DID PERKASA AVERT THE POSSIBLE OUTBREAK OF THE RACIAL CLASH, 13 MAY, PART II?

By Mansor Puteh

Perkasa may have unknowingly helped to avert 13 May Tragedy, Part II, with them or anyone realizing it.  

If it had happened, chances are greater calamity would have happened with highly predictable repercussions and long-term effects with some parties losing more than they thought they could bargain for.

So no wonder the ‘interested’ parties seemed to have become mellow and their leaders keeping to themselves and quiet, because they know the more they try to put out acts of defiance and resistance, the more they would lose.

They can never win, being surrounded by the dominant majority race in the country who have been providing them so much over so many years, yet, who have not shown any appreciation to them.

How many times have their leaders remarked how appreciative and thankful they are to the Melayu who have helped their ancestors live a peaceful life and to be able to prosper, when they had just landed in Tanah Melayu with no more than the shirts on their backs which have not been washed for days?

No one can ever deny that if the Melayu had wanted to be nasty to them, the immigrants would not be happy to have landed in Tanah Melayu; they would rather remain in their own countries.   

The Thirteen May Tragedy, Part II could have happened a while ago, if Perkasa has not come into existence, in direct reaction to the sudden display of crass behavior by the minority groups who seemed to be unusually empowered in the immediate aftermath of the 8 March, 2008 general elections which created a shock in the national political system and culture, a valuable lesson which many Malaysians of all stripes and political persuasions could and had learnt much from.

Muslims see it as a clear sign of something that many could not comprehend what it was when it happened.

Yes, there were losers and winners, but the real and true losers and winners are determined much later, as the 13 May Tragedy, Part I had shown, that there is no point for anyone to push their political postures beyond the limit as it can backfire not only on themselves, but also on their own communities.

Some still harbor the strange and weird thought that pursuing such a stance, showing acts of defiance, could rear its benefits, that the 13 May Tragedy, Part I, did cause some consternation on the authorities and dominant race.

Alas, their fantasies are but useless ones; for they only think of themselves alone and not of their own communities and country as a whole. 

That was when small fringe minority racial groups started to spring out from nowhere to demand a host of things which they themselves could not provide, which they insist and demand be given to them, even when they had not shown remorse and the aptitude to help and promote the spirit of the National Constitution or the ‘Perlembagaan Negara’.

This explains why there are still many non-Melayu who are not conversant in the national language of Bahasa Melayu.

They still prefer to live in their small enclaves, which are shrinking fast or are being overtaken by other communities, especially the Melayu who are now everywhere.

Over-promoting things Hong Kong and India in the cinemas and on television and in the media, especially have all helped to push the Chinese and also Indians back to their Motherlands.  

Worse, it also created an unusual display of crass behavior by some members of the more vocal minority racial groups who felt the sudden pangs of anxiety which they could not contain, so much so that they decided it was time for them to march further to achieve their goals, whatever they were.

Unfortunately, their leaders had neglected to read and study the signs. That their actions could cause a reaction from the dominant racial group in the country and it appeared almost immediately with the establishment of this group calling themselves PERKASA.

This statement may come as a surprise or a shock to many, but it seems that the Melayu reaction organization calling itself Perkasa might have done wonders to the country, which they could never admit or being told of by the other Melayu, much less by the minority chauvinist groups, who thought they could raise their voices a bit, and slowly scream and shout to their hearts content, until it becomes untenable to sustain peaceful coexistence between the majority and minority races in the country, so much that what happened on 13 May, 1969 was a mere foreplay.

The illegal Tamil groups caused a shock when they gathered illegally and demanding things which they themselves could not provide. Most of them are school dropouts, with vernacular Tamil school background, so what future did they think they could get in Malaysia?

And the Chinese chauvinist groups too tried to do the same by slowly demanding the unusual, by pressuring the government, which they consider to be a Melayu government, on how they could wreck havoc in the general elections if the government does not accede to their every demands.

Ironically, this created the impression amongst the Melayu especially that these fringe groups can still be a threat to the very existence of the dominant Melayu political party, so they have to be pacified by giving whatever that they demand and can continue to demand.

But the buck stops with Perkasa for the fringe and illegal groups, which have not become less vocal and demanding.

Maybe their demands have been met. But this is not certain as they are still thinking of finding ways to exert themselves by occasionally coming up in the ‘padang’ or other venues to express their unusual and comical display of crass behavior.

Just how many of them uphold the National Constitution to the tee? They only know how to find a clause or sub-clause in it to exert their demands, citing how it is for the government to protect their interests, when they have never been known to be keen or interested to protect the interests of what’s in the constitution.

The creation of Perkasa has created wonders, in that it has managed to pacify the dominant Melayu group, as well as to downsize and belittle the taunting of the minority groups each time they are created.

In this way, there is a semblance of peace in these groups which they could contain as their leaders ponder on the fate of their own selves and those of their brethren as well as their own races.

The 13 May, 1969 tragedy had been a nasty experience for the country. Those who are now tempting with fate, were not even born yet, with many who were still babies when it happened.

So they could not comprehend what happened that fateful day and the many days ahead, before the situation returned to normal.

And what would happen if Perkasa had not been established?

The leaders of the fringe minority groups would continue with their charade and parade whenever they wish.

And if this is not stopped, the processions would invariably lead to disaster.

Fortunately, Perkasa is there to ensure that the procession stops sooner than later before a drop of blood is spilled, so that the losers of the 13 May, 1969 tragedy would continue to lose even more.

The major outcome of the 13 May, 1969 tragedy was in the structuring of society. The major outcome of 13 May, Part II, would be a more drastic restructuring and posturing of society, whatever that means.

So how could anyone say Perkasa is a Melayu chauvinist group? It had not been in existence before. It came about in reaction to the reaction showed by some members of the minority groups, which were out to test the fortitude of the dominant racial group.

They failed. And Perkasa was created to ensure that the situation remains calm, with each racial group realizing where they ought to remain so that some of their more vocal and possible venomous leaders do not cross the line.

Perkasa has indeed created such a situation and mentality amongst the leaders of the minority racial groups, who now seem to know where they are and what they can do still, without telling them in so many words.

And the Melayu too have been pacified, so that they do not cross the line beyond which lies an uncertain future for them as well as those whom they could be made to become their unnecessary nemesis.

Does Perkasa realize what they have done? Do the minority racial groups also know this?