UMNO Has a History of Belittling the Malay Rulers

From Malaysia-Today: Read here full article by Raja Petra Kamarudin

Read here (in Bahasa) related article in "Jebat" Blog, and here and here and here

Excerpts: Read HERE for more

Yes, UMNO really dragged the Rulers into the mud and smeared ‘shit’ on their faces, resulting until today, where many Malaysians NO longer have any respect for the Rulers.

This is NO fault of the rakyat of course.

In the effort to run down the Rulers, the UMNO-controlled Mainstream Media made sure that Malaysians received full reports about the transgressions and crimes of the Rulers.

Most Malaysians know about the Constitutional Crisis of the 1980s. But they know only what they have been told by the Government-controlled mainstream media. School textbooks do not reveal much of what actually happened.

We have heard and read in the mainstream newspapers about the cause of the two crises twenty years or so ago. We read about a certain Ruler hitting a caddy with his golf club and about a certain hockey coach getting slapped, and so on and so forth. This is what the newspapers and TV stations revealed 20 years ago during a special campaign to bring down the image of the Rulers.

Of course, NOT all were true. Some stories were planted to try to create an impression that Malaysia has amongst the worst Rulers in this whole wide world.

For example, they spun the story that Rumah Kedah at Northram Road in Penang was the Sultan of Kedah’s lavish bungalow by the sea built at great expense using the taxpayers’ money.

Actually, it was a very old and rundown house built before WWII that belongs to the state and which any Kedah State Government officer can use whenever he or she has to travel to Penang on business.

Then, they showed shots on TV of the Sultan of Selangor’s so-called bungalow on a hill overlooking the sea on the other side of Penang Island facing the Indian Ocean.

It was actually the home of a Chinese businessman and had nothing at all to do with the Sultan who was then still just the Raja Muda of Selangor. But the Raja Muda was not able to set the record straight as Rulers are ‘barred’ from making public statements -- though the public is allowed to whack them in the newspapers and on TV.

What many Malaysians do not know until today is that much of these so-called ‘revelations’ such as the Sultan of Kedah’s and Sultan of Selangor’s lavish bungalows in Penang did NOT exist and were mere figments of UMNO’s imagination.

1. Why did UMNO go to war with the Rulers?
   
   
2. Why was UMNO so bent on attacking the Rulers and turn Malaysians against the Rulers until they became subjects of ridicule?

The Constitutional Crisis peaked in 1991 when Berita Harian of 10 November carried this statement from Gaffar Baba, which basically said the Rulers can be challenged (which means it is NOT seditious to challenge the Rulers).

“Kalau rakyat yakin dan tahu apa yang diperkatakan, mereka wajar berbuat demikian tanpa rasa bimbang dan takut.

Apa yang dilarang Perlembagaan (under the Sedition Act) ialah jika seorang cuba menghapuskan Sistem Raja Berperlembagaan yang di amalkan di negara ini.”

That same day, Zainal Abidin Sakom tabled a four-point Resolution in the Umno General Assembly on behalf of Umno Selangor that said as follows:

1. Menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa untuk menyiasat dan menyenaraikan semua harta, tanah dan projek yang telah diluluskan kepada Raja secara langsung atau melalui ‘Kapitan China’.

2. Meminta Presiden UMNO supaya bertindak tegas atau memecat mana-mana ahli Exco atau wakil rakyat yang hipokrit dan bermuka-muka - yang terlibat menghasut Raja-Raja untuk kepentingan diri sendiri.

3. Meminda perlembagaan 1957 (Merdeka Constitution) supaya kuasa mutlak melantik Menteri Besar, ahli mesyuarat kerajaan negeri (EXCO), setiausaha kerajaan , penasihat undang-undang dan pegawai kewangan negeri adalah bidang kuasa pucuk pimpinan parti yang memerintah.

4. Supaya Perhimpunan Agung UMNO memberi mandat penuh kepada Dato Seri Dr Mahathir dalam menghadapi dan mengatasi isu Raja ini secara umumnya sama ada menerusi pindaan pelembagaan dan segala langkah yang perlu.

UMNO will stop at NOTHING to ensure that its authority is not challenged. The Rulers found this out the HARD way 20 years ago.

Until today, the Rulers are still licking their wounds inflicted in the 1980s Constitutional Crisis.

