Gerakan Youth Leader Penalised for Telling Painful Truth After UMNO YOUTH Threatens Gerakan Party Leadership

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has initiated disciplinary action against his Youth vice-chief S. Paranjothy over his remarks against Umno and UMNO Youth.He said the action against Paranjothy could be in the form of a suspension or explusion from the party. Read here for more

Such a situation NEVER happens to UMNO Youth leaders by UMNO's leadership, despite the public display of keris wielding of the UMNO Youth Chief implying threats to non Malays and the racist remarks of the Deputy UMNO Youth Leader about Indian newspaper vendors.

This is another obvious indication of the subservience of Gerakan as a Component party in the BN Coalition to not only UMNO, but to UMNO Youth. All the feel-good rhetorics by Gerakan members in the last Party General Assembly simply turn pale to the threats from a Youth wing of UMNO.

Paranjothy spoke what is generally known and talked about by Malaysians all these years. What had been said by Paranjothy were brazenly displayed in the media and in public by UMNO Youth leaders.

Even the Gerakan Youth members lost their precious marbles after hearing UMNO Youth's threats. The Youth wing of Gerakan disassociated itself from the scathing comments of its own vice-chief S Paranjothy yesterday. Gerakan Youth deputy chief Lim Si Pin and party central committee member Kohilan Pillay said the Youth wing was “shocked” by Paranjothy’s statement.

Lim Si Pin and Kholian Pillay are either being NAIVE or simply HYPOCRITICAL?

Gerakan members should ask themselves and to their leaders:

Has the "Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia" become more and more irrelevant to the political landscape of Malaysia or it has past its use-by date , left behind since the days of its founding fathers, Prof Syed Hussein Alatas, Tan Sri Tan Chee Khoon, Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and Dr. J.B.A. Peter ?

The Current Mandate of the Gerakan Party Leadership

Umno Youth Chief Hishammuddin Hussein hopes Gerakan will explain the racially sensitive remarks allegedly made by its Youth vice-chief S. Paranjothy.

The threat: He added that Umno Youth would make its stance known should a good explanation not be forthcoming from Gerakan. Read here for more

update: On his statement that Umno Youth may consider severing ties with Gerakan if the movement was dissatisfied with the explanation over Paranjothy's remarks, Hishammuddin said it was not a threat against anyone. "I was merely stating the facts."

UMNO Youth's friendly advice to BN Component parties especially MCA, Gerakan and MIC:

DON'T Ever Do What I do, Just Do What I Say.

Commentary

From Roslan SMS Read here for more

"... Sejak kebelakangan ini banyak sungguh suara ketidakpuasan hati kita dengar dari kalangan saf kepimpinan BN sendiri terhadap sama ada BN ataupun Umno selaku tulang-belakang parti komponan tersebut.

Kalau sebelum ini saya pernah paparkan suara-suara keras semasa Perhimpunan Pemuda MCA dan Gerakan, pernah juga Zaid Ibrahim dan Tengku Razaleigh mengkritik, tidak ketinggalan PPP, kini terbaru seorang lagi pemimpin dalam komponan BN bersuara lagi.

Beliau adalah Naib Ketua Pemuda Gerakan Kebangsaan iaitu Sdr S. Paranjothy. Kata Paranjothy Umno khasnya Pemuda Umno memang sentiasa membakar sentimen perkauman di kalangan masyarakat berbilang kaum di Malaysia.

Malah kata beliau isu-isu perkauman sentiasa dibangkitkan oleh Umno untuk kepentingan politik mereka khasnya di kalangan masyarakat Melayu. Lalu yang selalu menjadi mangsa adalah parti-parti komponan dalam BN yang sentiasa menjadi "punching bag" dan batu oncatan untuk Umno meluncur ke atas.

Paranjothy melemparkan serangan ini dalam kenyataan 4 muka beliau berjudul "Discrimination from womb to tomb" ataupun "Diskriminasi dari kandungan sehingga ke liang lahat"!

Cetusan politik ini membuktikan memang BN bermasalah dan memandangkan ianya kerap sangat dibangkitkan sesama mereka maka masalah itu semakin menggunung dan menunggu masa untuk meletup.

Rakyat perlu menggunakan kebijaksanaan bagi menilai semua ini, kalau hak untuk bersuara dan tegur-menegur sesama parti komponan sudah tidak ada sudah dilihat dengan penuh prejudis dan dianggap menderahaka, maka apa lagi hak rakyat untuk menegur dan menuntut untuk didengar. ..."

From Lee Ban Chen: Read here for more on Malaysiakini

......dakwaan-dakwaan bagaimana pemimpin-pemimpin Umno sering mengapi-apikan sentimen perkauman untuk meningkatkan karier politik mereka, malah parti-parti komponen juga sering dijadikan sasaran untuk mencari populariti di kalangan masyarakat Melayu.

