Quotable Quotes
Quotable Quotes from: A Reporter’s Memoir NO HARD FEELINGS
On the return of the British after the Second World War:
In war, fortunes changed swift and fast. With the help of big brother America and two atomic bombs, the British were soon back as the colonial masters of Singapore.
*
On Hang Tuah, the legendary Malay hero:
Maybe we should not be too harsh with him. He lived in a different age with a different moral code. Even in the present enlightened era, there is still no lack of highly capable and talented people behaving very much like the Hang Tuah of old.
*
As a 10-year old school boy seeing for the first time a (si-go-luck) gambling stall outside the school gate in 1955:
I came, I saw, I succumbed.
*
Thoughts of the PAP in 1960 as a 17 year old O level student:
On some hot days when Jerry was not around, my thoughts would sometimes zero in on the new rulers of Singapore, the men in white led by this Lee Kuan Yew fellow, and wondered whether in time, they would be as capricious as the sultans from the bangsawan era.
*
To me, the way Lee outmanoeuvred the communists over the merger proposals, showed him at his most brilliant. It was political poker at its best. Of course, if you want to be unkind you can describe it as Lee at his most cunning. I saluted him and the conclusion I drew then:
If you are on firm moral ground, cast aside the Queensberry rules. Do whatever is necessary to win, within the bounds of human decency.
*
It is common for journalists everywhere to side with the weaker party, the underdog, the one being bullied and I was no exception, partly because of natural tendencies and partly because as a minority myself, I could easily empathise with the Malaysian non-Malays.
In their eyes, I see myself and in their cries for a better deal, I hear the same cries of my people back home.
*
On Umno’s rank and file:
When push comes to shove, an UMNO leader always thinks of his stomach first. Loyalty, cause, or ideals, they could all be flushed down the gutter with the shit.
*
On some Malaysians who expect special treatment on account of their birth:
For someone living under the egalitarian spirit of the Republic and nurture by the ideals of Islamic equality, there is no way I could cringe before any man.
*
On Israel during a visit in the late 80s:
In truth, I told him that in 1956 when I did not know any better I sympathised with Israel as at that time, I felt that she was the underdog. By the time of my visit, this underdog had become the Rottweiler of the Middle East, and had developed a voracious appetite for Palestinian land and – blood.
*
On Islamic fundamentalism in Malaysia:
The choice for Pak Lah and other Muslim leaders in UMNO is clear: Do you rein in the Islamic religious authorities and if necessary clip their powers or do you pander to their version of what constitutes correct and proper Islam?
UMNO cannot have its cake and eat it. You cannot keep expanding the powers of the religious authorities and then plead with them to exercise discretion or worse still, to close an eye in the name of moderation.
*
On the Singapore scene:
When I talk about the need for strong Malay leaders, it is not to wrestle for more concessions from the Chinese or the PAP; it is to provide tough leadership to the community.
Just like the song Torn between Two Lovers, the PAP Malay leaders seem to be in a dilemma, between staying on the right side of national policies and not treading on sensitive Malay toes.
*
On the current Malaysian scene:
What Malaysia has become today is not just the fault of Pak Lah, but also of Mahathir and all those who had supported him during his 22 years in power.
*
On MM Goh Chok Tong:
When Goh took over the premiership in 1990, many Singaporeans thought that he would be a seat warmer, holding the post for a few years before handing over to Lee Junior. Fate intervened and he lasted 14 years. He was not a seat warmer, but a system warmer. Goh preserved the system that he inherited and kept it in good order, tweaking a little here and there, before passing it intact to his deputy and successor, Lee Junior.
*
On the SAF:
In just over four decade, they have built a lean and mean military machine that could beat off any power, or any combination of power, from within the region.
The neighbourhood mongrel of yesteryear has become the Rottweiler of the region but, unlike the Israeli breed, has yet to develop a taste for land or blood, and may never will, as long as neighbouring hotheads are on a tight leash.
*
On the reaction of a Malaysian army general to the SAF:
“I am sure you know that we (Singapore) can take over half of Johore within 24 hours if the water tap is switched off.” He coolly replied: “Yes, yes, I know, we are not worried. We have the antidote.”
*
On the power of the American Jews:
According to the grapevine, when the Jewish lobby sneezes in Washington, the entire American Congress, including the President in his White House, ducks for cover under their massive oak-lined writing tables.
*
An exclusive, first edition of A Reporter’s Memoir NO HARD FEELINGS has just rolled off the press. It is enjoying brisk sales and all the indications are that a second edition will be necessary. So, quick get your copy. It may become a collector’s item. They are now available at $23 before GST at:
Select Books
Tanglin Shopping Centre #03-15
Tel: 67321515
The Arts House Earshot Café
1 Old Parliament Lane
Tel: 63326900
Alternatively, contact the author: ibekay@singnet.com.sg or ibikay@yahoo.co.uk
Ismail Kassim
