James Masing is both a racist and incapable of conducting proper research

By Karen Shepherd,

Spokesperson for Bersih 4

Personally, I loathe race politics.  It is a stain on the nation and the end of any possibility of a meritocracy.  In his statement to Bernama on 26 August 2015, YB Tan Sri James Masing has made this point very publically because he has chosen not to attack me for what I do or what I say.   

Instead, he has chosen to attack me for the colour of my skin.  I’m afraid there is nothing I can do about that.  It is the way I was born.

 

Karen Shepherd with chairman of Bersih 4 Nicholas Mujah and Ahmad Awang Ali at the press conference today.

Unfortunately, in this case, he has shown himself to be both racist and incapable of conducting proper research before he launches into a personal attack.  As a matter of fact, if he had bothered to make simple enquiries, he would have discovered that, whatever the colour of my skin, I am a Sarawakian, warganegara, blue IC, with 13 some more!  

 I choose to make my life here, and yes, I am married to a local Iban.  I was born in Sarawak General Hospital to a Sarawakian mother and a British father who chose to spend over 35 years of his life in this state, managing the Borneo Company and then finally setting up SEBOR Sarawak.   

I am a Eurasian.  In fact, my mother’s family – The Brodies – are now into their fifth generation of Eurasians. Are we not Sarawakian too?

Dr Masing, you may choose to label me an outsider and you may choose to say that I have no right to talk about state affairs.  Then perhaps you mean that to apply to all us Eurasians here, no matter what contribution we are able to make.  

 Perhaps you mean to include the children of the deputy State Secretary, the children of the former State Secretary, the nephews of the current Chief Minister, the children of the former Deputy Chief Minster, and the children of the former Director of Immigration.  

This is not to mention the thousands and thousands of Malaysians who have married non-Malaysians in the last 50 years as they go overseas for their work or education.  Perhaps you even mean to include your own daughter, Anna Masing, currently living in New Zealand, I believe.  

 Are they not entitled to have an interest in Malaysia?  Let me not even start to talk about the children of the current Governor of Sarawak.

There is a strange double standard in your statement that Bersih should not allow an ‘outsider’ to speak for them when the State Government is happy, at great expense, to bring in outsiders from Norway and Australia to make great changes to the landscape of Sarawak by building dams.  There seems to be no problem with ‘outsiders’ then.

We are a multi-cultural nation – genuinely.  This fascinating island has drawn people from all over the world for hundreds of years.  We have a past with White Rajahs and a colonial government.   

We have a past with Indians and Chinese drawn here to work and ultimately to build lives here.  The Malays and many Dayaks have also found their way here over the centuries from elsewhere.  

 In the street, we are genuinely multi-cultural and accept all kinds of people with open arms.  In the street, we are 1Malaysia.  

Unfortunately, our institutions seem to treat the idea of multi-culturalism as just something they use to sell Malaysia to tourists or else some political slogan to win votes.  When it is expedient, they suddenly want to play the ‘colonial’ card or the pendatang card and condemn us all.

 

The only thing that should matter is what we can do for this state and this nation.   

Attack me if you must, but attack me for my actions and not for my race.  If you cancel out the contribution of everyone who doesn’t fit your racial profile, then I contend that the state of Sarawak would be significantly poorer.

My own Eurasian grandfather, half Scottish and half Chinese, was the first Sarawak Director of Immigration and the Registrar General – a devoted public servant for most of his life. He may even have signed your birth certificate, Dr Masing.  Did he have no stake in Malaysia?

As for the rest of your so-called statement, you also seem unable to keep your principles clear in your own mind.  How is it that you can dismiss the voice of the Rakyat at Bersih as ‘mob politics’ and yet, a few short months ago, you were lauding Sarawak4Sarawakians for raising important concerns and begging the authorities not to ‘shoot the messenger.’   

Which is it to be? Are protests a legitimate mechanism for the Rakyat to voice legitimate concerns or are they unruly mobs?  Perhaps that depends entirely on whether you want to hear their message or not.

You ask us to wait for the next general election if we are unhappy.  Unfortunately, we are unhappy with the prospect of the next general election itself.  When the BN coalition can hold onto power with a minority of the votes cast, then we know something is wrong.   

When some racial groups can hold positions of authority out of all proportion to the ethnic makeup of the State, then we know something is wrong.  When electoral boundaries are drawn with no consistency to the number of voters inside each one, then we know something is wrong.   

When the proper channels have failed, then we must take to the streets.  Do I want to spend the weekend at a protest? Frankly no.  Of course I don’t want to protest in the streets, but I must.  So to all the people of Sarawak, whatever your skin colour, I ask you to join Bersih and speak on your own behalf!