[Dimaklumkan keadaan kesihatan Editor agak membimbangkan ketika ini, oleh itu mungkin terdapat kekurangan bahan rencana dalam sehari dua ini. Dipohon ribuan maaf kepada pembaca dan pengunjung laman yang tidak serik memberi perhatian. - Editor]

Penterjemah: -KB-

AWALKATA PENTERJEMAH

Saya menterjemahkan dua rencana STS dibawah sekaligus dengan mengambil fakta penting sahaja. Perbincangan itu nampaknya berakhir dengan persetujuan pada kertas (sahaja?) tetapi tiada persetujuan pada perasaan kerana tampak begitu pahitnya senyuman yang dilukirkan. Tambah lagi dengan gertakkan akta dan undang-undang, padahal Suqui tidak bermaksud untuk mengambil kesempatan kerana ia hanyalah satu rayuan.

Sumber: STS

LUDAH MELUDAH HAK MELAYU

Krisis antara kaum Melayu dan Cina mengenai tuntutan memansuhkan keistimewaan orang Melayu dilapurkan telah berakhir. Selepas 26 jam bertekak lebih 4 hari, pemuda Umno dan Suqui bersetuju untuk meminggirkan 7 cadangan yang menyentuh hak keistimewaan melayu.

Antara lain, cadangan itu mengesyorkan agar agar ditamatkan keutamaan antara bumiputra dan bukan bumiputra serta dimansuhkan sistem kuota yang menyebelahi orang melayu.

Walaupun begitu senyuman yang terguris setelah tamatnya pertemuan kedua pihak penuh dengan tanda tanya. Reputasi masing-masing telah tercemar sebenarnya.

Hishamuddin yang asyik tidak menyerlah (kerana tidak menonjol di Lunas, tewas kempen sukan kepada Doha serta prestasi teruk sukan olimpik) kepimpinannya itu nampaknya beroleh sesuatu kredit hasil krisis itu. Tetapi apa yang sebenarnya berlaku menampakkan prestasi beliau masih di tahap lembik lagi dungu.

Ahli Suqui masih terpinga-pinga dengan persetujuan itu. Lagipun rayuan mereka hanyalah satu impian sahaja, bukannya satu tuntutan ala kekerasan.

Telah beberapa kali rundingan antara kedua pihak itu menemui jalan buntu. Pernah juga pada satu ketika pemuda Umno geram tidak menentu apabila draf perjanjian tersebut bercampur aduk sehingga bercelaru isinya pada hari keesokkannya.

Pada satu hari pula, ahli Suqui menjadi resah dan serba salah apabila keikhlasan mereka untuk berbincang semeja itu dipersoalkan. Seorang ahli Suqui menyifatkan rayuan tersebut sengaja ditangani secara 'dungu' dari awal-awal lagi.

Pasukan Umno dipilih oleh Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, Ia mengandungi En Khairy Jamaludin, En Munir Aziz, En Ahmad Zaki Zahid, dan Datuk Azim Zabidi. (Perhatikan mereka ini graduan dalam bidang perundangan luar negara seperti Oxford)

Walaupun pasukan itu tidak membawa tukul besar yang boleh menghancurkan meja persidangan, mereka bersenjatakan Pelembagan Malaysia. Akta Hasutan dan beberapa logik aqal yang biasa.

Menggunakan ugutan untuk menunduk Suqui tentunya akan mentrerbalikkan lagi keadaan. Ini akan hanya membuat Suqui enggan berbincang. Manakala pertelagahan akibat perang kata atau kekerasan hanya akan menjunamkan lagi bursa saham dan pelabur luar lari. Dari segi politik, ia akan menyebabkan kaum Cina terpinggir dan tersisih dari kawasan mereka.

Keputusan pilihanraya di Lunas tempoh hari telah memberi satu tamparan hebat buat BN. BN akan mengundang kecelakaan jika mengabaikan kaum Cina atau menyentuh perasaan mereka dengan keceluparan kata.

Walaupun pasukan Umno kelihatan berjaya memperolehi sesuatu konsesi yang diinginkan melalui pertemuan itu, mereka terpaksa bergantung kepada kepintaran menggunakan undang-undang (Law and Acts) dan pujukkan untuk itu.

Seorang ahli Suqui berkata: 'Jika mereka ini adalah orang masadepan Umno, maka ia berpeluang untuk mengatur dirinya sendiri' - Brendan Pereira.

Rencana Rujukkan:

SPAT OVER MALAY RIGHTS

After 26 hours of talk... It's all over

Umno manages to get Chinese pressure group Suqiu to put aside its proposals which include an end to special privileges for bumiputras

By Brendan Pereira
MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT

KUALA LUMPUR - A high profile and dangerous spat between Malays and Chinese over demands to end the special rights of the Malays is over.

