'I'm sad I upset non-Malays'
By : Arman Ahmad
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday apologised for drawing a kris at the Umno general assembly in 2005 and 2006, acknowledging that the act had upset non-Malays.
"Today, we saw many things being talked about in earnest among the delegates," he said after chairing the first Barisan Nasional youth meeting since the general election last month.
"This included the issue of the Panca Warisan kris. I told them, I am responsible for what happened if it had in any way affected our performance.
"I apologise if this has affected anybody. I apologise to the non-Malays if they felt afraid of the symbol.
"To the Malays, I also apologise because I cannot defend the symbol of our heritage."
Hishammuddin said the issue was not as big as it was made out to be.
"But the reality is such, and I am not someone who is so filled with pride or arrogance that I cannot accept this fact.
"This is a sad lesson. However, if the dictates of politics are such, then we as leaders must embrace it and place our position in the Barisan Nasional above all else."
The Panca Warisan kris, which is kept at the Umno Youth headquarters, is ceremoniously carried into the hall at the start of every Umno general assembly.
In the past, the Umno Youth chief would, at the start of the assembly, unsheath the blade and kiss it before holding it up in the air. The kris would then be placed on a pedestal.
The raising and kissing of the kris at the assembly in 2005 and 2006 created an uproar among non-Malays, particularly those in MCA and Gerakan.
Hishammuddin announced that there would be greater cooperation among BN component parties, including those in Sabah and Sarawak. They would now meet once every two weeks.
"They have a lot of experience handling people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and can play a central role in the future," he said.
Meanwhile, MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, who also attended the meeting, said the delegates had discussed the kris issue.
"The kris will be there, but we from the Chinese community hope that it will not be raised. Hishammuddin made a brave decision to rethink the issue and to apologise."
Dear Hishamuddin,
I like you as a person. i shook your hand at the recent UMNO meeting at the Sheraton Subang, and my mom thanked you for being a wonderful support for my mom's events in 2001. But in the case of being an UMNO Youth leader, you're a stupid fuck.
You should've apologized 3 years ago you stupid idiot. Because of you, UMNO has become a Neo-Nazi party and we've lost alot of support from the non-Malays due to your statements at the UMNO General Assembly. If i were you, i'd have said something more nicer without losing a pro-Bumiputera stance.
Here's what Rocky said about your apology:
The apology, to me, is most pathetic. For years the modern Malay have wielded the keris at weddings, traditional ceremonies, and cultural shows and never had to apologize. Because we know how to do it properly. There is nothing wrong with the keris-wielding picture; it's how Hishammuddin did it that was probably so wrong. He should be made to produce a manual on "How not to cause others great discomfort with the harmless act of unsheathing, and wielding, the keris".
Sebab nila setitik, abih susu sebelanga (One bad apple spoils the whole bunch).
Thank you Hishamuddin for shaming UMNO, fellow Malaysians and your own father, the late Tun Hussein Onn. Now, go cry to your mommy.
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