The recent Perkasa “white ang pow” packet controversy has outraged the Malaysian Chinese community, especially on the auspicious Chinese New Year.
For the Chinese, an white envelope is used to stuff “pek kim” (Hokkien) or “pak kam” (Cantonese) for funerals. Pak kum or pek kim in English can be literally translated as white gold. It is the money people donate to the deceased’s family at the funeral as a token.
Remember the recent Ramadan month, when The Star ‘s supplement called ‘Ramadan Delights’ in which it also featured food that was non-halal?
The Malay rights group Perkasa burned and stomped on copies of The Star newspaper and rubber snakes to express their fury outside Kelab Sultan Sulaiman.
As reported in The Malaysian Insider, Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali branded The Star as “anti-Islam” for including non-halal eateries in the Ramadan special supplement, citing it was likely done to test the Muslim community’s patience.
He added that he would like to tell all Muslims to brand The Star as anti-Islam and anti-Malay. The English daily was given a show-cause letter.
According to Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui said Ibrahim’s apology cannot undo the damage and insult to the Chinese community. She cannot believe that Ibrahim did not know he was offending the Chinese community by giving out white envelopes, instead of red ones.
It is highlighted in The Star that Datuk Ibrahim Ali says Perkasa regrets distributing white packets of money during its Chinese New Year open house.
Anyway, here are some interesting quotes or ignorance and stupidity:
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” – William G. McAdoo
“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The most violent element in society is ignorance.” – Emma Goldman
“Before we work on artificial intelligence why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?” – Steve Polyak
“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” – Bertrand Russell
“The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so.” – Josh Billings
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“You can be sincere and still be stupid.” – Charles F. Kettering
“When ignorance gets started it knows no bounds” – Will Rogers
“Some folks are wise and some are otherwise.” – Tobias Smollett
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” – Confucius
“Ignorance is not bliss – it is oblivion” – Philip Wylie
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