In ensuring that it is the absolute and unchallengeable power in Malaysia, UMNO destroyed the image and reputation of the Malay Rulers.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah spoke out AGAINST this move back in the late 1980s. Ku Li felt that by destroying the dignity of the Rulers, UMNO would be destroying the dignity of the institution of the Monarchy itself. This is to cut the nose to spite the face or, as the Malays would say, "marah nyamuk, bakar kelambu. "

The Malays talk about "Ketuanan Melayu" and "Kedaulatan." This exists only because the Malays have their Raja-Raja Melayu. If UMNO were to undermine the Rulers, then everything else that comes with the institution of the Monarchy would be undermined alongside it.

But they would NOT listen to Ku Li. Ku Li is opposition and anything opposition cannot be accepted even if true.

Today, when people speak ill of the Rulers, the Malays would get upset, especially if it is the non-Malays who ‘insult’ the Rulers. But it is NO fault of the non-Malays.

The non-Malays were taught by the UMNO Malays that the Rulers can and should be insulted.

The Role of the Ex-Mentri Besar of Selangor and UMNO Youth in the Crisis

It was partly because of the action of the then Menteri Besar of Selangor, the present UMNO Information Chief with two Muhamads in his name.

Most Malaysians also know about the horny reputation of the ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name.

But they do not know about the behind-the-scenes clash between His Hornyness and His Highness regarding the secret marriage of the Sultan’s daughter and the denial that followed it.

All these letters plus the newspaper coverage of the issue can be seen below, in case Umno would like to, again, say that Malaysia Today is lying and therefore Raja Petra Kamarudin should be detained under the Internal Security Act because he is a threat to national security.

You see, this ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had secretly married the Sultan of Selangor’s daughter on 17 July 1987.

The marriage was solemnised in Thailand, which is against the law. (See the copy of the Thai marriage certificate below).


The Sultan soon found out and asked this ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name whether it is true that the latter had married the former’s daughter.

The ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name of course denied in and on 11 February 1988 he sent the Sultan a letter saying that he regrets the ‘rumours’ being circulated about him marrying the Sultan’s daughter.

Nevertheless, the Sultan of Selangor eventually found out that the ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name had in fact married his daughter and that he had lied about it.

On 30 August 1989, the ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name sent the Sultan another letter expressing regret, appealing for forgiveness, and blaming God (Allah) for the whole thing.

The Sultan felt slighted (murkah).

His Chief Minister had secretly and illegally married his daughter in another country, had lied about it, and had the gall to send him a letter saying that they are malicious rumours.

The ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name then went running to UMNO Youth with his tail between his legs.

His father-in-law was now very angry with him and he knew his goose is cooked unless he can take on the Sultan.

Anti-Sultan Protest by UMNO Youth

Umno Youth then organised an anti-Sultan protest.

The Rulers were warned that their days are numbered and the Monarchy may have to be abolished if the Rulers challenged UMNO.

This further made the Sultan angry. UMNO was now openly challenging the Monarchy and threatening its very existence.

The following year, the Sultan rejected the birthday awards list prepared by the ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name.

The Sultan said he would prepare his own list and NOT use the UMNO list.

This again sent the ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name running, but this time to Deputy Prime Minister Gaffar Baba.

Gaffar (Baba) then made a statement which was carried on all the front pages of the newspapers that UMNO and NOT the Rulers decide who gets birthday awards. The job of the Rulers is just to dish them out to people whom UMNO decides should get these awards.

The Sultan retaliated by cancelling the birthday celebrations and asked instead that the money saved be donated to orphans as well as the poor.

That year no one received any Selangor Datukships, which of course one has to pay Umno for before one can get it.

Fast Forward to 2007

Just like during his clash with the Sultan of Selangor 20 years ago, this same ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is again using UMNO Youth.

The ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name has publicly declared that he is prepared to die for the Sultans. He is prepared even if his body is blown up with C4 into millions of pieces.

I almost cried when I read what he declared. It nearly moved me to tears.

Finally, the ex-Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name is brave enough to die for his Sultan when 20 years ago he did not even dare admit he had run away with the Sultan’s daughter to marry her illegally in Thailand.

Maybe there is still hope yet for Umno. Or is this, as usual, nothing but a load of hogwash by those who walk in the corridors of power?

Now, this same ex-Selangor Menteri Besar with two Muhamads in his name wants to cite me for sedition. But this time he wants to try to get me under the Internal Security Act.

So be it. I am ready.

Malaysia Today reveals much of what happens in the corridors of power. Malaysia Today reveals the untold story.

And this makes UMNO uneasy. So Malaysia Today must be silenced.

And if legally Malaysia Today cannot be silenced because it is a foreign-based website, then the Editor has to be put away in a place he can no longer write articles and reports for Malaysia Today.

THE EVIDENCE