The Real Underlying Reason Behind Extreme Government Action

Whenever the government takes extreme actions such as bundling people off to Kamunting under the ISA or banning organisations seeking the human right to assemble, I wonder if the underlying reason is a bunch of very vociferous government supporters.

Analysts can give a list of arguments for or against the action but I suspect the real reason is that these supporters raise such a ruckus of a hue and cry, that government leaders, notably top Umno leaders, have no choice but to give in to their demands. If they didn't, their own positions might be at risk.

So, it was not surprising that the government took a few days after the Prime Minister's Hari Raya open house before it decided to ban Hindraf for attending the open house to advance their cause. It took the leaders a couple of days to take in the ear-bashing they probably got. And then they decided, they had better act on it before they lose support and be thrown out in the next party elections!

It was a couple of days after the open house when Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak came out with his hard-hitting comments on the Hindraf presence at the open house. Calling them "biadab" (rude), with the strongest emotions, he said that "we" would not tolerate such behaviour.

This was followed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid's explanation for banning Hindraf. He said the government considered all aspects before banning Hindraf, adding that there had been calls from certain quarters who wanted immediate action.

That proves my point! Who are these "certain quarters" and why are they more important than public opinion?

The answer is simple. These are the very vocal Malay -- mostly Umno, I think -- supporters who -- very loudly --make an issue of what they describe as non-Malay ingratitude. They see Hindraf's action as just that. What they want to see is non-Malays knocking their heads on the ground as they walk past them. They can't bear to see non-Malays rise up to assert themselves as equals, walking shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.

When these "certain quarters" get upset -- for reasons which sometimes are beyond my understanding -- others had better back off because you just never know what they might do. So, it was not surprising that Umno leaders quickly backtracked and took "immediate action" and banned Hindraf.

If they didn't, who knows what might have happened. The leaders, definitely, would have lost the support that put them in the leadership positions in the first place. So, between risking the wrath of these "certain quarters" and their own leadership positions, and banning Hindraf, of course, the latter was a better and "softer" course of action.

Quite apparently, Umno leaders are unable to appease these "certain quarters". And that is the truth of the state of Umno Malay politics. The leaders have lost control of their base support. Some of these "certain quarters" could be a lot of people -- not necessarily Umno members -- out there somewhere who, when incensed, can resort to irreversibly regrettable actions.

Before they take things in their own hands, it might be better -- for the sake of "national security" -- to nip the crisis in the bud by packing off the more manageable of the problem-makers. In this case, between the "certain quarters" and Hindraf, the latter would be the lesser of the problems.

This, I believe, is the reason why the ISA is still used and legitimate organisations are banned. There are "certain quarters" -- everyone knows some of them are in Umno and others out of it -- who cannot be managed and controlled. To pacify them, other Malaysians must suffer.

This seemingly gross injustice will not end, not until these "certain quarters" are taught to magnanimously accept fellow Malaysians as equals. Only Umno can teach them that. Until they do, this "certain quarters" will be the unseen hand which will keep non-Malays as second-class citizens subserviently in check.