Monday, July 14, 2008
13th Annivasary of P.Patto passing
This land does not belong to us but ...we belong to the land.
The day was 13th of July 1995, it was P. Patto's funeral. The afternoon was hazy. The sky was densely covered with dark gray clouds. The weather on the day was as if it was intended to rhyme with the mood of the funeral.
An occasional light drizzle further confounded the free flow of thousands of mourners who had come to pay their last respect. But, the drizzle did not deter mourners from coming to see Patto for the last time.
Many leaders, friends and supporters cried openly as the hearse began to inch forward to begin the final journey for Patto to his resting place. He was finally returning to the place where he once served as the Member of Parliament and State Assemblyman (1986-1990).
This was the end of a man whose illustrious political life had spanned for more than two decades, fighting for an utopian society rest on the fundamental political platform of the inalienable rights of every citizen to freely participate in every function of his/her own culture, own language and own religious beliefs. And furthermore, to freely participate in the running of the government and the economy without being subjected to unjust and restrictive laws.
But what was most important to Patto was that this fair and equal participation should not elicit hatred among races. It should somehow elicit genuine brotherly and sisterly cooperation, respect and love among all the races in Malaysia. This, Patto believed that it could only be done by opened door discussions arid public forums as opposed to closed door discussions where issues were swept under the carpet as they often did.
I wish to quote Mahatma Gandhi who spoke on the lack of brotherly and sisterly cooperation, respect and love among the Muslims and Hindus during his time in India.
In the book, "The Life of Mahatma Gandhi', Gandhi spoke that, "the Hindus did not love Moslems enough and the Moslems did not love Hindus enough. India would therefore be divided between them".
This quote summed a large part of Patto's belief about brotherly and sisterly cooperation, respect and love among all the races in Malaysia. So for Patto, brotherly and sisterly cooperation, respect and love played an important part in creating a truly harmonious Malaysia.
Conspicuously, he hated religious and race bigots who came in many forms and shapes. It is frighteningly true that some of the bigots in Malaysia hold high positions in the government.
Like Arthur de Gobineau (1816-1882), the white supremacist, known as the Father of Racism, whose demented philosophy still lives in the minds of some of the elites in Malaysia. These elites are in fact politically strong, like Gobineau before them had served important positions in the French Government; they too are well positioned in the government. Gobineau expounded the idea that Adam and Eve were WHITE and not of any low down race. His other idea that form the basis of his arguments was that although there were beautiful non white women but they were definitely not as beautiful as the whites.
There are people (like Anwar Ibrahim, Hindraf, Raja Petra and others) who are willing to sacrifice everything to take on these Gobineaus in Malaysia. But unfortunately, it is becoming rare to find such people. And it had become rarer with the passing of Patto.
Patto saw these bigots as a hindrance to a harmonious society in Malaysia. He had in him a burning passion to fight against them and believed that one day Malaysia would become a place in the sun for all, where all Malaysians are judged not by the colour of their skin or religion but by their character.
To Patto, the place in the sun is a place where no one single group of people should lay claim on Malaysia as their own. Patto believed that Malaysia is for all Malaysians. His ideal could be neatly summed up as what the Iroquois Indians had in mind about a homeland in Canada, "the land does not belong to us but ...we belong to the land."
Another wish of Patto was that Malaysia would one day become a land where people are not prosecuted for what they think or say. If there is any prosecution at all, it should be for criminals like robbers, rapists, murderers and etc.
Freedom should not be reserved for the Barisan Nasional's politicians only but for all. The Barisan Nasional's politicians have always expounded the idea that freedom is anarchy. They want us to believe it because they want to instill fear in us. If there is freedom in Malaysia, they know that they would not hold on to power that easily. They would be closely scrutinized by the people, this they do not want.
Freedom should not be seen as a commodity of the anarchists, it should be seen as a tool of the people to demand for an honest and open government.
Freedom, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt put it in simple term:
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we
look forward to a world founded upon four essential freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - everywhere in the world.
Patto was a humble, kind, generous and compassionate man without wealth or any official title. And yet he had a wealth of kindness and compassion in him that had won him admiration and love from all races. For those who had known him had only one common feeling about this man, that was respect and love.
In all the years he had fought for the people, he never once received official title or medal from the government. To Patto, this was not important. What was important was that the people recognised his deeds and his sacrifices. He even dislikes being called, "Yang Behormat".
Apparently when one visits his office, one would see a huge wooded sign board with these words written on it, "fighter of the people". The wooden board was presented to him by the people - a sincere form of recognition and gratitude that value more than medals or titles.
The news of his death at the age of 48, on 12th July 1995, had left us in disbelief. Nobody would believe that he died at a time when the party and the nation needed him most.
