is the benchmark, then JJ still owes a lot of people one.

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  14. Anonymous4:58 pm

    Be fore warm - the GENERAL ELECTION is coming, soon.

    The politikus is building their bases now.

    ReplyDelete
  15. That JJ episode..Its sickening!!. By now her letter should be in the PM office. Hope that Paklah take note of this and act accordingly.

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  16. Apologize? This word does not exist in their hides nor vocab . . . but we'll make an exception. Good thing too, JJ. Hopefully the two big "K"s will now follow suit...

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  17. Anonymous7:51 pm

    Just because when the Minister apologized and Sheena Moorthy wasn't there, now she refused to accept the Minister's gesture unless it was done straight to her face.

    The Minister apologized and everyone should move on and along.

    If Sheena Moorthy still want to carry on making this a personal issue, let her do it in her private time and space. Not worthy of public attention any further as the Minister has tendered his apology on the issue and there witnesses who bore that gesture.

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  18. Yes, more grace and integrity would be nice; it is like a breadth of fresh air (if he means it)!

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  19. Anonymous8:52 pm

    hi rocky,
    glad he apologised, these politicians shouldnt think that just because they have a bit of power they can say anything they want, infact they should actually be more aware as to what they say.On a different note, couldnt find any article as to the publics view regarding the subject of stopping UPSR and PMR, i personally dont think its a good idea cause that would mean theres no standard way of marking and the marks are dependant on what the teachers think of you ie very subjective and what more if the teacher has his/her on prejudices against a student, personally i expirienced this, and the only way i achieved what i did was through a standardised system, if my future depended on what the teachers felt about me, my life would have taken a different pathway. I know this has got nothing to do with your posting but am thinking about the future of our younger generations:)

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  20. damage has been done,
    sorry no cure beb....

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  21. Anonymous10:40 pm

    JJ's apology is not sincere. He did it to save his own sorry ass in view of calls for his sacking. Had his remorse been genuine, he would have apologised a long time ago and in a less vague manner. Reminds me of Mahathir saying he was sorry he got the facts wrong about Pak Lah's home in Perth. Let's get real.... JJ showed his true colours when he made those insensitive remarks, and to brush it off as a "joke" in an offhand apology is cowardly. By all means forgive him, but never forget. When Election day comes, remember JJ and all the other politicians who, by their words and deeds, have set race relations here back by decades.

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  22. Anonymous10:58 pm

    This JJ is not an idiot like some MPs we have in the Dewan Rakyat. He is a well-educated man. But he proves education doesn't buy you sense and wisdom.

    He shouldn't have said the derogatory things in the first place. That he said it in public showed he had no regard for people's sensitivities.That he apologized in my opinion, is because this racist remark may blow up in his face.

    Apology is not consistent with the JJ I know of. Still he stands a step above those #$%T$# who blatantly insult an entire race and act as if nothing's wrong.

    Cultural Relations 101, anyone?

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  23. {Note: Lazarus Rokk sent this comment of his to the wrong posting. Not the first time. - Rocky's Bru]

    bro,

    I am glad JJ apologised, but bro you and I know only too well how we newsmen(former) and you currently a leading blogger, have applied the element of "seriousness in jest" to express our innermost sentiments on issues. As a politician JJ should know better than anyone that making racial barbs like that is not on. Cos there are some words that you can't take away, that some things just won't go away, not even with an apology. I am wondering if samy vellu was to have made remarks like that to a Malay, would an apology be acceptable. But I guess an apology is an apology. - Lazarus Rokk

    (sorry bro, can u plse insert this in the relevant blog space, i mistakenly typed in the wrong area, as usual, he he )

    5:04 PM

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  24. Anonymous11:24 pm

    apropos of nothing, i've heard that samy vellu once asked a female indian reporter interviewing him this loaded question: 'do you play the organ?'

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  25. Anonymous12:46 am

    Insincere apologies made by jj, online Bloggers has given this guy hell, I am sure he must have read some of it, else he would still not apologise, so why say "the student in LA" and not Ms. Sheena? If he had indeed glance through some of those blogs and comments, he must have known her name.

    to not address Sheena properly is rude. this show short commings in up bringing.

