Said Zahari: book launch
Jul 18th, 2007 by Tian
On Monday 16 July, I attended the launching of Said Zahari’s second memoir “Dalam Ribuan Mimpi Gelisah” and its English version “The Long Nightmare” at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Unfortunately the officiation was done by Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, probably the most inappropriate choice. This is perhaps because the books were published by Utusan Publications.
I arrived at about 11:45hr, and Zam the Propagandist Minister was already talking. When I sat down and listened, I realized that he was whacking Anwar vis-a-vis the New Economic Policy(NEP).
Without mentioning name, Anwar was described as a traitor to the Malay and Malaysia. Zam insinuated that Malay who are not grateful to the NEP can be considered instruments for foreign interest.
Zam said, people (referred to Anwar) attack the NEP as it was abused by cronyism, corruption etc. forgot that thousands of children of farmers and fisherfolks got education opportunities and became professionals. He proudly declared that successes of Malay in business, science & technology, etc were due to the NEP.
Zam made a false comparison, praising Said as a true nationalist but the “anti-NEP” Malay as the lackey of colonial power. He also seize the stage to lash out at the EU representatives.
Zam went on talking about things irrelevant to the topic i.e. Said’s books. He also turned the event into an opportunity to smear the Left.
He quoted Rashid Mydin. Zam claimed Rashid admitted that Tunku Abdul Rahman was a more successful and more strategic in the Merdeka struggle. His was also quoting memoirs of Chin Peng and others to reiterate Umno’s superiority.
Zam confessed to be a socialist once. He claimed that he turned against socialism when President Sukarno belittled Malaysian national anthem in Indonesian radio broadcast. Wow, Zam’s faith in socialism was equivalent to the commitment towards Terang Bulan.
Speaking with the authority of direct personal experience, Zam said he could confirm that Indonesia supplied fund to Malayan Leftists. Zam claimed that he got to know about it through a fellow Utusan journalist who was detained under ISA. His leftist colleague confessed that RM34 thousands was received and the money was hidden under Zam’s pillow at the night of the arrest.
Not surprisingly, many among the audience were offended by Zam’s speech. Several friends of Said Zahari who came all the way from Singapore to attend this function were very disappointed.
“Zainuddin is very rude,” a comrade of Said Zahari in the Singapore’s Socialist Front, “if you want to say nice things to your host (Said), you can say something general. Otherwise, you can also decline the invitation.
“It is unfair that he quoted Chin Peng, Rashid Mydin and other communists leaders, but they have no opportunity to present their side of the story.
Read also news by Bernama
Artile: Said Zahari to launch book
Book signing:
Dear Tian Chua,
I emailed you an article by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia.pdf). Unfortunately, I do not have the source of this article. The title of this article is A Malaysian Economic Agenda. Perhaps Zam is referring to Anwar on this article.
This is quite amazing! The minister for propaganda speaking Goebbeldegook! All is distorted in the name of misinformation and disinformation - priceless! Are we goosestepping closer to the day when history is further revised to suit the dishonest state of affair that is Malaysian history? Would those undertaking the task be the usual half-witted barely educated from our uncultured elite?
If this clown was asked or if he invited himself to do the spiel those in the audience should have given him his sens worth of educating him and guiding him along the straight and narrow. He was more than ‘rude’ he was insulting the intelligence of Malaysians while making a shameless dickhead of himself with his cartload of belachan-laced bollocks.
I can give the half-assed fool one credit though - he revealed he was a ’socialist’ before, one with a pillow bank. But then he somehow slipped off the great road - or maybe someone slipped him 20 sens to turn in his hide(?)… If he was eloquent he would have used words like sell-out, turncoat and definitely traitor to describe those with his kind of problem with describing truth.
That the Misinformed Minister should be unhappy about Bung Karno or Malays who aren’t grateful for the crumbs from under the table of graft and corruption is rather strange: Sukarno (and everybody else) was not altogether wrong about Malaysia (or her anthem). Seen by progressives (and non-revisionists) throughout history, Malaysia was a creation of colonial interest and backed by a bunch of local turncoats (traitors in other word) who sold out the Malays (and every other Malayan). I believe the minister for untruths calls people like that ‘lackey(s) of colonial power’. His term ‘instruments for foreign interest’ would also be appropriate to describe such unworthy two-faced double-dealing political polecats. Where do these hideous types stand among those patriots who fought the ‘White Massahs’ and who made tough sacrifice?
Denis Healey, the then Labour Party cabinet minister and Bilderberg stooge who was instrumental at helping incorporate the now component parts of Malaysia into British neo-colonial plan was very kind in his biography about those sell-outs of southeast Asia. It is very touching comment for the tail-ends (arsehole) of colonial power from a socialist sell-out from the Labour Party.
It’s difficult but not all impossible to counter the ‘propaganda’ levelled by those in power. Hence people must use their vote/s smartly in the election.
I’m confused — why did Said Zahari agree to the Minister speaking then? Or did he not have a choice in the matter?