Had he lived, he would be the firebrand in the Malaysian Ninth Parliament. He had without doubt excelled himself as one of the best and effective parliamentarian.
On a few occasions after his defeat in the 1990 General Elections, I came across many who said that it was a shame that Patto was not elected in 1990 for he would have given hell to the Barisan Nasional's politician then. As fated, he was to serve only 78 days as Member of Parliament for Bagan after the 1995 General Election.
But now, the people had to be contented with a parliament without his voice. A voice that had represented the downtrodden, the weak and the poor. A voice that we have known and loved for more than two decades. A voice that would be missed by all Malaysians who love democracy. For Malaysia had just lost a true son of democracy.
It is not difficult to understand or to get to know Patto. He was a man who I know could mix literary with all levels of society, from the rich to the very poor from intellectual to the illiterate. Hence, it was not surprising to see him very much at ease, chatting with his constituents at the roadside 'roti canai' stall or 'mee stall'.
When he visited his constituency, there was no great fanfare displayed like those displayed for the Barisan National's leaders, huge posters and flags to welcome them. Patto would just pop in and talk to the people.
There was no communication gap between him and his constituents. He was always around to listen and help whoever needed it, be she or he a Malay, a Chinese or an Indian, it did not matter to him.
He was not constricted to a narrow view like many politicians of 'you Chinese', 'you Malay' and 'you Indian'. All he saw was, Malaysians and nothing else.
Not many politicians could genuinely come down to earth to speak or to listen to the ordinary people like Patto.
Not only can he mix with people of all sundries, he also was well known Internationally.
When he was released from detention in 1989 there were restrictions imposed on him. He could not hold any position in the party; his movements were restricted and worse of all he could not speak publicly to the people. But when the restrictions on him were lifted, he was immediately sent overseas by the Party to attend a Socialist, International meeting in Rome. There he was overwhelmed by the unexpected rousing welcome given by socialist comrades present.
The person who was most happy to meet Patto was the late Willy Brandt, former Chancellor of West Germany, and the then Chairman of the Socialist International (SI). And while Patto was incarcerated at the Kamunting Detention camp in Taiping, Perak, Willy Brandt and SI actively lobbied in the international circles for his and other detainees release. So when Patto walked into the conference hall, there was a standing ovation and Willy Brandt personally came down from the stage to meet Patto.
From Rome he flew to London, there he met Adam Raphael, the columnist from The Observer. Adam Raphael had earlier written a story on the purchase of Tornadoes by Malaysia at inflated prices. An excerpt for the Observer:
The basic price of the Tornadoes bought by the RAF and the German Luftwaffe is 17-20 million (pounds), depending on the scale of equipment. But the price of the Tornadoes
being sold to Malaysia by British Aerospace is nearly 40 million pounds. This huge discrepancy in prices cannot be accounted for solely by differences in equipment, servicing training or spares.
This issue was brought back to Malaysia, and Kit Siang effectively brought it to Parliament. One of Kit Siang's oral questions in Parliament:
The first question directed to the Minister of Defense asks,
“…..why Malaysian Government agreed to the price of 40 millions pounds
each for the 12 British Tornadoes under the RM 4.5 billion ringgit British arms deals, when the basic price of the tornado bought by the British RAF and German Luftwaffe was 17-20 million pounds each, and whether it is true that the weapons agreed under the deal are unsuitable for Malaysia's needs."
After this scandal was known, the government dropped the purchase of the Tornadoes planes from Britain.
Patto was a man of many talents and one of his talents lies in public speaking. He was an eloquent speaker. He could speak in perfect Malay, English, Tamil and some Cantonese.
In Parliament, his performance was par excellence. He had a rare gift in debating issues in parliament. His spontaneous replies and rebukes had earned him the respect of the Barisan Nasional's House members.
On one occasion there was a heated debate between two Barisan Nasional's Members of Parliament on the issue of taxi licenses. Patto stood up and quipped that perhaps the aggrieved Barisan Nasional's Member of Parliament was sore because he could not get the taxi licenses himself. This remark put the house in laughter.
Not only was he quick on replies, he was also knowledgeable on Parliamentary and State Assembly rules and regulations. Many MPs and SAs used to come to consult him on these matters. Apart from this, he was also a good writer and did not get his one last wish, that was to finish his book.
