Some racist words not a joke

The Star, 9 November 2005

Some words are not a joke
BY JANE RITIKOS

IN polite terms, it was deja vu. In reality, it was pure racist slur.

It was a case of “oops, he did it again” when Jerai MP Datuk Badruddin
Amiruddin referred to the Malaysian Indians as keling last Tuesday.

Records showed that he uttered the derogatory word in the same august
house on April 21, 1998.

Badruddin: Used the word ‘keling’ to describe Malaysian Indians in
Parliament again

In fact, M. Kulasegaran (DAP – Ipoh Barat) recalled that he used the
term three times. At that time, Badruddin asked Kulasegaran, who was
then Teluk Intan MP, why he was smiling, and said, for no reason:
“Ama, apa, keling, keling, keling.”

Kulasegaran protested but Badruddin and some other backbenchers
retorted by saying the opposition MP was merely being too sensitive.

They argued that there were places such as Tanjong Keling and that
there was nothing wrong with it.

Last Tuesday, Badruddin gave the impression that he had short memory.

He was commenting that it was peculiar to see a male newsreader wear
an earring when Chong Eng (DAP – Bukit Mertajam) noted that it was a
tradition for the firstborn son in an Indian family to do so.

Badruddin replied, “I am talking about Muslims, not keling”.

Tempers flared immediately between the foes from both sides but
Badruddin was unrepentant – he brushed it aside and said Malaysians in
northern peninsula used the word keling to describe Indians.

Kulasegaran: ‘I will raise the matter with the A-G seeking for
Badruddin to be prosecuted’
Nobody in the Dewan challenged him on this alleged “fact”. When
pressure mounted from the Opposition, Badruddin said: “Aiyah, must we
quarrel over a small matter like this?”

Badruddin withdrew his words, with the support of some backbenchers
who wanted the matter to be done with.

The next day, Kulasegaran tried to get Badruddin referred to the
Committee of Rights and Privileges but Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah
Talib dismissed it, ruling that the matter had been resolved with
Badruddin’s retraction.

“The MP treated the matter as a joke,” said Opposition Leader Lim Kit
Siang when met outside the Dewan.

“He said that he did not mean to insult anyone but his excuse did not
hold water because he was reluctant to retract it and did so only
after a standoff with other MPs. He is unrepentant because we know
this is not the first time.”

To his credit, Badruddin apologised on Thursday to any community if
they felt he had offended them, as he believed that it was in the
spirit of Hari Raya that he should seek forgiveness.

But the DAP is not taking this lightly. It has lodged not one but two
police reports against Badruddin, and Kulasegaran plans to pursue the
matter with the Attorney-General.

“MPs have full indemnity and immunity in the House but according to
the Parliament rules, anything seditious, amounting to treason or
bringing hatred or ill-feelings among the community must not be
brought up.

“I will raise the matter with the Attorney-General seeking for
Badruddin to be prosecuted,” he said.

Other MPs, however, felt that the matter had been settled especially
now that Badruddin had retracted his words.

Idris Haron (BN – Tangga Batu), when asked about the issue, gave a
cryptic explanation of the situation, saying it was about “a same
sentence with two different meanings.”

Using the example of a Malay phrase, he said: “The statement mari kita
mencari siput babi (let us look for snails) and mari kita mencari
siput, babi (let us look for snails, you pig) gives us different
meanings.”

Idris was certain that Badruddin, as a seasoned MP, did not mean to
offend anyone. But this time, Badruddin’s action had affected at least
one MP who was hurt by his action.

Kulasegaran, when contacted, said he encountered Badruddin in the
men’s toilet after the storm and “I was very uncomfortable. I avoided
him and said nothing to him. I just felt so insulted.”

During the whole fracas, it was observed that apart from Kulasegaran
and the DAP, not many MPs including those of the MIC showed their
concern over such a smack of racism in the august house. Even PAS was
silent during the entire episode.

It was as though such a slur could well be repeated, and each side
would argue that the other was being over sensitive, and no one would
take it seriously.

Even Badruddin derived no pleasure from it. When asked to comment on
the police report against him, the usually talkative Badruddin
appeared stunned.

Perhaps in one of those rare moments of his life, he was at a loss for
words. All he could say was: “I’d better not comment on it.”

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