Home minister’s moo-st ridiculous cow-mment

COMMENT It is a bloody shame that an innocent cow had to lose its life due to the spat between Umno and a DAP elected representative.

The cow would have made a darn good home minister - at least we could be certain that it would have had moo-re sense than the present one.

The incident outside RSN Rayer’s house has once again exposed the blatant pomposity and the not-so-bright side of some politicians and their minions.

For example, how is calling Umno ‘celaka’ (damned) related to the Hindu faith? Is Umno synonymous with Islam, that the remark is seen as deriding the faith itself?

If not, how did it warrant a retribution involving the blood-soaked severed head of an animal considered sacred by those who profess the Hindu faith?

Instead of shaming Rayer by proving that he was wrong to make such an imbecile and rude assumption about Umno and its leaders, the latter appear hell-bent on doing the contrary.

First, they stormed the Penang state assembly building and disrupted proceedings.

Then they threatened to incinerate the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Following this, a martial arts demonstration was held outside the party’s Kuantan office.

Those who participated in these incidents claimed that Rayer had, among others, insulted the Malay race with his remark.

Pardon my ignorance on this matter, but when did “Umno” become interchangeable with “Malay”?

Is this in the latest edition of the Kamus Dewan? Or are Umno members given a separate edition of the official dictionary, which would then explain their bizarre behavioural pattern when confronted with criticism.

If this is the case, it would also cast aspersion on the ethnic background of all those who are not card-carrying members of Umno.

And now the latest incident is that of the cow’s head as well as the perpetrator’s victory cattle dance in front of the close-circuit television camera at Rayer’s house.

Home minister’s cow sense

But it would have been wrong to speculate that the act was related to Umno. Until the police have completed their investigation, such assumptions would be a presumption of guilt.

For example, it could have been just the action of a disgruntled butcher who had a bone to pick with the assemblyperson. Perhaps, he did not like his face.

But the home minister ensured that credit must be given where it is due and immediately linked the perpetrator to Umno when he commented that Rayer deserved the cow’s head because of his ‘Umno celaka’ remark.
                                                                                  
If Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had a little more cow sense, he would have not soiled the reputation of his party by linking it to such an heinous act.
                     
He would not have cast his party president, who never tires of championing racial and religious unity, in such a negative light.

In a different realm, where politicians are more intelligent, Zahid would have bitten his tongue.

He would have known that as an elected representative and minister tasked with the preservation of security, he would be condoning an act aimed at insulting a religious faith. An act, which he would have been aware, with the potential to stir up racial and religious strife.

But this would be asking too much of politicians who seem to believe that the only path to retaining power is that which could plunge this nation into peril.

To be honest, when Rayer had made the remark, I felt that it was unbecoming conduct of an elected representative and even engaged in verbal disputes with those who defended him.

But the events that unfolded since then, makes me wonder if Umno could be defended even when one talks until the cows come home.

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RK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.