Thursday 3 May 2007

Racist Remarks About Malaysian Indians by Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation in US

UPDATE: 9th May 2007

Jamaluddin Jarjis Apologised to Dr. Sheena Moorthy over His Remarks

Rocky's Bru reported: "....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.

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]...."

CASE CLOSED

--- end update---

Quote:

" As an American with extensive and long ties to Malaysia, I am shocked and astounded at such behavior coming from a Cabinet Minister.

Shocked that this boorish oaf would be so stupid as to actually say something like that - and in a foreign country to boot.

And please, keep the primitive, fascist theories of race at home and do not send any more idiot ministers to our country."
- Scott South

"....Did he have some axe to grind with Malaysian Indians in particular, and chose to apply some crude, boorish remarks to a hapless lady student there as a way of relieving the pent-up stress in his mind? .."
-Anon

ANOTHER INTELLECTUAL FOOL aka CABINET MINISTER

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Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation

Excerpts of the Letter from Dr Sheela Moorthy: Read here for more in Malaysiakini

" I am a Malaysian currently living in the USA. I am supporting the education of my sister who is enrolled at CalPoly, California.

I am writing this letter is to express my disgust and anger regarding comments passed by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Jamaludin Jarjis during a working visit to California recently.

Jamaludin Jarjis was present at a gathering organised by the Malaysian Consulate for the students to meet him.

He made several derogatory remarks about Indians in general, about how they were brought in as 'buruh kasar'.

At one point he asked my sister about how many Indians were in her batch of students.

My sister answered him saying there were two of them.

The other Indian student was fair-skinned and was actually sitting at the same table as the minister. He went on saying that he must be a 'high class’ Indian.

(He) then pointed at my sister and said that she must be a ‘low class’ Indian as she was darker skinned.

I am appalled that we have people like this sitting at the helm and trying to run a multi-racial country.

I urge all Malaysian to stand together and voice out against weeds like this who give our country a bad image. "

I demand an apology from him and I want him to take responsibility for his words and I believe that malaysiakini is one of the venues to voice my dissatisfaction.
"
-Dr. Sheela Moorthy


COMMENTARY:

  • Scott South in Dubai: Read Here

    "...a Malaysian cabinet member visiting California pointed at a Indian Malaysian student there and said ‘she must be a low-class Indian as she was dark-skinned’.

    He apparently made other comments about a lighter-skinned human being being ‘higher class’. This is incredible.

    As an American with extensive and long ties to Malaysia (I have a Chinese Malaysian wife, for one thing), I am shocked and astounded at such behavior coming from a cabinet minister.

    Shocked that this boorish oaf would be so stupid as to actually say something like that - and in a foreign country to boot.

    Was he possibly play-acting his twisted assumptions about racism in America? I don't care; he should have kept his mouth shut.

    From now on, I hope I don't see any more comments by Malaysians about supposed racism in America.

    And please, keep the primitive, fascist theories of race at home and do not send any more idiot ministers to our country . .."

  • Prof. P. Ramasamy: Read here

    "...Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should look into the disparaging and racist statements made by the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Jamaludin Jarjis, when he was in California recently.

    If Jamaludin had made these remarks, then Abdullah should sack him from the cabinet. Will Abdullah have the guts to do this? ..."

  • M. Luther : Read here

    ".. If indeed Jamaludin Jarjis had uttered those words, he should immediately apologise.

    That Jamaludin Jarjis had to touch on these issues away from home - and in a country where the citizens scorn on racism and fanaticism - shows that he has not grown up.

    His bigotry will only fuel racial hatred and this is dangerous.

    As a leader, he should realise that he is playing with fire.

    Jamaludin should thank his lucky stars that he was not in India, Indonesia or Pakistan, or else he could have started a riot.

    More often than not, such ministers would immediately be out of job. But, in our country, don't dream about him leaving the cabinet. His fellow brethren will rally behind him and back him all the way. That's the reality of Malaysian politics.

    MIC and other Indian organisations should take him to task. I personally will question this racist minister when he lands in Sabah...."


  • Anon: Read here

    ".. Jamaludin Jarjis is a highly-educated person, who started off as a lecturer in UTM.

    He has a First Class Honours degree from Manchester, UK, in electrical engineering, then a Masters and finally a PhD from McGill University in Canada.

    Yet he has this racist impulse in him - education has failed to make an imprint on his outlook and his manners, it seems.

    Since his constituency is Rompin, Pahang, perhaps that is where he could feel some (political) pain.

    I would urge Dr Sheela Moorthy to write to the Umno, MCA and MIC branches in Pahang and their head offices. Alert the Member of Parliament for Ipoh Barat, M. Kula Segaran (DAP) who has taken issue with racist remarks by Umno MPs in Parliament in the past. .."

  • Bernard Khoo (Zorro Unmasked): Read here

    "....Jamaludin Jarjis said whilst in the US that the Indians were brought into Malaya as "buruh kasar". He applied the icing by saying that fair-skinned Indians are of higher class than the lower class dark-skinned Indians.

    SOMEBODY, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE BADAWI BOYS?

    MR. SAMY VELU, CHAMPION OF MY INDIAN BROTHERS, OVER TO YOU....WE ARE WATCHING.

    IF YOU DO NOT DO SOMETHING OF CONSEQUENCE, YOU ARE WHAT EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU TO BE: JUST A BIG MOUTH, ALL SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING.

    SURELY, YOU CANNOT SAY THIS IS AN ACT OF GOD!...."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That is so so sad..as an indian i feel utterly disapointed at his stupidity...Its funny how such politicians can get away with their pants down, such if they apologise...he shld not only apologise to her but every single indian that bothered voting his sorry ass into cabinet.... Disgust is the only thing that comes to mind...