Education Minister, many of us actually are educated – Ice Cream Seller

Though little surprises me in Malaysia for some years now, the statements from our newly minted Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid stirred me somewhat. And it is not for the intellect he displayed.

If he is going to play this role for a long time, my sympathies to those in the schools and universities will be elevated to a much higher plane.

I tried to find out what education he himself had but Wikipedia had little to show. It was as anonymous as he was to me till he came out with the following statements (or words to that effect):

1) The biggest threats to country from within and without come from the likes of Sarawak report

Hello, minister – the biggest threat to this country is the kind we have in cabinet now. Especially from Umno. They display no integrity, common sense and have as much courage as someone who has  “nothing to hide”. The single biggest threat to Umno is its own warlords and its unbridled greed and shamelessness. Rent-seekers of a championship pedigree.

Externally, who wants to fight us or conquer us in this day and age? The tin and oil are almost gone. ​Our people are so lazy that we have to import guest workers to work – the conquerors will have a headache managing our louts.

Conquerors and “re-colonisers” can't afford the drug BR1M that we are hooked on.

2) Jews and Christians have pledged to split the Malays, Muslims

Only two words in response – UTTER NONSENSE.

The Jews have better things to do. They have bigger aspirations than looking covetously at us. As for Christians – there is no mention of Malays or Malaysia or Malaya in the Bible against whom there is an advocacy to go split them – or anyone else for that matter. If he doesn't believe me, he could try reading it - it would enlighten him somewhat without necessarily converting him to Christianity.

3) Clare Rewcastle-Brown wanting to see Malaysia is no longer an Islamic country

Some education needed here: a) Malaysia is NOT an Islamic state (not yet, anyway!) It is a SECULAR country where its official religion is Islam. “Official” in the context that it is the religion that is used in ceremonial roles in the administration of the country

b) Clare has no religious aspirations against Islam. She was born in Sarawak and highlighted the corruption during the tenure of Tun Abdul Mahmud Taib until someone overtook him in stature simply by receiving donations. She brought to the fore the plight of the exploited natives of Sarawak. Today she highlights the exploited on a bigger dimension . Just because she is white, non-Muslim and a woman you try to stifle her by accentuating these characteristics. Come on Mr Minister - we were not born yesterday.

4) Alludes to an agenda to split the Malays so that they have no political power

Sarawak Report does not need to that. Nobody needs to do that. You have done that yourselves. You are divided by the states you deem to hail from, from the parties you support, from your dress code, your own interpretation of Islam, your own origins - i.e. different parts of Indonesia, India, Thailand, etc., English speaking, Malay speaking, Tamil ( yes) speaking and so on.

Corruption, mismanagement, treachery, greed and injustice will erode your political power more than anything the so-called external threats pose.

Please lah, remember your portfolio when you expound something. Instead of comics, people will read our politics for entertainment.

* Ice Cream Seller reads The Malaysian Insider.