Oh, these Jews! .
Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:13
By Phlip Rodrigues
COMMENT It is probably only in Parliament that the exposé about the Israeli connection with the government caused a terrible uproar. For the government to be accused of collaborating with the world's mosted hated race is indeed a serious “crime”. More so when Israel is long seen as a perpetrator of henious injustice against the Palestinian people.
But to the average Lim, Nalla, Ahmad, it is hard to react with fist and fury. A public relations firm engaged by the Najib administration to carry out some PR exercise is tarred as a threat to national security simply because it is linked to Tel Aviv, which is associated with everything detestable and reprehensible. If the intended revelation is to stoke a maelstrom of anger, it has achieved its aim – within the confines of the House.
The parliamentary yarn took some twists and turns, with amusing results. The Opposition Leader who first brought it up was in turn painted as pro-Israeli whose own Jewish connection was trumpeted with great relish. Then there was his partner who added some spice by chanting the mantra Apco-Umno and promptly got himself into hot water.
Hardly had the dust settled when another shocker was thrown in: there are Israeli agents in Bukit Aman! This is serious: Jewish spies in the very citadel of the police force! The implication is clear: The very foundation of our security is being undermined.
The Jewish tentacle, it seems, is very long. It has reached the seat of power, it has coiled itself up a powerful limb of the government, and, if not checked, it may even wrap itself around other sensitive spots in the body politic. If you believe the MPs, the tentacles of fear are spreading wider and deeper. It is very likely the slimy arms may close around the legs of the campaign runners in Hulu Selangor and spark vitriolic tongue-lashing.
To onlookers, it is clear that the two opposing sides are each trying to score points as they engaged in anti-Israeli bashing. This is the one red spot guaranteed to rouse passion, inflame tempers and, worst still, incite blood-curling cries.
In politics, people get riled up when you raise the keris, when you coddle a right-wing cabal, when you threaten to withhold aid for the poor, when millions of public funds invested in a government agency goes missing. In all these instances, the deeds or misdeeds do touch raw nerves. Not so with the Jewish problem. It is simply hard for the common people to get all worked up over these devious, scheming, sneaky “children of the devil” who seem to cause trouble wherever they go.
We do not see their faces but there they are: creeping and crawling all over the place and made to look so fearsome and loathsome. Documents proved that they do exist and have been doing business with our political masters, unbeknown to the people.
Political suicide
The cover -- the “Zionist conspiracy to control the global economy and ultimately dominate the world” -- has been blown widen open, so it seems. It is political suicide to have Jews in our midst: translated into votes, the Israeli connection will spell doom for both the ruling and opposition camps if it is not severed in double-quick time. So the outcry was understandably deafening in Parliament but to the spectators, it borders on the ridiculous.
If there are Jews in evey nook and cranny, how are we to do business with the world without stepping on their toes? How are we to know if the entrepreneur shaking your hand is not a Jew? Do we recoil in horror if businessmen Adam, Jacob and Greenspan are Jews or have Jewish blood? Do we beat a hasty retreat when we discover that our favourites -- Baskin & Robbins, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, and McDonald's Restaurants – are reportedly businesses that serve the Jews?
Or, as a final solution, do we have to combine our armed forces and conquer the Jews first before we can sit down and safely negotiate mega-dollar deals? After all, Israel is only a tiny country which can be easily wiped out from the map of the world, as one blinkered leader bellowed.
Maybe the United Nations can step in and compile a list of all the Jews doing business around the world and distribute it to vulnerable countries like Malaysia. Or, under threat of punishing sanction, compel all Israelis to wear their badge of identity on their lapels. To build up more defences, put up warning notices in all government agencies and at all international points of entry and departure about the Zionist pest.
It is all weird. There are many problems plaguing us and all have the potential to wreak serious damage on the life of the country. A tottering economy, deep-rooted corruption, immoral politics – all this is enough to bring the roof crashing down on us. Yet, our national security is not threatened by this potent brew.
The greater menace as seen through the distorted prism of the elected representatives is the Jewish plot to wage economic warfare by infiltrating all the important organs of the government. The Jewish bogeyman may serve its purpose in inciting fear in the quest for electoral trophies but it will not remove the biggest danger – internal turmoil caused by rabid right-wing fanatics, race-mongering demogogues, maniacal religious zealots.
Phlip Rodrigues is Free Malaysia Today managing editor.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/comment/4451-oh-these-jews