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  26. Anonymous1:32 am

    Just wondering. How come the "fair skinned" one took no offence?

    Hahha.

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  27. Anonymous1:55 am

    Oi! JJ apologised. You guys want to kiss Miss Sheena's hand? So that you can accuse him of sexual harrasment?

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  28. Anonymous2:25 am

    Sure, better than KJ. For heaven's sake, KJ IS A REMPIT! Any UNCOUTH in the street is better than KJ.

    JJ's mouthings hardly sound like an apology to me. It's not even the same as the sardonic one Dr M made.

    This is just damage-control, people. The half-hearted perfunctory sound of it is even more insulting. Not just to our Indian brothers/sisters, to every Malaysian.

    A real apology should be formal - like half a page in their mouthpiece media or something. And not just to Sheena, but to all Indian Malaysians whom he also insulted.

    Sheesh, Malaysians are so quick to give slack when they think form has been observed. It's about demanding respect and principled behaviour from our elected reps la people!

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  29. Hey, that's great response from JJ, that also means if my 'posters' were to be 'taken the wrong way' then I could just use an 'Aide' to phone whichever Politikus that 'felt offended' and offers my 'sincerest apology'. Better I could make a generic version of that audio recording available for download on my blog.

    Hmmm... I should start making an MP3 of that 'apology' soon just for standby. Still, BiggieDog is right, let's move on from this.

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  30. Anonymous9:57 am

    why only malay must apologize.how about the ketuk ketampi case.did teresa cok apologize to malay police girl and the guilty one?and why others just shut up when it relate to malay person??

    ReplyDelete
  31. IS THAT SHEENA'S MISTAKE? ARE YOU THE WRONGDOER?
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    HIGHLIGHT:
    .... that he had said some things in jest; nonetheless, he wished to apologise to "the student in LA" if he had offended her, an aide told me on the phone.

    COMMENT:
    First of all I would like to state that at least Jamaluddin has taken some effort to apologise to Sheena, which is somehow good, considering the fact that the rest of the politicians do not do so. Please take note that I used to word "somehow" before "good".

    However, the problem here is the way the apology is conveyed. Is that a "real" apology? Is that so-called apology "an apology"?

    Let's analyse.

    1) Bear in mind that Jamaluddin Jarjis mentioned the word "JEST" in his so-called "apology".

    2) Is he saying that he is only JESTING(joking) with his horrible words and not an intention to hurt people of Indian parentage?

    3) Is he saying that he was only JOKING using such horrible words but he was "Sorry" that Sheena took it seriously?

    4) Is he justifying those horrible words are not appropriate if taken seriously but "OK" if said in JEST?

    I ponder, if there are tokens of "Yes" for those questions above I would say that is an INSINCERE "apology".

    I am not sure whether Jamaluddin Jarjis really meant it this way (below) but in my opinion it sounds like:

    "SHEENA, I SAID SOMETHING IN JEST BUT I AM SORRY THAT YOU TOOK IT SERIOUSLY".

    * * Does that mean Sheena is the person who is the wrongdoer here, taking jokes seriously and make a big issue out of it ? * *

    Saying certain people in races as being "LOW CLASS" and "HIGH CLASS" is an insult, regardless whether it is a JOKE or otherwise! Those words are Horrendous, Terrible and should be Condemned.

    Why can't the apology be direct like this:
    "I am sorry for offending people of Indian ethnicity. Words as such should not be uttered in any form, jesting or seriously."

    Is that so-called "apology" sincere?

    You decide !

    Thank God I am not Sheena.

    Regards,
    http://sagaladoola.blogspot.com

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  32. Anonymous10:38 am

    JJ offered an apology because its happend in US, If it was happend in Malaysia, nobody asking him for apology also he never bother that?

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  33. Anonymous10:47 am

    He did not apologise. All he did was insinuate that he wished to applogise "IF" he offended "the student in LA".....it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know that isnt an unreserved apology. I have no respect for our so called leaders who use their status and race to belittle the rest who are not of the same status and race. Why couldn't he just say that it was inconsiderate of him and he is sorry to Sheena....she has a name and I am sure he knows that !!

