Poooorah... Utusan Malaysia bukan jurucakap rakyat Malaysia...

Utusan Malaysia tidak bercakap bagi pihak rakyat Malaysia...

Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) Barack Obama berada di Malaysia hujung minggu ini untuk bertemu beberapa pemimpin serta melawat beberapa tempat, sejak 48 tahun selepas lawatan kali terakhir presiden negara itu ke Malaysia.

Akhbar Umno, Utusan Malaysia berkata rakyat Malaysia lega apabila Obama tidak bertemu Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Seperti juga di AS, rakyat Malaysia mahukan pemimpin yang bermoral, bersih dan berwibawa, bukannya ikon yang songsang," kata Awang Selamat dalam ruangannya dalam edisi Ahad Mingguan Malaysia hari ini.

Awang Selamat turut menyindir Anwar yang hanya dapat bertemu Penasihat Keselamatan AS Susan Rice dengan mengatakan perjumpaan itu sekadar menepati dasar keterbukaan negara itu.

Kenyataan itu dikeluarkan akhbar sama yang melaporkan sebelum ini CIA berkemungkinan terlibat dalam kehilangan pesawat MH370.

Namun mari kita jelaskan, bukan Utusan mahupun Umno bersuara bagi pihak rakyat Malaysia.

Malah, bukan juga jurucakap Melayu dan juga jika Pilihan Raya 2013 dan Pilihan Raya Kecil Kajang adalah petunjuk.

Mereka juga tidak bercakap bahasa yang sama dengan Obama.

“Saya percaya, tidak kira sama ada kita berasal dari sebuah kampung terpencil atau bandar raya megah, sama ada kita tinggal di Amerika atau di Malaysia, sebagai manusia, kita berkongsi hasrat yang sama – untuk hidup dengan bermaruah dan aman.

“(Kita ingin) mencorakkan masa depan kita sendiri, boleh mencari rezeki dan bekerja keras untuk menyara keluarga. Dan paling penting, mewariskan kepada generasi akan datang sesuatu yang lebih baik daripada apa yang ditinggalkan untuk kita.

"Inilah aspirasi yang melambangkan era baru 'bekerjasama' antara Amerika Syarikat dan Malaysia. Kita mungkin berbeza sebagai negara, rakyat kita mempunyai harapan dan aspirasi sama. Kita mampu membentuk kekuatan antara kedua-dua negara daripada kepelbagaian etnik. Kita mampu membina harapan dari sejarah dan mengimpikan harapan cerah untuk anak-anak kita," kata Obama dalam ucapan di Istana Negara di Kuala Lumpur malam tadi.

Presiden AS itu berkata, Malaysia akan berjaya dengan kepelbagaiannya, sesuatu yang Umno dan lidah rasminya secara sistematik cuba menafikan dan musnahkan sejak tsunami politik pada 2008.

Amat indah apabila pemimpin negara paling berkuasa melawat Malaysia dan menikmati hospitaliti kita.

Namun, ia tidak penting bagi Obama untuk bertemu Anwar atau tidak, kerana presiden AS itu tidak mengundi di sini.

Malah ia melucukan apabila rakyat Malaysia turut berebut untuk bergambar bersama presiden AS itu.

Obama akan menamatkan lawatannya esok, dan ucapannya akan memberikan kesan atau dibuat endah tak endah.

Namun kita rakyat Malaysia kekal di sini, menentang mereka seperti Awang Selamat yang mahu memecah belahkan hubungan kita dan usaha menjadi rakyat Malaysia yang lebih baik. – tmi

Who speaks for Malaysians? Not Utusan, for sure...

United States President Barack Obama is in town this weekend, meeting an entire host of people and visiting places of interest, 48 years after the last American president came to town.

Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia has seen it fit to say that many Malaysians were relieved that United States President Barack Obama had no plans to meet with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Like the US citizens, Malaysians want a leader who is clean, competent and with morals, and not a perverted icon,” said Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the Malay language newspaper’s collective editorial voice.

 In the newspaper's weekend edition, Awang Selamat also poured cold water on the opposition leader’s scheduled meeting with United States National Security Adviser Susan Rice, dismissing it as merely to fulfil the superpower nation's openness policy.

This comes from a newspaper that weeks ago suggested that the CIA could have had a hand in the disappearance of flight MH370. What a turnaround weeks later.

But let's be clear about this. Neither Utusan nor Umno speak for Malaysians. They don't speak for Malays either, if the Election 2013 and the Kajang by-election results are any indication.

Heck, they don't even speak the same language as Obama.

my selfie

 "I believe, that whether we come from a remote village or a big city, whether we live in the United States or in Malaysia, we all share basic human aspirations: To live in dignity and peace. To shape our own destiny. To be able to make a living and to work hard and support a family. And most of all, to leave the next generation something better than was left to us.

"These are the aspirations that I believe illuminate a new era of partnership, of 'berkerja sama' between the United States and Malaysia. For while we may be different as nations, our people have similar hopes and similar aspirations. And we can draw strength in both our nations from our ethnic and religious diversity. We can draw hope from our history. And we dream of a brighter future for all of our children," Obama said last night at an official banquet in the Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

The US president said Malaysia would do well to embrace its diversity, something which Umno and its mouthpiece have systematically tried to deny and destroy in the past few years since the political tsunami of 2008.

It is wonderful that the leader of the world's most powerful country is visiting Malaysia and gets to enjoy our famous hospitality.

But it does not matter whether Obama meets or does not meet Anwar because the last time we checked, the US president does not vote here.

In fact, it is hilarious how Malaysians are falling over themselves over the US president and ensuring they are in his photo opportunity moments.

Obama will leave tomorrow, and his words can either take effect or fall on deaf ears. 

But we Malaysians remain here, to fight against those like Awang Selamat who seek to break our unity and effort for a better Malaysia. – tmi

cheers.