AND Malay Right Wingers versus Huzir Sulaiman, Zahim Albakri, Fahmi Fadzil and Sunday Star. AND Mat Cendana versus Huzir Sulaiman and Star's sub-editor. Dato Ti Lian Ker, at first bemused, jumps in. Mat Cendana tries to get out of the ring to get a better sight - and then he sees Pretty Setiawangsa Woman Julia Roberts...
Folks, this sounds a bit like the WWF Wrestling circa the mid-90's - something BIG in Kelantan - with the "tipu" (staged) wrestling of beefcakes led by Hulk Hogan and the various "jahat" wrestlers and "kayu" referees that would often end up in a free-for-all, with the ring chaotic! Well, that's what Mat Cendana's last post of Hijacking the "Malay Middle Class" has turned into.
Okay, I'm going to use the first person from this point onwards, because some of the things will be about me. Firstly, I'd like to admit that I am surprised by the response to that post - especially because of the heavyweights who have left comments AND started a new post based on it! WOW! I must have died and gone to SoPo Blogosphere heaven...
And to think that I was scheming on how to pull the plug on this blog! That's because I'm extremely busy right now, and I feel bad about the 120-plus hits daily, who keep getting disappointed when there is no new post here. In fact, I had mentioned it at Jebat Must Die's post on Dec 7 of The Hitchhiker’s guide to Ketuanan Melayu
(Actually it was something written by Apocryphalist - someone who 99% of blog readers agree should have his own blog but who refuses to start one. The other person whom 99.5% agree must have her own blog is New York-based Mekyam. BTW I'm serious when I say that other blog of Recovery from Drug Addiction is 100 times more important to me than this one.)
Then, last Sunday evening, "Julia Roberts" in Setiawangsa asked me about Huzir Sulaiman's piece. With due respects to Huzir, I had not paid too much attention to him for the sole reason that I don't have much time nowadays (BUT I do read New Media editor A. Asohan, who is one of my most favourite writers. BTW Asohan is also one GREAT guy. How do I know? Well, just take my word for it...) Anyway, Julia Roberts and I were unanimous, and I feel our opinions were clear enough.
Well, I didn't expect that post to generate so much attention and heat towards Huzir - and the bogus `Middle-Class' Malays! And neither had I expected the response by blogosphere's BIG NAMES and regulars here and with posts of their own!
Let's see: Among others, there were Dato' Shamsuddin Nawawi of Small Talk fame, with his usual straight and sharp talk (and an excellent pun to boot about "class"!); Mekyam, Jed Yoong, Jebat Must Die, Malaysian Tigress, Piggy Singh, Dato' Ti Lian Ker and Pemuda IKS, satD, Omong... And not to forget, that aristocratic, don't-mess-with-him-lah, take-no-prisoners KijangMas of the Demi Negara blog.
When it comes to KijangMas, as with his `comments' at his blog, they are actually "Posts" in their own right.
Dato' Ti sees it from a different angle and perspective in POOR HUZIR SULAIMAN...tough walking the middle road..
But the heavyweight who had felt most strongly about it is Datuk Sakmongkol AK47. How strong? Well, how about THREE posts!...beginning with a scathing one titled Huzir's Malay Middle Class- better to remain quiet , and followed by Malay Middle Class and Bourgeois Morality and Malay Middle Class and Bourgeois Morality(2)
[UPDATE 4.55AM: Dato Shamsuddin Nawawi has strong feelings about this too, apparently. Besides the two comments left at the previous post here, he has also written a new post about it at his blog, titled Melayu ada kelas ke? This one covers the legal definition of "Malay", according to the Constitution.]
Some unsolicited advice to the suave, savvy and ultra-sophisticated Huzir, Zahim, Fahmi etc from me - the country "darhat" in the Malay heartland who follows Dikir Barat, Wayang Kulit, Mak Yong, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan; and now relegated from the rustic "Rural Lower-Class Malay" to wretched "Pariah Malay" because of Huzir's classification.
Yes, you erm, `middle-class' types probably have degrees from some overseas university, plus maybe 650,000 fans each in Facebook, with an additional one million new ones from the paper's readers who may be impressed with your opinions. Good for you all! BUT PLEASE increase your knowledge of "real world affairs" (not "Bangsar Starbucks philosophies") by at least 80% by reading what Sakmongkol has to say.
And No, he is no "ultranationalist" as you `intellectual cafe types' might love to label, but actually as "moderate" and "centre" as they come. So, if he feels THAT strongly, that's the cue for you "liberal, open-minded" kind to consider his viewpoints - right after the drama rehearsal, ya?
By the way, Datuk Zahim - What's with the pix of that woman on the top-right of your head?...the one titled "MISS"? Oh, it's what you sophisticated `middle-class' types call "Art", "Seni Halus" izzit... which us prudish rural bumpkins and religious extremists wrongly and outrageously claim as "Vulgar". I guess the opinions of you "modern, liberal, open-minded class" are what the rest of the Malays should emulate "to compete in the post-AFTA, borderless world"; especially your interpretations of "Ketuanan Melayu", "Special Rights" and "The Constitution"...
Sigh...Jagalah sikit gelaran Datuk tu, NGOK; barulah orang-orang cam aku ni HORMAT.
Fortunately, kampung guy Mat Cendana of North Kelantan and not-too-far-from-Patani Malay Kingdom, has someone on your side of the Banjaran Titiwangsa Main Range, deep in your territory and who has seen it all. Yes, the Setiawangsa pretty woman who is the genuine Urban Middle-Class Malay. And here's what she says of you clueless wimps and aloft fakes:
The issue is this guy [Huzir] miscategorised.. And does their opinion matter? Sepatutnya when they have the wherewithal, they do something about those who haven't. That is the idea of the NEP (New Economic Policy). That is how the Chinese community has strengthened their position [with the successful helping those below]. Ni orang kita jenis ni, fikir perut sendiri aja...
Ah, how joyful and relieved rural lower-class Mat Cendana is to discover that he too shares the same sentiments as opined by the urbane and sophisticated true-blue middle-class Julia Roberts - two of how many millions?...divided by Umno, Pas, PKR and the clueless liberals. Where is our King Arthur?.. who will unite us first, and then with the other races, as we end all the current nonsense and together move on towards a better Malaysia for ALL...