Wednesday, April 18

Dangerous thinking, says Pro Andrew Aeria

KUCHING: James Masing’s concept of democracy ‘jangan lawan tauke’ (don’t fight your boss) is not only flawed, but a very dangerous kind of thinking, said Associate Professor Andrew Aeria of the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

“What do you mean ‘jangan lawan tauke’? Are you talking about the businessman ‘tauke’?

“Suddenly it became clearer the ‘tauke’ is the politician. Politicians are the ones who are in charge and the people are in charge on voting day. Basically it means from 8.00 am when polling opens to 5.00 pm when polling closes.

“About nine hours after which the politicians become ‘tauke’. This is a very dangerous kind of thinking, because politicians say the majority rules,” said Professor Aeria at the ‘Who is the Boss’ forum on Sunday.

The forum was organised by Sarawak PKR after Masing, who is the President of Parti Rakyat Sarawak and Land Development Minister told a disabled man Frusis Lebi ‘jangan lawan tauke’.

Masing when making the remark was defending Mong Dagang, PRS youth leader and Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing) who ordered that welfare allowance to Frusis be stopped immediately on ground that he supported the Opposition.

Mong also ordered that agricultural subsidies to him also be withdrawn.

Professor Aeria said: “I was surprised that the disabled man was discriminated against just because of his political belief. And I was even more surprised to read that Masing in defending Mong blamed Frusis and told him ‘jangan lawan tauke’.

“By denying him the welfare assistance because of his political belief, you are in violation of the Malaysian Constitution, in violation of the International United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and in violation on the convention of disabled people.

“You are in violation not only of domestic laws, but also international laws,” he said.

“Masing thinks that might is right, and if you take the argument to its logical conclusion, you are going back to the dark days of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad when he used legal instruments, used Queen’s powers, you used draconian laws or undemocratic laws to involve your ideas and your form of government upon the people,” he said, pointing out that no Malaysians would like to go to those dark days.

“And if you take the argument even further to its logical conclusion, then you end up in the company of people like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler where you can cancel parliament, get rid of your legal institutions and just imposed government by might and by the rule of Secret Police.

“And this is usually within the democratic discourse, a very dangerous way of thinking,” he stressed, pointing out that politicians in the state have reduced the whole meaning of democracy to one small component – the majority rules.

He said that democracy is a combination of several factors and it is a very complex system. It is a demanding system. It does not confine to majority rule only.

“There is no such thing as the divine right of King in a democracy any more, but we do have the sovereign right of the people in democracy to define their form of government.

“Malaysia is in the midst of transition from a state that is not democratic or may be semi-democratic to a state moving towards democracy. That is why we have thinking articulated by Masing that ‘jangan lawan tauke’ as the politician is the boss.

“This is rather disturbing to me as someone teaches first year politics in the university - Politics 101 is the core materials for any social sciences students.

“When we find that our discussion going on and then we realise the discussion only centred on one small component (of democracy) - majority rule.

“If Masing is in my first year political science in 101 courses, the answer that parliamentary democracy equals to majority rule, I will give him 10 marks. It means he fails, because his answer is under researched and under informed view.

“It is unfortunate that Masing had PhD he should know better,” Aeria added.

The professor was also disturbed to read a recent article quoting Dr. Jerip Susil, an assistant minister who said that since the government had limited funds, it only provided funds to BN supporters.

“This kind of thinking comes from the kind of mentality that politicians are the ‘tauke’. Taxes are paid by everybody. The government is for everybody and not for BN members only.

“If you take Jerip’s argument to its logical conclusion, then what it means is that the government funds come from the Barisan Nasional fund and in that case all those who did not vote for Barisan Nasional please don’t pay your taxes.

“Then you have every right to go to tax revolt – don’t pay taxes. This is the logical conclusion. This is a flawed argument and within the university this argument will not stand.

“Within an enlightened society, civilised and democratic society this kind of argument will not stand,” he stressed, calling on more people to stand up and say ‘we are sovereign’.

He said that he was gland that such a forum was organised to clarify issues on that and expressed the hope Malaysians could look to the future.

“There is no need to look back as a lot of Malaysian politicians are doing. Let us grow into a civilised society that practises democracy.

“If you look backward, you only see dinosaurs in Jurassic parks,” he said.

9 comments:

Apai irau said...

That is the result we got from an Iban politician who did his Phd thesis based on Iban folklores copied directly from the story books of the late Benedict sandin and the late Michael Buma.Masing has not done a thesis based on serious or pertinent subject matter but merely based on fantasy folklores.So today he has a thinking to treat people like the raja or the chief in the folklores.Pity to see that when election comes,our Iban in Baleh still succumbed to this crook's folklores tactics.

Apai Semalau said...

