“If they say that ‘We are second-class citizens’, don't talk s**t like that. You see, don't talk s**t. I repeat, don't talk s**t - three times! We the Malays have forgiven [sic] a lot for these people. We have sacrificed a lot of [our] interests...”

- Ibrahim Ali interview with Al-Jazeera

COMMENT | So, caretaker prime minister Najib Razak has reminded everyone, especially Chinese voters, that it would be a sad day that if there was no Chinese representation in government. But would it though? I mean forget about Chinese representation, would it mean anything if there was no non-Malay representation in the new government if Umno wins?

What exactly has representation in government got the non-Malays? Sure, you could talk about the long complex history of non-Malay immigrants and how they built this country but what exactly has representation in this system got them? Concessions, benefits, and those cultural and racial preoccupations that non-Malay political power structures consider important for representation are in essence tools of/for appeasement.

I am not knocking those things. As far as I am concerned, MCA has done a far better job than the MIC ever did for their community. I do not really think it is solely an MCA victory though, but this is not what this article is about.

This is an article about why there is any need for non-Malay representation in an Umno government, or any government for that matter.

I do not really care about the opposition when it comes to this question. When it comes to racial politics, they say one thing and then do the exact same thing that BN does. No, my question to MCA and MIC is, so what happens if there is no non-Malay representation in the new government if Umno wins and the non-Malays communities do not support MCA and MIC?

This is not some kind of propagandist question. I sure as hell am not asking in any way that buttresses anything the opposition says it would do for the non-Malays. Maybe I am asking in a pre-emptive way, in case we find ourselves with a new Pakatan Harapan government, which will not be in a post-racial Malaysia. Something to think about, I suppose.

Five years ago, in ‘MCA’s long journey into night’, I wrote – “Issues such as corruption, systemic discrimination, the erosion of religious freedoms and the dysfunction of public institutions have become important issues, which cut across class lines, but more importantly, acts as common ground for a certain section of the voting public looking for an alternative - any alternative - to Umno/BN.”

So, there’s that. I am not knocking the MCA. Indeed, I wrote about how this stupid war between the MCA and DAP does nothing but further anti-Chinese narratives in this country....