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  34. Anonymous10:50 am

    Sdr Rocky,

    Wonder if you could comment on the report in Utusan Malaysia today (reproduced below)on your blog. The luxury yacht owned by billionaire friend, personal overseas trip when the country is grappling with problems and in particular, this comment, “Adakah wajar seorang bakal Presiden bercuti atas tajaan orang kaya yang boleh mendapat pelbagai faedah dengan pertolongan golongan berkuasa?” tanya Timbalan Ketua Parti Sosialis, Jean-Marie Le Guen” ring a bell to me. How could this French be so stupid and narrow-minded! Look at Malaysian, we don’t give a fuss on similar excesses..



    Sarkozy dikecam kerana percutian mewah di Malta

    "PARIS 9 Mei – Baru tiga hari selepas memenangi pilihan raya Presiden Perancis, calon berhaluan kanan Nicolas Sarkozy dilanda kontroversi politik hari ini berhubung percutian mewah dengan menaiki sebuah kapal layar milik seorang rakan berstatus bilionair.

    Sarkozy dikatakan mempersiapkan kerajaan barunya semasa percutian tiga hari di Malta, sementara penunjuk perasaan di tanah air merusuh untuk tiga malam berturut-turut sebagai memprotes kemenangannya.

    Bakal Presiden itu terbang ke Malta bersama-sama isterinya, Cecilia dan anak lelaki mereka, Louis, 10, kelmarin untuk bersantai selepas kemenangannya ke atas calon Parti Sosialis, Segolene Royal pada Ahad lalu.

    Kapal layar 60 meter milik bilionair Vincent Bollore itu dan percutian tersebut segera menimbulkan kecaman hebat daripada lawan politik yang menganggapnya sebagai tidak kena tempat.

    “Adakah wajar seorang bakal Presiden bercuti atas tajaan orang kaya yang boleh mendapat pelbagai faedah dengan pertolongan golongan berkuasa?” tanya Timbalan Ketua Parti Sosialis, Jean-Marie Le Guen.

    Bagaimanapun Kesatuan Gerakan Popular (UMP) pimpinan Sarkozy mempertahankan tindakan beliau.

    Seorang bekas Perdana Menteri berhaluan kanan, Jean-Pierre Raffarin berkata, Sarkozy berhak menikmati percutian itu dan beliau hanya memulakan tugas pada 16 Mei apabila beliau mengambil alih jawatan daripada Presiden Jacques Chirac.

    “Selepas lima tahun mengharungi kesusahan, Nicolas Sarkozy berhak mengecapi kebahagiaan tiga hari bersama keluarganya sebelum mencurahkan khidmat tidak berbelah bahagi selama lima tahun kepada rakyat Perancis,” kata Raffarin di radio Perancis.

    Akhbar Perancis menyelar apa yang disifatkan sebagai “cita rasa Sarkozy yang keterlaluan untuk mengecapi kemewahan berlebih-lebihan.”

    – AFP

    Hantu Gigi Jarang

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  35. Anonymous11:40 am

    Sure took JJ a hell of a long time to apologise. Geez.

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  36. Anonymous1:05 pm

    Dear Rocky,

    There are several lessons to learn.

    1. I've now learnt that some Malaysians privileged enough to study overseas, such as Miss Sheene Moorthy, are still uncapable of holding their own. I would have liked to see her put the Minister in his place there and then when he allegedly uttered those barbs. That should have been the first recourse. Many young Malaysians who do not have Miss Sheena's privileges would have speak out and let their displeasure known.

    2. That a politician should not apologise over racial remarks, alleged or real. The young and brash Khairy Jamaluddin has appeared to be a hero for remarks he allegedly made that supposedly hurt the Chinese (especially in MCA) last year. Namesake Jamaluddin would probably be a hero if he had not apologised, judging by the many responses I read here and elsewhere in blogosphere.