1. This Article was uploaded to My site at 12 – 07 - 08
2. Video Clip of S. A Mary (Patto’s widow) can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJsQp_vAwT4
Posted by Choo Sing Chye
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看到P。 巴都的文章，让我想起当年
到务边GOPENG 采访补选。。。陈祖排对垒火箭马来强人阿末诺。。。。
如果当年的资讯像现在那么发达。。。。陈祖排当年的家丑。。。其前妻家人对他的指责。。。便会在网络广泛流通。。。。照片可以看清楚。。。医药报告。。。。当然今天，你可以查剪报。。。
一个怎样的男人。。。。。
那么，补选成绩就会改变。。。。。。大家可以看到男人的真面目！！！
（国阵能够继续在乡区大有作为。。。。就是因为资讯不能流通。。。。。）
那时候，中国报驻怡保的采访主任。。是中年男士（目前的主任刘小姐当时是记者）。。。就说了一些关于P。巴都的故事。
他说，那次大选到了，P。巴都来找他。，他就问巴都什么事，巴都说不知要不要参选
。。。他马上对他说：“一定要选。”
巴都听了，马上就跳上车去提名。
选举成绩揭晓，巴都胜利了！
他说，作为好朋友，他的鼓励话让巴都勇往直前。。。
他在当主任期间，因为报道马华的新闻，引起不满，马华的好些领袖还上门找他算账，一些还爬上桌子叫嚣。。。。。十足私会党的作风！
记得，那时候他也提起过“密宗”，他说，密宗很好。。。。
可能机缘。。。我当时并未作进一步了解。。。。
机缘。。。真的是机缘！
在当年，私会党与政党结成一线的霹雳州，当采访主任确实不易。听说，务边补选算票中心附近还藏有大批武器，随时在选举成绩公布后，输了就动手。。。。。
也记得，那时候有一位表面是支持行动党的“中年”。。在获得了一些情报后，竟然借我的车一用。。。。。。去打报告。。。。政治真的是要防人。。防人之心不可无呀！！！！很多机密不能随便处理，而且真的就是“无间道”。。。。。。。
（一年后，我在马华大厦见到他。。。。。原来此人在文化协会帮忙了。。。。投桃报李？？？哈哈。。。。。。）
回顾过去。。。
人生真的像走马灯。。。。
不过，怎样变都好。。。。。还是要透明化！！！！！！
真的，透明化太重要了。。。一切必须透明化。。。
这个要求是大家，下一代所必须坚持，永远坚持的！
没有透明化就没有幸福，没有希望！！！！！！
所以，不管你的立场是支持哪一个人，哪一个党。。。。。都要坚持透明化，而要透明化只有“互相制衡”---就是两线制！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！
所以，国阵必须倒。。。。换新政权。。。才有希望！！！！！
MORE HAVE TO BE DONE TO SALUTEP。PATTO
SOME COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC：
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1 by All For The Road on Friday, 21 November 2008 - 8:20 am
I am from Ipoh and have the great honour to work with the late P. Patto in the education service before he went into politics to serve the people by joining the DAP. For those who know him, he was a very simple, down-to-earth and approachable person and very well-read. He had no airs and was also a great fighter of injustice and inequality.
The furore and spatter over the intended naming of Jalan Silibin in Ipoh to Jalan P. Patto to honour his contributions, sacrifices and services as a people’s champion and fighter have left a very bad taste in the minds of the local populace. The late politician truly deserves the honour for a road in Ipoh to be named after him. He had faithfully and courageously served the people of Silibin when he was the MP for Menglembu. Jalan Silibin is aptly chosen to reflect Patto’s services to the area and more so, the said road doesn’t have any historical significance.
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#2 by Mr Smith on Friday, 21 November 2008 - 9:04 am
I have seen and heard this man speak at ceramahs. One could see and feel his commitment to what he believed in. A short man who stood tall.
I could remember how obediently he accepted orders from his party to stand as candidate in ‘difficult’ constituencies including one against mighty Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput. He once lost in Petaling Jaya too.
I just cannot comprehend how a road name change could be more important than a dead man’s contributions to our cause. Didn’t Patto also fight for our rights when he was alive?
Why are these Ipoh residents so heartless?
If Sharuk Khan can deserve a datukship for contributing NOTHING for us, why not a road name for this great freedom fighter.
For those who are too young to know of Patto’s contributions please ask your DAP elders or your parents.
