Syed Hamid Albar on BBC September 14, 2007
Posted by elizabethwong in Current Affairs, Democracy, Human Rights, Malaysia, Politics, Race Relations.trackback
Hear the Foreign Minister grilled on BBC HardTalk on race relations.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/progs/07/hardtalk/albar13sep.ram
elizabeth wong 
Good Lord .. belligerence coupled with defensiveness .. and then accuse folks of uncalled for interference and not understanding the spin .. I mean the facts
Can’t get Real player to work…but what the heck! He’s not worth the immediate effort anyway.
I’m happy the rest of the world is aware of what is going on in our country. Hope that more righteous ppl or Gov will make the NEP and UMNO their agenda. But then again, hope it won’t be too late until UMNO has plundered and harvested Msia’s assets, oil and anything they can lay their hands on. Better still if Russia can test their Father Of all Bombs on the bloody UMNOputras.
Oh boy she’s tough. Lucky Albar never answer “tak tau”.
just one look
[…] Syed Hamid Albar on BBC […]
Who wants to listen to fella is a nut.
He did well for the world to laugh at his gobbledygook.
This guy made a fool of himself, denying and blaming outsiders for interfering or not understanding local issues
Lina Joy can convert out of Islam but cannot change her name but Revathi could be put in a rehabilitation centre for wanting to leave Islam , he mumbled and fumbled.
Then he lied and lied that even Indians were better off economically than the Malays. That there were more Chinese and Indians than Malays in the universities.
Now the world knows that this country is run by fools and liars.
The doctor-rated foreign minister wannabe is a true shame to Malaysia. When view by foreigners, ppl ask the simple question.
How the hell we pick such low caliber to represent us in international arena ?
That man is real liabilities rather our voice of credibility to the world.
Like father, like son. The father was a most unabashed racist in his time. The son can speak English and that’s the main difference, That being just about all….to spin things.
He’s so cornered that he resorted to lying through his teeth. Eg “Malaysia allows inter faith conversion” “Lina Joy was trying to change her name on her ID. Dat’s not allowed. Nothing to do with religion.” “We are happy with our race relations now.”
….Please stop bull shitting!
Eh got any stories on syed albar ah? Mind to share?
EW: Haha! Of course got lar. Once, when he was Geneva at the then UN Human Rights Commission, when grilled, he said Malaysia had signed the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. All these NGOs rushed up to me to tell me the good news. I said, “Eh?”. So I asked the Msian attache. Apparently S Albar was mistaken and said, they didn’t like all that trade union rights stuff, so they won’t sign it. Silly git.
Very good, very good. The hypocrisy and hubris of UMNO-BN is laid bare for the world to see as the gutter-quality Syed Hamid Albar squirms like a rat in a mousetrap.
Thank you, BBC, for shining the hard light of truth on the great Malaysian hypocrisy.
Now, it’s our turn to ask the hard questions.
Part transcript of this milestone BS:
http://www.wahlau.org/oh_really_i_beg_to_differ
First and foremost. Pardon my english. Im no good in grammar.For me.I think he is very good. Everything he said are technically rites. He done a great job in answering all those question. I think Hes no hypocrites. He answer it well. He said ALL UNIVERSITIES, ALL HIGHER institutions. Including private colleges. For Lina Joy’s yes.. he did answer the question well. Lina Joy was trying to change her name on her ID and she already changed her religion long time ago. She is legally a muslim, because shes never applied to change her religion before this. The case was all about court jurisdiction and all.Show me the part where he mumble and fumble? I think he handle the questions very well. I disagree and do not think he got grilled by those questions.
all in all. It is for greater cause and greater good. Do you guys think its easy to maintain peace and harmony in multiracial country?? Things are getting worse if the gov eradicate all bumiputras privillages rite now. Bloodshed will occured. Just wait for another 5 to 10 years. Maybe by that time the malays will be more open minded. I dont mind if other races share the same privillages… but, i do not think my fellow malays are ready for that. Not , this time. Not rite now. Stop comparing malaysia with other countries. This nation is only 50 years old. The malays civilization is only around 700 years old. With 500 years of colonization. Do not compare Malaysia with China thousand years old of civilization or even phillipines..korea and japanese. It is not fair. All those countries had gone through a pool of bloods before this. Duhh…Lets just enjoy the freedom,peace and harmony rite now. Lets just wait. It is not easy to shape another people minds. It is just not as easy as you may think.
