Benito Mussolini had the Blackshirts, Adolf Hitler the Brownshirts, UMNO-Baru the Redshirts. They are unemployed hooligans paid to do their political masters’ dirty work.
This is how desperate politicians work; while they appear reasonable and rational and keep a decent distance from the fray their henchmen have storm troopers to threaten the population. Thus we have Najib saying that it’s alright for the Redshirts to march as long as they (the Redshirts) act within the law.
I am not against any group marching peacefully – we can’t on the one hand demand the right for Bersih (Yellowshirts) to march and deny the same to the Redshirts. But there is a difference of course. The Yellowshirts represent the entire spectrum of Malaysians while the Redshirts represent the extremist elements among the Malays.
The Yellowshirts demand clean government and transparency. The Redshirts are vowing retribution for the imagined slur on the Malay dignity. The former is non-threatening, the latter threaten with words and deeds (breaking tiles with their heads besides showing the lack of brains, also demonstrate what they can do to us).
Najib knows full well that he cannot guarantee that once a mob is unleashed or collective amok takes hold, no blood will be shed. We all know what the Blackshirts and Brownshirts did; will the Redshirts have the same impact? I don’t think so.
Najib is neither Mussolini nor Hitler he is a weak man fighting for his political life and to stay out of jail. His fair- weather followers (only there as long as the money lasts) will ditch him to save themselves when it comes to the crunch.
Personally I don’t see another May 13 happening, which is what UMNO Baru extremists want us to think. This is 2015 not 1969. The circumstances are different. UMNO Baru does not have the monopoly of Malay allegiance. There are other (reasonable) Malay voices that have as much influence. Even the royalty of Johor and Negri Sembilan have come out against racism and other forms of extremism.
It’s time we put the ghost of May 13 to rest and not jump every time they threaten us with something similar. That is precisely what they want – to frighten us into submission.
Those who write about the Redshirts are only giving them credence. More than that, these people are fear-mongering. I ask if any of them have been roughed up or, in anyway, threatened while they go about their business. I suppose if you live in a posh area like Meru Heights and never mingle with the masses (especially with the Malays) you never know how ordinary Malays behave and your fear is heightened by these fear-mongers.
Redshirts or not I still visit my Malay friend in the kampong no one has uttered an unwelcome word. Truth is the Malays are like you and I, they are mostly decent chaps.
Tanjung Rambutan has a majority Malay population, the Chinese the least, yet daily they mingle in the marketplace and buy from vendors without racial consideration – only on price, quality and service.
The best way to deal with naughty children is to ignore them.
Yin
(The Man from TR)