May Patto’s soul Rest in Peace. Amen.
by Bigjoe on Friday, 21 November 2008 - 10:05 am
The state of P.Patto poor recognition among Malaysian is a result of the systematic marginalization of non-bumiputera contribution to this country from revisonism that distorts our history, a revisonism born to protect the lie of Ketuanan Melayu and Malay rights. Just because they don’t burn books, keeping the books from being published is the same thing. Thank god for the internet otherwise, it would have been much worst..
by AhPek on Friday, 21 November 2008 - 10:57 am
Go on cintanegara naming roads that are named after non malays and see if you can get 100 of these roads,don’t bother to get to 1000.However if you count roads that are named after Malays you will lose count.Ifyou talk about history people like Yap Ah Loy,Hang Tuah have been deleted out of the history books.Parameswara who is a Hindu is a Muslim Malay.If not marginalisation what is?? There is a serious effort to obiliterate contributions made towards the building of this nation, and contributions made by non Malays are significantly huge!!
by bentoh on Saturday, 22 November 2008 - 12:05 am
Some of the comments make me roll my eyes like mad…
Got no idea why you can name a garden using a person’s name but not the roads…
In KL, Jalan Alor was renamed to some weird planet name… In Kepong, roads are renamed into little Sarawak…
In KL again, Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin used to called Jalan Silang, which was of “historical significance” if you ask me…
Jalan Tun HS Lee used to be High Street…
Just to give my hypocritic friends a suggestion, let’s petition to restore the name Jalan Silang, High Street and a lot more, shall we?!
Anyway, I do think that changing a significant road’s name such as Jalan Alor is not good, if Jalan Silibin is there for years, then don’t bother to change it, simple as that…
by AhPek on Saturday, 22 November 2008 - 1:48 am
I must apologise for being off topic here (but then again one might also argue it is not entirely) but I am peeved by cintanegara’s innuendo that there is no attempt to marginalise contributions by non Malays.I am reproducing an article below to educate cintanegara,his fellow UMNO apologists like melurian,kasim amat and Malaysians who have been taught Malaysian History over the last 15 to 20 years or so.
A Small Piece Of HISTORY For Our Future Generation
Hitler’s public relations manager Goebbels once said “If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.”.Looks like that is what UMNO has been doing ever since Mamakthir came into power. This has spawned a new generation of Malaysians who do not know their own history.
Once again our government had to wipe out any references to a famous Melaka prince as being Hindu and belonging to the powerful Hindu empire Sri Vijaya. So all of a sudden our museums,school text-books etc all refer Parameswara as a Malay prince,just like the fairy who turns a pumpkin into a grand carriage to take Cindarella to the ball with a magic wand.
It’s just that easy.That’s how magical the wand of “Ketuanan Melayu” is—can turn an Indian into a Malay.
What race ruled or did not rule is besides the point. What is important is not butchering history to create your own truths. You cannot change your race even if you convert–Parameswara could not have been responsible to UMNO’s stupidity and false sense of heritage thro ‘Ketuanan Melayu’.
If this is what it is based on,there is no ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ because the lineage of Melaka Sultans was an Indian and a Hindu Prince.
It is clear from records that Parameswara never converted to Islam.He was an Indian Hindu who fled Palembang in Sumatra to eventually found Melaka circa 1400 AD and start the entire Malaysian royalty.
Malaysian royalty was and is of Indian/Hindu origin.
On the other hand it was Sri Maharaja who converted himself and the court of Melaka to Islam,and as a result took on the name of Mohammed Shah sometime after 1435.
But what is really sad is that our children are taught as though Malaysian history suddenly began in 1400 with an Islamic Melaka.
Even the Malays themselves are being cheated by UMNO into believing that everything started around 1400.WE are also led to believe that the Indians and Chinese first arrived on the shores of Malaysia only around 1850 as desparate indentured labourers,farmers and miners.
NOTHING COULD BE FURTHUR FROM THE TRUTH.
The cultural influence of India in particular,and China in South East Asia span over 2000 years starting perhaps with the arrival from India of the Brahmanical prince/scholar–Aji Saka in Java in AD 78, thro to Vietnam,Cambodia(Indo-China)Thailand,Burma,Indonesia,Bali,Borneo and beyond.
Malay culture is Indian culture.In fact the whole of South East Asia is heavily influenced by Indian culture.
The findings at Bujang valley speak of an ancient Indian/Hindu presence in Kedah.There were Chinese settlements in Pahang and Kelantan around the 13th-14th century and in the 12th century Singapore.The early Brunei Sultanate had a Chinese Queen.
One need not ponder at length the implications of Angkor Wat and Borobudur or that 40%-50% of Bahasa Malaysia comprises Sangkrit/Tamil words.But all of these are hidden away from the rakyat inc the Malays themselves so the Malays in particular grow up with limited knowledge of their own country and heritage.
An important archeological find that pointed to one of the greatest empires of
all times in history–Raja Cholan empire that ruled from the Maldives thro India,Sri Lanka and right down to South East Asia found deep in the jungles of Johore a few years ago and made headlines in the main stream newspapers in 2005 suddenly disappeared from the news.
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No one is belittling P Patto’s contribution, but as people have pointed out, there are other ways to honour this man. How will renaming the road help the hardcore poor Indian’s? How about scholarship awards for poor students in honour of P Patto? Isn’t that way better?