A mirror:
Hurray.. he HARDly TALKed…
Even his starting line is already a spin, “…we’re not looking at everyone but the nation…..nation building…”
The forest is not made of trees like each tree is not important. Without trees a forest still exists? “Nation building”, as many knows it, is fast becoming a regular fakery of a byword.
Spudhead logic, as expected.
Isn’t this the same Bugger/Booger who left the 2 Malaysians stranded for more than 8 months at Sausi Arabia? From what I heard, they finally secured their release from their S.A. ‘kidnappers’ with absolutely no help from our embassies. Their own families work their asses off to get the duo to be reunited with them by themselves, even after pleads to intervene were highlighted by MP Tanjong(Chow Kon Yeow) at Parliament!
http://chow.blogsome.com/2007/08/20/313/
As for picisan, I would advise you to stop thinking as what Barisan Najis has indoctrined you for the past 50 years. By acknowledging NEP, you’re encouraging race-superiority and condemned ourselves to slavery and inferiority. Instead now, we have no ‘Balance-level field’ at all thanks to NEP for encouraging poor and mediocrity(and this has nothing to do with races) to prevailed.
And what bloodshed mentality are you talking about? Let’s start with you, will you pick up a weapon and attack another Malaysian if what we’re talking about is about Fairness, Meritrocracy and Justice to All?
If you do, then we’re all Fasicts and should accept a despot like AMNO to continue its domination over our lives for the next 100 yrs. If you don’t, then I say we will have a good start if we start discussing about how we could make Malaysia better by FORGETING where we’re from, what our skin colours are and which faiths we’ve accepted.
You have caution comparing ourselves with China, but yet we have AMNO comparing ourselves with Zimbabwe and Ghana. Is that fair to them?
If acknowledging my children they’re ‘less than’ certain fellow Malaysians and our ‘peace’ are being tolerated and not to be ‘challenged’, then this is not the ‘Freedom’ and ‘Harmony’ I want.
you must understand, our beloved foreign minister syed hamid is just doing his job promoting malaysia and umno try to spin to good light. he could have turned down the interview and call it rubbish like his co-party.
The only way to get rid of racial polarization is to scrap UMNO, MCA, MIC race party. As long as there are UMNO, MCA, MIC, we will keep identifying ourselves malay, chinese and indian. And also scrap that NEP /NDP, it keeps reminding that malays need crutches.
[…] Syed Hamid Albar on BBC Hear the Foreign Minister grilled on BBC HardTalk on race […] […]
On the contrary, I think Syed Hamid did an excellent job. On Hardtalk, he did exactly what a good politician does and is good at… evading the question with indirect answers.
If I were a lawyer, I want this guy as my prosecution or defense witness in court! He can talk through almost anything!
I understand the Indians here are suing the British Government for ‘forcing’ the 30 years rights for the Malays just before Independence.
Unfortunately, no one was ‘permited’ to tell the truth and nothing but the truth or else……………………….
The 30 years was supposed to expire in 1987 but was illegally ‘extended’ by the former mm PM who is now in serious condition in ICU at the IJN.
We must and should sue the Malaysian government to withdraw the ‘illegal’ extension.
Anyone would like to chip in here?
The Chinese should join their Indian brothers to sue the British government too. 6 million Chinese @ 1 million pound would be a lot of money and the UN should monitor this in their next sitting.
Regards,
David
I agree with Brighteyes: Syed Hamid Albar ducked, weaved and rolled – effectively, if not with finesse. He answered the questions he wanted to answer, which happen to be questions Ms Sarah were not asking. Being the country’s top diplomat, I’m sure he must’ve picked up a thing or two from more polished and able peers.
That being said, condescension is a pretty stupid defense IMO, which is what he used. No doubt, Ms Sarah doesn’t stay in Malaysia, but doesn’t preclude the possibility that she might have actually done her research – a concept Syed Hamid might, no doubt, be unfamiliar with given how our MSM journos are more loudspeakers than sleuths.
What I found disappointing was that Ms Sarah allowed Syed Hamid to get away with flimsy statistics and half-baked numbers. She should’ve called him out on them. And it would’ve been nice if she framed her questions based on our government stats and such, forcing Syed Hamid to answer or be damned in front of an international audience.