Insiden-insiden yang disebut termasuk:

Ketua Menteri Melaka Mohd Ali Rustam yang menghina Parti Progresif Rakyat (PPP),

Ketua Pemuda Umno Hishammuddin Hussein yang menghunus keris di perhimpunan agung Umno,

kenyataan Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin bahawa jika Umno lemah kaum lain akan mengambil kesempatan untuk kepentingan mereka, dan

gesaan Ahli Parlimen Parit Sulong Syed Hood Syed Edros supaya tanda salib dan patung Kristian di sekolah-sekolah mubaligh dibuang.

Mudah saja Paranjothy dikorbankan demi “semangat Barisan Nasional” (baca: kemahuan Umno), tetapi pimpinan Gerakan dan parti-parti komponen BN yang lain perlu memberi jawapan kepada soalan-soalan berikut untuk meyakinkan ahli-ahli parti masing-masing:

1. Berbanding dengan kenyataan-kenyataan pemimpin-pemimpin Umno seperti yang disebut oleh Paranjothy dalam kenyataannya, jelas sekali kenyataan-kenyataan terbabit lebih bersifat perkauman daripada kenyataan Paranjothy. Jika Paranjothy harus dipecat, kenapa tiada sesiapa yang berani meminta agar pemimpin-pemimpin Umno terbabit juga dipecat, atau sekurang-kurangnya diambil tindakan tatatertib yang sewajarnya?

2. Jika mengkritik Umno secara terbuka seperti yang dilakukan oleh Paranjothy adalah tidak dibenarkan oleh “semangat Barisan Nasional”, maka adakah mengugut secara terbuka untuk memutuskan hubungan Umno dengan Gerakan seperti perbuatan Hishammuddin Hussein yang jauh lebih serius itu sebaliknya dibenarkan oleh “semangat Barisan Nasional”?

3. Adakah semua pemimpin Umno, termasuk Ketua Pemudanya, bermandat atau dibenarkan mewakili Umno untuk membuat kenyataan yang boleh menjejaskan hubungan baik antara parti-parti komponen BN seperti yang dilakukan oleh Ketua Menteri Melaka Mohd Ali Rustam terhadap Parti Progresif Rakyat (PPP) dan Hishammuddin Hussein terhadap Gerakan?

4. Adakah Umno berkuasa untuk memecat mana-mana parti komponen dari Barisan Nasional, atau hanya pimpinan Barisan Nasional saja yang berkuasa untuk memecatkan mana-mana parti komponennya?

5. Jika saluran dalaman BN untuk menyelesaikan masalah secara tertutup sudah menemui jalan buntunya seperti dalam kes ketidakpuasan golongan pinggiran kaum India yang tercetus sebagai demonstrasi jalanan besar-besaran, selain daripada memprotes secara terbuka, apa gunanya berpaut kepada retorik “semangat Barisan Nasional” lagi mengikut telunjuk Umno?

From reader of Malaysia-Today: Read here for more

"... Dr. Koh is in a hurry to please UMNO. After all, he agreed to UMNO's request to have a deputy CM(the first state in the country) to have an UMNO deputy CM in exchange for UMNO supporting him as CM.

Why were no action taken against the UMNO ultras from Perlis and Melaka at the UMNO G.A. last year when they made racist remarks against the Chinese? They were not even given any warning, and they will continue to climb the political ladder fast.

Why was krismuddin not given any ultimatum by MCA for waving the keris to threaten the non-Malays? Maybe we should ask this keris guy to personally answer. ..."

From reader on Malaysia-Today: Read here for more

"...What happened when the last time when Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik was attacked by UMNO, a fellow BN component party? Is this team work?

Did you Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon seek clarification from UMNO to seek disciplinary action to those who bad-mouthed the former Gerakan President?

From this action, you are losing voters like flies when Gerakan is fighting to hold on to Penang. But most of all, it proves that Gerakan and UMNO do not look at each other as equal...."

From reader on Malaysia-Today: Read here for more

"...What Koh Tsu Koon did is dangerous.

As a leader he did not stand up for his man. And he jumped the gun before taking action. Doesn't Parajonthy have a chance to be heard. Why is he so afraid of UMNO.

He must be shit-worried about his CM post. He need not worry..his actions will alienate the Penang voters.

Gerakan can take any action to including sacking him, but the truth is what Parajonthy said is the truth.

The racial posturing by UMNO, the kris wielding madman. If you can take action for speaking the truth because of the fear of UMNO, Gerakan will be seen as running dogs .."

From "Malaysian State of Mind" Blog: Read here for more

"... Paranjothy merely pointed out the obvious and stated what so many others cannot find the integrity to say themselves. He vocally supported uniting all the BN parties into one single, non-race based party.

If he was wrong-- let's see the truth.

Did Khairy not say that other BN parties would take advantage of a weakened UMNO?

Did the keris waving Hisham not cause a turmoil among other BN component parties? Did Khairy not disparage Indian newspaper delivery groups at last month's UMNO General Assembly?

Did UMNO not ignore the Deepavali holiday and plan its 2007 General Assembly to fall on the principal Hindu holiday of the year?

Did the Government of Malaysia not create a double standard by allowing UMNO/BN youth to hold demonstrations but refuse to allow other groups to do likewise?

If he was wrong in any of these things, show it now.

If not, he should be applauded not alienated. So show us where he was wrong, or GET OFF HIS BACK!