    3. Dr Sheela is a selfish person. This is a little personal because I know Dr Sheela, or her type. She would fight for her dear sister who has been injured by those alleged barbs but she will not stand for others who face the same predicament. By writing to our dear Prime Minister, Dr Sheela expects to hit as many pins down this alley of selfish purpose. Never mind if the Prime Minister is the father in law of a young and brash person who has allegedly thrown his share of racial barbs himself.

    4. I"ve also learnt that there is no longer that ability to laugh at ourselves. We have become a super sensitive society, ready to spring to action at the slightest slur and provocation. We have lost our sense of history and we have lost our sense of humour.

    Thank you.
    No-name-so-as-to-be-safe

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  37. Anonymous1:22 pm

    I heard froma friend who attended the dinner, Sheena asked for scholarship or support from JJ to get scholarship but apparently JJ asked her to go to the relevant bodies. Hmmm. Something fishy there.

    Anyway, JJ did apologize to her. That's a good thing.

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  38. Hantu Gigi Jarang,
    Thank you for the tip. I have done a posting on that after reading your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous3:10 pm

    Not sure if I was able to send this off earlier...so sending it again...

    BigDogDotCom said...

    The Minister apologized and everyone should move on and along.

    If Sheena Moorthy still want to carry on making this a personal issue... Not worthy of public attention ....

    The BigDog seems to be one of the flers walking around with his big head up his big behind. As Rokk said it, I'm sure that if the shoe was on the other foot, the Dog would be right out there waving his little keris with greater enthusiasm...I seem to think that the blogsphere is not reserved for the pet interests of a chosen few, as in the case of the Dog, his all pervasive membership in UMNO.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous5:27 pm

    apology is good. But a freaking minister should know when to joke and when not to. What to joke and what not to joke about. Our ministers are HP6 and this JJ fellow in charge of science etc is a disgrace....

    If someone did this to JJ whjat do you think will happen...claim the other person racist...will run amok? Msia full of double standard

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  41. Anonymous5:48 pm

    Rocky

    For those still going after JJ, get off your high horses for a while pls.

    JJ was silly when he said all those things. So, he apologised.

    At least he is not the one institutionalising this "high class" and "low class" culture.

    It is inherent in the Indian community, already, and it still is. The caste system still operates , I assume below the radar, and marriages etc are still somehow dictated by this, I believe.

    Its frowned upon, obviously, but subtly it is very much enforced.

    If there is anyone who still needs to apologise, are the "lighter skinned" who continues to look at the others as beneath them, regardless of how far the latter has moved up.

    Of course we should all do away with all these things, but they do exist. Not only among the Indians, but amongs all other races as well, where each have its own subtle class system.

    Many non-Indians will realise very quickly how readily some people of Indian origin will tell them what they are - i.e not of darker skinned - when asked. Why? You tell me.

    Notice how many skin whitening formula are advertised during hindustani, tamil and malay shows? Why? "Lighter skinned" better than "darker skin"? Lighter skinned Malay better than darker skin Malay, too?

    If we all want to be angry, let's target all these companies who advertise as such; propagating this skin pigmentation colour perception idealogy.

    They I believe are worse culprits, and they are not even bothered with the sensitivity of others.

    sheesh

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  42. Anonymous6:48 pm

    Dear those who ask what happens if the Malay is the victim of the deragotory racial remarks,

    Where have you been? The Malays in this country are so used to your slurs. The Malays only lost their cool once, in 1969. All other times, we take it like good sports. You all agreed for the NEP to continue because you said Malays still backward and needed help to catch up with you, we accepted. All this while the cronies have enriched themselves in the guise of NEP, not the Malays. Now you say we still cannot catch up and you are angry at us for being so slow. Did we run amok? No we did not.

    So please lah, don't get racial here. You want to be angry with the minister or pretend to be angry with him because you need to vent your hang-ups, by all means do so. But don't drag in the Malays in general.

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  43. Anonymous8:57 pm

    Why there are so many anti Melayu here?

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  44. Anonymous9:58 pm

    Bru, I can't believe that he gets away with this so lightly - you heard from an aide that he apologised to that girl in LA?