In any case, Syed Hamid Albar’s spirited performance will no doubt confirm in the minds of many Malaysia’s image as a tin-pot little Southeast Asian country.
Hidup Malaysia!!
Scoring with the language of Newspeak which Politicians and Diplomats indulge in has little to do with the Reality of any situation. It can, and in this case, be very remote from the Truth. Unless we are prepare to say and allow the Truth to be secondary to political correctness and other spins, a slick spinning tongue is not ultimately a virtue at all just because it gets the speaker through the day.
Dear Picasan,
what about comparing malaysia with our beloved neighbor Singapore, they are multiracial they are younger than malaysia.. see where and how they are now? you are a good politician too, presenting what you want and eluding what you do not want to.
to : mob1900
– No, i dont think Barisan Nasional indoctrined me anything.. im 20 years old and i think im old enough to think by myself. and.. no.. i dont think NEP encouraged race-superiority. If you handle it well, the feeling of superiority will not arise. I think barisan gov did slightly well for this country.
– Why start with me? Ok then.. im not.. im not going to take up arms and all. But what about those who play keris in the parliament? what about those people who make fun and provoke the other race through the whole internet? I even came across few blogs that promotes war.
– Technically, it is fair…, because ghana gained their freedom from britain at 1957 if im not mistaken and our conditions in term of economics, socials etc at that time ..are more or less is the same. So, i do not think..it is absurd as you might say to compare malaysia and ghana. But… to compare Malaysia and China?? it is totally unfair.
– I beg the other race to tolerate my people for another few years. Because as i said before it is not easy to shape and to change minds. You already wait for 35 years.. another few more years wont hurts.
i hope you dont mind.. im disagreing with you.
anyway.. i do think, chinese do not really care about the privillages and special treament. Because as far as i concerned and what my parent touhgt me chinese does not need tongkat to survive. But, on the other hand, my people need it… we are young civilization.. there is a lot of thing that we need to learn. If we lost this country. The only country that left to cater malays or nusantara people is the terminally ill indonesia. So, it is our duty to safeguard the survival of our own people. Dont get me wrong… just try to put yourself in our shoes. You might see it as an obligation that should not be taken for granted.
last but not least, please pardon my grammar.
Well..I cant see it in my TV.. I guessed they’re trying to cover it up and less than forgotten the power of WWW. Well i dont recall any true answers from what he said. And like what brighteyes said. EVADING. Man.. At least the world knows the true colours of Msia.. And i suppose most investors will also acknowledge..Good day me darlings
to picisan,
u asked us to tolerate non equal rights? put your self in our shoes. how can u become our future leader if you cant differentiate right and wrong. Malaysia will never have a great leader. look into history, ABRAHAM LINCOLN freed the slave. Slave who are of different race. This is a great leader of all races.
Dont u feel ashamed by asking us to tolerate. I know u are a peace loving person. heck, me too, i have frens and relatives who are malays but wrong is wrong, right is right. It is not wrong now later right.
ps there is nothing wrong with your grammar lah….
to sama tak nak lebih :
– I am sorry to say this..but i think i see the bigger picture here. Nothing always fair in this life. Lets say for example koreans descendents in Japan still have no equal rites and as far as i concerned they were treated much worse than non-bumi’s in malaysia by their japanese counter-part. What im trying to say is that..this is not a fairy tale where everything is fair. im sorry.
– For me being a leader is do what best for their country. I believe all gov in this world have their own dirty little secret.
– It is not like i dont know to differentiate btwn whats rite and whats wrong. For me.. i think it is for greater good, greater cause. Its a necessity. Maybe it is wrong for me to justify the ends. But, of coz in the end i think everybody will be happy.
– It is better to get some, rather than losing all of it. Im trying to play safe here, because we are multi-racial country, multi-religious… this country freedom of speech are much better than our southern neighbour. Where they can track down our ip and id.. and later arrest us. For me, i like their methods on controlling their own citizens, because it is better that way.. because we should not lose our grip on our own people.
– I just dont want to forget that malaysia is a multi-racial country that so far has been tremendously control the racial harmony in this country. Just do not want to lose that.
– For the American , they being involved in slavery for hundreds of years and as what i said earlier they had gone through a pool of bloodsheds…American Civil War, American – Indians war. Everything was all about race. ABRAHAM LINCOLN was himself end up dead. I just dont want to see Malaysia gone through a pool of bloodshed and jeff ooi or malik imtiyaz being shot in the head. I dont think malaysia have to go through it. But still as you can see, there are many racist americans. I think it is not wise not compare malaysia with america…they barely know malaysia exist.
