PATCH: you must be kidding........

.....worst is, that it wasn't even funny....!
A PRIME EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO SHOULD HAVE HIS SMELLY FOOT IN HIS MOUTH

AHMAD ELUSIVE AFTER RACIST TALK
thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Former senator Datuk Ahmad Ismail has become an elusive man.

Since allegedly uttering seditious remarks at a ceramah on the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election, the Bukit Bendera Umno chief is nowhere to be found.

Police, who are investigating five police reports lodged against him in George Town, Bukit Mertajam, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya over the past week over the offensive remark, are still waiting for him to turn up to give his statement.

Ahmad is currently being investigated under the Sedition Act for labelling Chinese as “immigrants” who do not deserve equal rights in the country.

State deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm I Datuk Salleh Mat Rasid said an investigating officer had contacted him early this week, asking him to turn up at the Bukit Mertajam district police headquarters on Tuesday.

“But he never turned up and the interview was rescheduled.

“Once Ahmad gives his statement, we will wrap our investigations by Friday as most of the statements have been taken. The file will then be sent to the Attorney-General in Putrajaya for further action,” he said.

Even Ahmad’s personal assistant and state Umno leaders are having difficulty trying to reach him.

The assistant, who did not want to be identified, said Ahmad returned from Bangkok on Aug 31 after leading a team to a sepak takraw tournament there.

“I have been trying to contact him since but there was no response. Even his voice mail is full. I think he does not want to be disturbed and thus we should leave him alone,” said the assistant.

A visit by The Star to his house in Taman Robina in Butterworth showed that his luxury bungalow, complete with a swimming pool, had been torn down. Letters were left uncollected in the letterbox.

It is learnt that Ahmad and his family are now staying at a penthouse in a guarded condominium in Tanjong Tokong, pending the construction of his new bungalow.

Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir said several state Umno leaders had attempted to contact Ahmad to find out what actually transpired.

“We want to know the truth as we believe his remark was taken out of context. It is best that we hear his side of the story,” said Musa.

AHMAD: WHY SHOULD I APPOLOGISE?
By ANDREA FILMER
thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail has refused to apologise over his racist remark calling the Chinese community “immigrants who do not deserve equal rights”.

“Why should I apologise? I didn’t do anything wrong. Those who do wrong should apologise but I haven’t done anything,” Ahmad said when The Star met him outside his Bayan Baru office yesterday.

He, however, refused to comment on whether the press misquoted him.

Sounding calm and collected on the phone, he said a full statement on what transpired would be released after a Penang Umno liaison meeting tomorrow.
Man in the news: Ahmad gesturing as he replies to a question in Bayan Baru yesterday. He said he had been leading a sepak takraw team to a tournament in Bangkok.

He added that he would not say much at present, but wanted to clear up the issue of reporting to the police.

Police are currently investigating five reports lodged against Ahmad under the Sedition Act 1948 for uttering the remarks at a ceramah on the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election.

He said there were reports of his going to the Bukit Mertajam police station on Wednesday night (to make a statement).

“I want to make it clear that I never told anyone or informed anyone that I would be there. It was their assumption,” he said.

Ahmad recorded a statement at the police contingent headquarters in Penang Road at about 10pm the same night while pressmen from television, online and print media were waiting for him on the mainland.

Asked where he had been over the last few days, Ahmad confirmed that he had been leading a sepak takraw team to a tournament in Bangkok.

“My phone has been on and off, but a lot of my anak buah (supporters) have been calling me, so maybe that’s why it has been hard to get through,” he said.

On the alleged misappropriation of funds involving now-defunct company Popular Profile Sdn Bhd (PPSB), Ahmad said he had resigned before any action was taken on the company.

“This issue has nothing to do with me. Action is taken on a company, not on a personal capacity. Moreover, I resigned from the company on Sept 1, 1998. What happened after that, I don’t know.

“The Chief Minister (Lim Guan Eng) shouldn’t be using his political muscle and power to attack me,” he said, adding that he would not say more on the land deal until he had checked the details.

Lim had recently attacked Ahmad on a 1997 land deal involving PPSB, in which Ahmad had been a director. Lim alleged that the company had cheated the state of RM500,000 in a deal involving 4.2ha of industrial land in Bukit Minyak.