    This is not a case of having hang-ups - we need to voice what we believe is acceptable and what is not. Otherwise when things like this happen in the future, we have no one but ourselves to blame. What JJ did - calling his racial remarks jest and then making a half-baked apology (if he made it at all) is not by any means sufficient - it adds insult to injury. His comments were about ALL Indians as Buruh kasar and seemed to judge ALL Indians based on their skin colour, so the apology he needs to make is one that is PUBLIC and addressed to ALL Indians in this country.

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  45. Anonymous2:41 am

    if we were really intolerant of racism, he should've already been fired from office lah.

    look at all the developed countries, especially a multi-racial country like usa. if american politician cakap comment like that ... you think he will still be holding office?

    he apologize - so what? words are words. thats what politicians do right?

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  46. Even a fifth former will be more reticent with his choice of words than this PhD holder trying to portray himself as a macho statesman. From the transcript, he seems to think that his chips on his shoulder give him the right to denigrate others; in this case, verbal bullyism against a student.

    What sort of education and experience has he gotten that made him think it was ok to say things like that?

    The people of Malaysia also want to know what was his role in the TNB kalimantan coal deal that surprised everyone then but surprised no one now that it's written off with a loss of rm200 million.

    The problem with our country today is that it is run by bigots against women, inepts of administration, ultras against those not of their kind, crooks and corrupts to the core, myopics and mischief makers. What little they do anyone else with a right attitude can probably do better. They are not the solution. They are the problem.

    JJ shows he only has a tinshed for a mind. A person of his stature should be in better control of his mouth; if he has nothing up there to warrant intelligent conversation, he should just shut up and say a prayer he won't be called to reckon for his racism.

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  47. Anonymous7:03 am

    to melayu 2nd class and whoever say we anti melayu,


    its not about being anti melayu, its about standing up for what is right, as for agreeing about NEP its your leaders who say that you'll are backward, infact it shouldnt be about helping the melayu who are backwards, its about helping the malaysian who are backward ALL Malaysian who are in need, so can you blame the others if there is frustration, plus the fact that you dont acknowledge that it is an unfair system obviously rubs salt in the wound. This system sucks, what it says is some peoples lives are more valuable than others, so its a friggin racist, discriminatory country, we have to move forward this is the millenium where its equal rights for everyone, not like the time where the blacks were being treated as slaves in America!!!!we're 100 years behind people, So.....?????...PEACE!

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  48. Anonymous6:32 pm

    What i dont understand is why there are so many who have commented (some even well known fig's) who are so quick to point out/praise that the minister for apologising and comparing to others who in some other situation havent apologised. This is altogether a separate incident and something which shows highly faulty line of thinking which needs to be rectified since one is is a leader. To have made the jest in itself is callous but to have it done in another country is highly foolish since we are portraying ourselves to be united and one and ready for the world AND /this is not about guarding your own race,you see, the world is now watching and making it's own decision if one and WE are really CULTURED AND if we can be GLOBAL like so many already out THERE.
    I think this has been a SHAMEFUL INCIDENT !


    jakun moden.

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  49. Anonymous11:19 pm

    I don't understad how the minister have hurt Ms Sheena and her sister Dr Sheela.

    It is a historic fact that the Indians had been brought in as labourers in the plantations by the British. There's nothing shameful about it. The important thing is the Indians in Malaysia have come a long way. Last I checked Ananda Krishnan is still an Indian and he is not a labourer. The Chinese were brought in to work in the ports and in the mines. The Malays were, well, colonised (and they still are, by other Malays).

    It is also also true about the caste system in the Indian life, and this some commentors have already pointed out. I am not expert here but if Ms Sheena is ashamed of her colour, go and do something about it. She could have stand up and told off the Minister. She was sitting at the same table as the Minister, she could have said politely and quitely to make her point. Was her reaction and after-thought?

    And what the hell was wrong with asking Miss Sheena if he knows Samy Vellu or now? If she took offence even with that, there is something wrong with her, really. How can you not know Samy Vellu, a highly revered Indian leader of this country! It was not like the Minister asked you whether you have slept with him!!

    So please lah, let's not go overboard and become childish, accusing someone of being racist just because you don't like what he said or you can't deal with it.