But anyway thanks to nak sama tak nak lebih, for sharing your thoughts with me. Yeah, thanks … i think i still have to polish my english. ^_^
Picisan, no matter how you argue about it, fundamentally, the means does not justify the ends, especially when we recall how the official spin from that on-high was stated for the NEP to be so that ” others shall experience no sense of deprivation “. After so many years it simply became clear that this is NOT the case. Even in the case of employment into gomen service, the bumi applicants have been deluged with offers while the nons are only offered maybe one or two of the untaken and unwanted ones at the end of the recruitment season. This always happen after SPM all these years/decades.
Then again, also, who documents those cases of nons students for whose education, the parents went well nigh into near destitution in their old age only to be unable to be with their children because the later had to migrate overseas because of employment.
I just dont want to forget that malaysia is a multi-racial country that so far has been tremendously control the racial harmony in this country. Just do not want to lose that
_________________________________________________________________
I think there`s been more govt. sponsored bloodshed in m`sia than in s`pore.
Case in point kg. medan where for 3 days nothing was done to stop the evil machinations of UMNO.
More recently around the time of the merdeka `celebrations` there were euphemistically called `gang` clashes in Johor, S`go and Penang. (reported in MT).
In Puchong too there have been incidents.
Just `cos you don`t read about them in the NST doesn`t mean it` ain`t happening.
UMNO is on a `jihad` against the nons, simple as that. Once in a while the nons are beaten up or killed just so they will live in fear. In the last GE it was UMNO who took out full page ads which virtually promised riots in case UMNO lost.
Finally, it`s juvenile to compare the American Civil War or the Indian Wars to the current M`sian situation.
It would be like me trying to say: there was no internet then.
BTW, All this time when those nons with only secondary education have to seek employment as waiters, waitresses etc in Taiwan and elsewhere, they got insulted by goblok Umno ministers as being less than loyal etc. Even the Gomen health ministry drew up a particularly heavy charge for the mandatory medical examinations in Gomen hospitals for such applicants going through their employment agencies.
to picisan,
all of us are not immortal. U either get shot or die of old age. Abraham did the world a huge favor by freeing the slave and got shot. If he did’nt freed the slave, do u think he will still be alive? That is what courageous ppl like jeff ooi and malik are doing. they rather die trying. It means something to them.
Tolerance is a big word. The nons have been tolerating for years, but dont expect the younger generation will do the same as the growing number of internet users increased and informations are shared just within our reach.
You are true to say some americans are racist. some of the whites hate blacks and vice versa. But they do have a federal law that protect citizens of all races. In contrast with our gov who give preference to the bumis only.
The NEP was to help the poor malays 37 years back. But presently the rich malays are the ones that exploited these benefits. I see rich fellas buying properties worth millions and still receiving discounts which are meant for the poor. I am sure you too had used this benefits.
Yes, the world is never equal, rich and poor folks irrelevant of races lived together. The rich will always remain silence as they risk losing their wealth. The poor will always struggle and voice their opinions and to make better use of their life.
To promote equality needs all races to work together. I only see the nons reaching out their hands to you, but you keeping yours to yourself and “MAYBE” you giving yours in 5 to 10 years time. But what about the rest of you?
I pray one day that God will moved your heart and open your eyes to see the true meaning of sharing and equality.
By the way, Selamat Hari Raya.
first of all mates,
Syed Albar is not competent enough to be representing malaysia in the international forefront.
He’s fumbling of words and indecisive sppech is a true example of what Malaysian ploitic is all about.Its basically favouritism and money politics.
Syed youre such a whanker, brush up youre public speaking skills or probably join the ToastMasters, that will help.
If you think he(the FM) is bad, his dad was even worse. Look at his dad’s Hansard record, virtually non-speaking and largely vituperative like. Unabashed racist. Got chewed up nicely by a young Lim Kit Siang in parliament then.
Anyway, already Bolehland’s foreign has not been something impressive. And he has to add dissimulation and outright lies in the BBC interview as well.
[…] Elizabeth Wong in her blog had something to say and there is a link to the recording of Hard Talk. You must have Real Player. Please comment. […]