ANTARA PENDATANG DAN PERKAUMAN
Syahredzan Johan 5.9.2008
refleksiminda.wordpress.com

Melawati laman web dan blog-blog di ruang siber, saya mendapati bahawa pandangan tentang kata-kata berbaur perkauman yang didakwa telah dituturkan oleh Saudara Ahmad Ismail, Ketua Bahagian UMNO Bukit Bendera berbeza mengikut etnik dan kepercayaan politik mereka yang memberi pandangan.

Secara keseluruhannya, orang bukan Melayu menganggap kata-kata Saudara Ahmad sebagai melampau dan racist. Manakala bagi orang Melayu, pandangannya terbahagi kepada dua mengikut kepercayaan politik. Bagi mereka yang pro-Pakatan dan pro-ketuanan rakyat, kata-kata Saudara Ahmad itu semamangnya berbaur perkauman dan tidak patut dikeluarkan. Manakala bagi mereka yang pro-UMNO dan pro-ketuanan Melayu, ramai yang menganggap bahawa Saudara Ahmad tidak membuat apa-apa kesalahan dan tidak perlu meminta maaf. Malahan, ada yang marah bahawa Saudara Ahmad ditekan untuk berbuat demikian, dikatakan bahawa inilah buktinya bahawa orang bukan Melayu semakin ‘tidak sedar diri’ dan ‘lupa akan sejarah’. Bagi mereka, sememangnya orang bukan Melayu adalah ‘pendatang’. Golongan ini juga memberi contoh-contoh di mana bukan Melayu juga telah bersikap racist, namun orang Melayu tidak menuntut kemaafan sekalipun. Mengikut logik mereka, adalah tidak wajar untuk pemimpin-pemimpin bukan Melayu untuk mendesak Saudara Ahmad untuk meminta maaf walhal perkara yang sama tidak didesak oleh orang Melayu ketika bukan Melayu melakukan sesuatu yang berbaur perkauman.

Bagi saya, sekiranya benar Saudara Ahmad mengeluarkan kata-kata tersebut, maka dia tidak sepatutnya berbuat demikian dan harus memohon maaf. Orang bukan Melayu juga adalah penduduk negara ini dan ini jelas termaktub di dalam perlembagaan persekutuan. Mungkin nenek moyang mereka datang dari tempat lain, tetapi berapa banyakkah orang Melayu sendiri yang nenek moyang mereka bukan berasal dari Tanah Melayu? Saya sendiri berketurunan Bugis yang suatu ketika dahulu datang dari kepulauan Sulawesi di Indonesia. Adakah saya juga harus dilabelkan sebagai pendatang? Ataupun label pendatang tersebut mempunyai cut off point? Hanya mereka yang nenek moyang mereka dibawa oleh British ke Tanah Melayu layak dipanggil pendatang? Atau hanya mereka yang nenek moyang mereka berasal dari negeri Cina dan India? Hendak juga saya bermuzakarah dengan golongon ini, untuk mendapat tahu justifikasi yang mereka berikan untuk perkataan ‘pendatang’ tersebut.

Berkenaan dengan hujah bahawa bukan Melayu juga bersifat perkauman. Tidak pernah dinafikan, racist berada di mana-mana, pada setiap lapisan masyarakat, dengan segenap bangsa dan keturunan. Mungkin rapper wannabe Namawee, yang telah menyanyikan lagu rap Negeraku boleh dikatakan sebagai racist. Mungkin juga sesetengah dakwaan HINDRAF seperti pembersihan etnik adalah racist. Tetapi, bak pepatah Inggeris, two wrongs don’t make a right. Adakah perlakuan racist yang didakwa dilakukan oleh bukan Melayu menghalalkan racisme Saudara Ahmad? Sudah tentu tidak. Perkauman harus dibenteras sama sekali dari bumi Malaysia ini, walau sesiapapun yang melakukannya.

Saya tidak tahu mengapa sesetengah rakyat Malaysia mempunyai pemikiran Assobiyah atau berpuak-puak yang amat kuat. Tidak cukupkah kita hidup bersama selama 51 tahun untuk kita menerima sesama sendiri sebagai anak Malaysia?