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  50. Anonymous9:57 am

    It seems that a proper understanding on the arrival of Indians into this country is in order. We know from history that Hindu kingdoms were the order of the day in important regions of this land in the past. With that Indians of influence and not to mention Indian traders were already here, obviously familes came and went and stayed also not to mention intermarriages already taking place then. Later during the British rule it is not just labourers from South India were brought in to do the hard work of which there were no other willing local takers, in order to get the rubber plantations up and growing. The British also brought Tamils from Sri Lanka to assist them in the administration and office sector, these Tamils were already proficient in English and in the know or otherwise found to be quick to learn on admin matters (by the way, Ananda Krishnan is of Sri Lankan Tamil orgins). Subsequently, during the world war 2, there were other Indians of other types who were brought from India to fight the Japs and the communist here. Some did stay back or migrated then. So you can see from here how diverse the migration of Indians into this country has been. After 50 years of Independence and still those from other races who are well learned or even reasonably interested in the history of the various communities in this country if still dont have an inkling of this then i would say that it is purely shameful. The word Malaysian has a MEANING for every citizen is this country,something derived from their fathers and forefathers. All Malaysians should better understand each other this way rather than pass statements easily which later prove to be showing their own ignorance and failure to understand one another.

    Local Mat Salleh.

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  51. Anonymous5:54 pm

    This jakun fellow, i mean jakun rembau fellow, does pose some interesting questions! I mean how does a person react if another points at you in a large gathering and says "ahh you,you are dark skin so u must be a low cast indian".I must tell u that this would be downright rude if not crude behaviour.!!This coming from a minister speaks volumes and yes even for the country itself. And yes, who dosent know Samy Velu...so why ask in the first place?? Jest or not jest..i say sadly that after 50 years to have this crap is really a Dampper. Nothing childish here, and of course,calling the minister racist would be a normal reaction by anyone who is just to shocked as to why he carried on the way he did, even if in jest (unless Sheena could read his humourful mind at the time) . As to whether Sheena was ashamed of her skin colour, i ask u, did she even imply that she did!! i would also say she was already so shell shocked in the venue when suddenly -of all people- a supposedly "beloved" malaysian minister whom she also came to welcome, was "judging" her status in society. You tell me after this incident,how we want to "pupuk semangat cinta antara kaum kaum ditanahair kita".It's just been made a lot more harder!! jest or no jest (becos of level involved). Of course, at current time, it seems, apology has been globally communicated,so yah,i mean, just accept lah, even though most Indians still reeling with anger.Hopefully, with all the communication on cyberworld as a result, maybe some Malaysians now more educated and more careful in future,yah.
    "Malaysians should be slow to speak in haste but quick to listen and learn."

    Humptydumpty.

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  52. Anonymous7:06 pm

    "The student in LA" apology reminds me of Clinton's zippergate "the woman" apology:)

    Well, what else to expect from a half wit racist like JJ? Perhaps we could be contended that at the least the Great Minister deigned to apologise! I'm already feeling proud of mon patrie.

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  53. Anonymous12:57 am

    Apology is policy, isn't it?

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  54. Anonymous12:28 pm

    Caste consciousness is more a northern problem along with the hindu -muslim conflict and poverty. Check the US's Businessweek below:

    http://www.businessweek.com...

    South India pays taxes to be squandered by the North. We need to check our facts, don’t patronize.

    Technology and entrepreneurship are bottom up, not top down or government sponsored. Jamaludin himself attended Professor C.K.Pralahad’s talk of 'Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid' and Core Competency fame. Pralahad is Tamil and from South India. He studied in the University of Madras ( Chennai) and is in the Top 3 most influential strategy professors in the world according to the Financial Times.
    Pralahad himself says the Northern government didn’t understand IT so they didn’t interfere and spoil it. He advised none other than our Jamaludin against a Ministry of Innovation to as it will kill the spirit.
    Businessweek:
    http://www.businessweek.com...

    A Tale of Two Indias
    Can the north ever catch the south?