After 26 hours of gut-wrenching negotiations over four days with Umno Youth, Chinese pressure group Suqiu agreed to put aside seven proposals touching on the special privileges of the Malays.

Among others, the proposals called for an end to the division between bumiputras and non-bumiputras and scrapping the quota system, which favours the Malays.

Anything other than a back down by the pressure group on these demands would have been the green light for Malay reactionaries to back their weeks of tough talk and threats with action.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi was pleased with the outcome and keen to downplay any notion that the Malays had come out on top.

He said: 'In this matter, no side wins or loses. The real winners are the Malaysian people who are all out to preserve racial co-existence.'

At a press conference, Umno Youth and Suqiu also expressed regret at the escalation of racial tension and the vitriol that was exchanged over the set of proposals raised initially on the eve of the general elections in November 1999 and resurrected two months ago.

In a joint statement, both groups said that they treasured 'the peace, harmony, cooperation and mutual respect prevailing in Malaysia's multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society' and were 'committed towards safeguarding and strengthening these priorities'.

There were uneasy smiles across the table yesterday after words of peace were spoken, but Umno Youth and Suqiu emerged from the episode with their reputations somewhat bolstered.

After being on the receiving end for months over weak leadership, Umno Youth chief Datuk Hishamuddin Tun Hussein made good on a mandate given to him by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make the Chinese group drop its demands.

For now, he can argue that his style of leadership - seeking consensus and speaking in moderate tones - works in a more educated and politically aware Malaysia while a sledgehammer approach alienates the electorate.

For Suqiu, the troublesome two months has been a blessing.

It has given the little-known group a national platform.

It has managed to extract from the authorities a commitment to pay more attention to judicial reform and anti-corruption measures and forced Umno to accommodate a Chinese community that will be able to play the role of kingmakers as long as the Malays are divided along political lines.

Now all that the both sides have to do is ensure that extremists on both sides do not scuttle the agreement.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,1870,15524,00.html?

Jan 06, 2001

A BEHIND-THE-SCENE LOOK

'One step back and opportunities open'

KUALA LUMPUR - One Chinese saying did more to pave the way for a deal between Umno Youth and Suqiu than any sabre-rattling would have done.

After a particularly tough session of negotiations, Mr Khairy Jamaludin, 24, looked across the table and uttered something in Mandarin.

His friends from the Chinese pressure group - a few of them old enough to be his father's age - smiled.

Translated, it meant 'one step back, and a lot of opportunities open'.

That in essence was what the four-member team from Umno Youth was trying to impress upon members of Suqiu during 26 hours of negotiations, spread over four days, at a function room at the Equatorial Hotel here.

All it wanted was for the group to withdraw its demands that touched on the special position of the Malays as enshrined in the Constitution.

Once that step back was taken, the ruling party and the government was willing to cooperate with the Chinese group to realise its goals of a Malaysia where there was more socio-economic justice, sanctity of human-rights and democracy.

On their part, Suqiu members could not understand all the fuss that was generated in the Malay community over their list of proposals.

These were only proposals, a long-term goal to aim for.

More than once, talks between the two teams threatened to break down.

On one occasion, Umno Youth members were upset that a draft agreement that had been cobbled together was virtually unrecognisable the next day.

On another day, Suqiu members were left fuming when their sincerity in engaging in talks was questioned.

But both sides really wanted to work out a deal that would put an end to the racial tension.

A Suqiu member said that the demands had been handled 'clumsily' from the start.

For the Umno Youth team chosen by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, this was a good opportunity to showcase the new talent that the party has attracted.

The team comprised Mr Khairy Jamaludin, an Oxford graduate, Mr Munir Aziz, a double first from Oxford, Mr Ahmad Zaki Zahid, a law graduate from Bristol University and Datuk Azim Zabidi, chairman of the National Savings Bank and Umno Supreme Council member.

Instead of bringing the sledgehammer to the table, they were armed with the Malaysian Constitution, the Sedition Act and a generous dose of good sense.

The good sense to anchor their arguments in the law, the Constitution that gave the Malays their special position.

Using threats to knock Suqiu into submission would have had the reverse effect.

This approach would have given Suqiu the perfect reason to disengage from the talks.

Any violence or war talk would depress an already limp stock market and drive away foreign investment.

On the political front, it would have alienated a Chinese electorate.

And as the results of the recent by-election in Kedah showed, when Chinese voters swing away from the ruling party, the consequences are disastrous.

So at the end, the Umno team had to rely on legal smarts and persuasion to extract the concession they wanted.

One Suqiu member said: 'If these people are the future of Umno, then it has a chance to sort itself out.' --Brendan Pereira