Monkey see, monkey do! 2Ms? Thats Mong and Masing. Apparently, violation of human rights are not part of the vocabulary of these apes. Thank goodness Masing was not appointed a DCM after the election but instead demoted to "Senior minister" or to put it mildly "Senile Minister". Holding a Phd. qualification or rather a "Permanent Head damage" symdrome leaves a lot to be desired on his perverted view of parliamentary democracy. A tyrant in the making that takes personal revenge on those who dissents. Would fellow dayaks re-elect a vengeful "tauke" and his PRS cronies of herd mentality? If you treasure freedom in Sarawak, do yourself justice by not voting any of the aping PRS in the coming election.

pelacur politikus said...

Taib is a master of divide and rule implementor.He likes Masing very much because he knows this fellow is good at disuniting the Ibans.Taib had use him to split PBDS and Taib still want him to do further damage to the Ibans by giving him senior ministership.Masing, with his ego,gladly accepted it even though his ministry does not have any budget allocation.

Anonymous said...

It is a nice thing to see a UNIMAS university professor addressing a public forum. And nicer still when that professor has the courage to say what should be said and not worried about possible repercussion against his carrier. Kudos for that. It does speak well for the future of this country when some one like him is telling a Minister that he (minister) is not the "tauke". The arrogance of James Masing has become very telling in recent times. Especially after the last State General Election when PRS turned up in his own own "No. 2" in the State Assembly given that SUPP was badly trounced. Maybe his title of "Senior Minister" and the conferment of "Tan Sri" title on him also added up to his negative ego build-up.

And I think that it is generally the case among BN politicians: they are very arrogant. Like the instance of Dr. Jurip's statement referred to by the UNIMAS professor whereby he has said that project funds are only for BN supporters. These type of politicians have no conscience, and are arrogating themselves a status "above ordinary human being" by virtue of their office as elected representatives.

The people should now realize it and vote out these arrogant BN in the coming poll. And for that matter even Taib Mahmud, CM has stated that he welcomed a new party "Workers Party" which "should be free to field its candidate" in the coming and future elections "as we usher in full democracies in this country". I really hope he means what he says. If he does, then the people should thank him for it.Of course the fact that his PBB will use huge amount of money in any poll to safeguard itself from falling out and a mar against democratice norms is another matter.

Anonymous said...

"Jangan lawan Tauke"...said James Masing. Unfortunately the four fingers point at himself. Lest we forget, did he not "lawan" and kick out PKR's financier tauke Sng and took over leadership in PRS? Now the real tauke is coming back with a vengeance in SWP. Tauke Sng will soon have the last laugh while Masing will end up pissing in his pants. What goes round comes around. Its call "KARMA". Time for Masing and his cronies to collect their luggages and ship out! Its Sarawak Workers Party on the go to clean out PRS comes the election.

Anonymous said...

of course masing is telling the poor dayaks he is tauke. look at his family's wealth with sweetheart contracts from
Taib. hence, he can show his third finger to his own kind.

anyway, the dayaks deserve their own plight, aint it? and because of their ignorance in perpetuating this evil empire, other malaysians have to suffer. I fail my Politics 101 here too, aint it?

Anonymous said...

Only now many realised that Masing is the main culprit who destroyed PBDS. His insincerity and arrogance bring so much harm to the dayaks at present. His overnight changed in mentality may be due to his intention to replace J..u as DCM or may be his own natural instinct.

Kuboi Ngeransi said...

I have attended numerous PRS dinners held here in Kuching in the last few years back.

Sad to say, whenever Masing gave his speech, not a word was ever mentioned that PRS would look into dayak welfares nor to help all the dayak community. Not a word.

He only focus more on the future of PRS (his personal agenda) other than the future of the dayak in Sarawak. The same goes to Mong, Joseph Entulu, Mauh Ikeh, Doris Sophia. They are all good in talking only but cannot deliver or stand for the dayak.

The high-light of the dinner is party time with continous flow of beers and liquours.

To all PRS supporters, the future of the dayak (including your own children and grand children) is in your hand. If PRS fail to stand for the dayak now, the future is bleak.

Do PRS still need incompetent leaders like the Masing, Mong, Mauh, Entulu or Doris?

Do the dayak really need them? Wake up dayak from your slumber.

Jambu Batu said...

Its true.What is round comes around and karma still has its place today.Masing had a big laugh when he killed PBDS,of course with Taib's blessing.He had a good laugh when he kicked Sng's group out from PRS.Little did he realise that Taib won't be forever on his side.Sng senior has been loyal to Taib and has been assigned 'to do' a lot of things to the Dayaks especially the Ibans.Now, Sng junior is married to Taib's niece.Now Masing should realize luck won't be always on his side.Did SWP get registered and approved at Sng's sole effort? No way.Why and who support the application,Masing should know this.Doubtful if Masing can have another taukay's laugh soon.