    "The south Indian states are more concerned with the economy.”
    The growing divide between the four southern states--Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala--and the rest of the country is prompting the south to become increasingly independent. Angry that the region's economic health has provided the central government with an excuse to limit federal funding, southern leaders are pushing for more decision-making power over education, employment, poverty alleviation, and infrastructure. "There can be no meaningful economic liberalization without decentralization," says Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. There are even murmurs of secession. "Our India, with no Ayodhya temple talk, no Pakistan, no Delhi, no rabble-rousing politicians," muses an influential south Indian executive. "It's seditious, but what a delicious thought!"

    Of course, no one seriously expects the nation to split in two. In fact, north and south have been regions apart for hundreds of years. Northern India endured a series of foreign invasions, and as a result developed a vibrant but confrontational culture. Southern India, far from New Delhi and bracketed on three sides by the Indian Ocean, instead developed strong commercial ties with foreigners. Moreover, the north's militant, caste-based brand of Hinduism is nothing like the south's peaceable faith, the product of 60 years of religious reforms that eroded the power of the caste system and separated church and state.

    As a result, southern state governments can afford to be more pragmatic than their northern counterparts. Take chief minister Naidu. He travels the world with his laptop, selling investors on the virtues of his wired state.

    Locally, citizens can communicate with him through his Web site. Naidu and Karnataka chief minister S.M. Krishna have put a priority on liberalizing investment rules, cutting through red tape, and modernizing infrastructure. Naidu's hardball negotiations with New Delhi won him approval last year to operate international flights out of Hyderabad's airport. That means investors no longer have to travel through Bombay's chaotic facility. Both Hyderabad and Bangalore are building new airports.

    Foreign investors have endorsed south India's rich business climate with their pocketbooks. Over the next three years, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Cisco Systems, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard are all doubling their operations in Bangalore. "Bangalore was the natural choice for Cisco," says S. Devarajan, vice-president of Cisco's Indian global development center, the company's largest such facility outside the U.S. "The corridors of power are very clean here."

    For its part, Tamil Nadu has managed to lure half of India's auto industry. Among the main players: Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor India Co. Hyundai opened a $615 million plant there in 1998 to take advantage of the state's well-educated labor force, sophisticated infrastructure, and proximity to the modern Madras port. Hyundai India's president, B.V.R. Subbu, recalls being pleasantly surprised when a water line for the plant was in place four days ahead of schedule. "The local government is very responsive," says Subbu. "North and south are attitudinally different."
    The south's growing critical mass is giving it extra clout in the capital. Such progressive thinking has caught the attention of northerners who yearn for the south's prosperity, tech industry, and peaceful way of life. Even the chief minister of the communist-run state of Bengal is talking about making it the "IT capital of India." Clearly, in the future the central government will be under increasing pressure to make sure that the southern model of a modern India spreads to the rest of the country.

    By Manjeet Kripalani in Bombay

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  55. Anonymous12:32 pm

    For those still harping on 'Aryans' and skin shades: ‘Arya’ merely means noble. Sanskrit is a language.

    The aryan ‘race’ is a myth and the term is used for only for linguistic classification today . The proto-Dravidian race of the south is responsible for ayurveda, yoga, meditation, mathematics and of course IT which is sweeping the world.

    Wake up Malaysia to Century 21 .

    What's more for the latest DNA evidence of Sanskrit being indigenous to India please click on the link below:

    http://www.globalgoodnews.com/cultural-news-a.html?art=115212269697449

    "Scientists give evidence that the origin of Indian civilization is within India itself"

    by Bal Ram Singh, PhD, Director, Center for Indic Studies University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

    University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Center for Indic Studies
    3 July 2006

    Excerpts from a Press Release from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Center for Indic Studies

    Comprehensive population genetics data along with archeological and astronomical evidence presented at the 23-25 June 2006 conference in Dartmouth, MA, overwhelmingly concluded that Indian civilization and its human population is indigenous [originated within India itself].

    In fact, the original people and culture within the Indian Subcontinent may even be a pool for the genetic, linguistic, and cultural origin of most of the rest of the world, particularly Europe and Asia.

    Leading evidences come from population genetics, which were presented by two leading researchers in the field, Dr. V. K. Kashyap, National Institute of Biologicals, India, and Dr. Peter Underhill of Stanford University in California. Their results generally contradict the notion Aryan invasion/migration theory for the origin of Indian civilization.

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  56. Anonymous5:40 pm

    To use caste as an excuse to rail against Indians in general is desperate and pathetic. Even Mahatma Gandhi told the Brits that every race has its inherent problems, but its better that they work it out by themselves rather than under the Brits. The Brits were trying to point out that Muslims and Hindus can't create a unified India from colonial rule with the British departure. Pure and simple it’s the divide and conquer , or more subtly in this case divide and withold tactic.

    Are we to believe that Indians desire this treatment by a ruling class of a Malaysian race as an analogue to the Brits for practicing discrimination? In effect is the message here, don’t ask for more because you treat your own kind the same if not worse”. If this is so it is even worse for the ruling race to seek justification for the status quo this way. It shows how desperately recalcitrant the defensive schema is.

    It is as if it is saying that “we won’t give in an inch”. Remember Jamalaludin was in the US’s California and where Indian Americans shine, many, indeed many are from South India . He would have to be comatose or in active denial not to notice this. He must have noticed this and his response was fear. In very much the same way of the 'Wrath of Grapes' as well as the vulnerablity to Fascist-Nazi propaganda against Jews, he may have resorted to scapeogoating the weak and poor Indians in Malaysia .

    Indians are highly successful not just in IT but in academics, medicine, and business. They have the higest median income and are the most successful educated ethnic group in the US surpassing even whites and Jews according to the US Census Bureau, and are the fastest growing ethnic migrant community.

    Check out the link below to the US’s Businessweek on how and why the Indians are so successful in the most competitive country in the world with no affirmative actions (government help).

    http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2006/sb20060913_157784.htm?campaign_id=rediff

    Are Indians the Model Immigrants?
    A BusinessWeek.com columnist and accomplished businessman, Wadhwa shares his views on why Indians are such a successful immigrant group
    "..According to the 2000 Census, the median household income of Indians was $70,708—far above the national median of $50,046. An Asian-American hospitality industry advocacy group says that Indians own 50% of all economy lodging and 37% of all hotels in the U.S. AnnaLee Saxenian, a dean and professor at University of California, Berkeley, estimates that in the late 1990s, close to 10% of technology startups in Silicon Valley were headed by Indians.

    You'll find Indian physicians working in almost every hospital as well as running small-town practices. Indian journalists hold senior positions at major publications, and Indian faculty have gained senior appointments at most universities. Last month, Indra Nooyi, an Indian woman, was named CEO of PepsiCo (PEP) (see BusinessWeek.com, 8/14/06, "PepsiCo Shakes It Up").

    A MODEST EXPLANATION. Census data show that 81.8% of Indian immigrants arrived in the U.S. after 1980. They received no special treatment or support and faced the same discrimination and hardship that any immigrant group does. Yet, they learned to thrive in American society. Why are Indians such a model immigrant group?

    In the absence of scientific research, I'll present my own reasons for why this group has achieved so much. As an Indian immigrant myself, I have had the chance to live the American dream. I started two successful technology companies and served on the boards of several others. To give back, I co-founded the Carolinas chapter of a networking group called The Indus Entrepreneurs and mentored dozens of entrepreneurs.."

    Boy oh boy! Its interesting isn’t it? That affirmative action in Malaysia and the US touches Indians differently. In the US, they don’t need it, and don’t ask for it but they shine.

    In Malaysia affirmative action hasn’t even helped the poor Malays, and in the US it has been a failure on economic criteria. But its justifiable in my opinion for saying ‘sorry’ to the history of slavery for African Americans. But that’s just my opinion .

    In Malaysia, affirmative action has ironically pushed the Indians further down the pecking order, because the economic pie isn’t infinitely growing. While Indians thrive in other countries they are down n Malaysia Check South Africa - the same story .

    Please remind these desperate elites about Sudan where Muslim Arabs are killing Muslin Africans, with the euphemism of ethnic cleansing, and only now the deafening silence has been broken by the Muslim world and Malaysia.

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