YOURSAY | ‘The DAP should not test the patience of its restive supporters.’
COMMENT | When ‘ketuanan’ politicians need help, they run to DAP
Proarte: DAP was naive and believed that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, and Selangor Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief Azmin Ali had the country’s interest at heart when they wanted to bring down former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
More than anyone, Mahathir was responsible for campaigning with devastating effectiveness against the “Kleptocrat” Najib.
Yes, DAP was used by the treacherous troika Mahathir, Muhyiddin, and Azmin, each having ambitions to be prime minister and all three ended up backstabbing each other and the DAP, causing the Pakatan Harapan government to collapse.
It was poetic justice that Muhyiddin was himself betrayed and forced to resign by Umno, who used him to bring down Harapan via the Sheraton move.
Yes, the DAP has been very disappointing with its alacrity to play the “MCA” role in government.
Having tasted power, the DAP leadership won’t refuse any chance to be in government, no matter which party it is. Power, indeed, is a potent aphrodisiac.
Now the DAP in government is even more lacklustre than before.
Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang refused, but more likely was refused, a position in the Mahathir cabinet.
Lim made the “sacrifice” because Mahathir had persuaded him, and perhaps he believed it himself, that the Malays were not ready for him to be a minister because of the demonisation of him by Mahathir and Umno over the last 50 years.
This was a tragedy because only Lim had the political authority, experience, and integrity to keep Mahathir in check and steer the greenhorn DAP ministers in the right direction.
DAP so quickly became a Mahathir poodle, not being able to see or not wanting to see the treachery before their very eyes which the rakyat was already aware of.
The rest is history. As we can see, the DAP “strategist” Liew Chin Tong was using kind words like “honourable, gentleman” in his Malaysiakini article in 2020 which Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy S Thayaparan referred to.
This was even after the collapse of Harapan due to the obscene treachery by Muhyiddin because of his insatiable desire to be prime minister!
Muhyiddin had shown his true colours even before the formation of the Harapan government by having reservations over the recognition of the unified examination certificate (UEC) but this was not seen as a serious issue for the DAP.
DAP should have made this a precondition before agreeing to work with Muhyiddin. Well, this is part and parcel of the Faustian bargain - you betray your principles for the sake of power.
We see the DAP’s “MCA” role again in action in the current government.
The shocking silence over the right of Christians in West Malaysia to use the term “Allah” in their worship will forever be a black mark in the DAP’s credibility.
Its silence over the recognition of the UEC is further proof of the emasculated role the DAP has willingly accepted in the government.
They have accepted fewer ministerial posts and less important roles in government despite having the largest number of MPs as a party in the coalition.
What does DAP stand for if it is reluctant to fight for the basic Constitutional rights of the Chinese and other non-Malays?
Sadly, the DAP has lost touch with the grassroots and has taken their traditional support for granted.
The arrogant attitude seems to be - "If not us, who are the Chinese and the Indians going to vote for?". The DAP should not test the patience of its restive supporters.
Kilimanjaro: What do you think of a man who had almost unfettered power and authority for 22 long years at the helm with a stated objective to “uplift” the Malays?
Shamefully, his period was one of the darkest days for Malay unity. Umno split and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah went on to form his own party.
Umno was declared “illegal”. Then came the Anwar Ibrahim episode. Umno suffered a setback in the polls when a large number of Malays sided with Anwar.
The non-Malays, particularly the Chinese, were branded as Communists despite Mahathir pleading with them to vote for BN. Once the elections were over, he somersaulted by telling the Chinese that he had to “lie” to get their votes.
I am not quite sure whether the Malay masses would believe his “Malay Proclamation”.
He may not seem politically inclined or motivated as he had admitted this but his wounded pride and tattered legacy may have prompted him to regain some of that lost through this “Proclamation”.
When you start a charade like this, there will be others who will exceed the euphoria and rhetoric.
That has to be as otherwise it can’t succeed. There are now plenty who openly deride the non-Malays under the pretext of uniting the Malays, but at the end of the day, it all means the same thing.
Is it just about political power? If the DAP had just won one or two seats, there would not be this intense “assault” on the DAP.
When it chalks up 40 seats, then that cannot be right in the eyes of these Malay extremists.
Despite the denial of “equality” under the Constitution where gerrymandering had been used to the hilt, the DAP had mustered large support from the non-Malays.
Who knows, it may have won 50 or even 60 seats if the non-Malays had not been “robbed”.
Can there be peace between the Malays and the non-Malays? I don't see that happening soon.
This may happen sooner if the non-Malays don't question the corrupt ways of the mostly Malay leaders.
If the DAP or non-Malays clap in support just like how the MCA and MIC did, then the tune may change.
This is what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is talking about “moderate” parties like MCA and MIC.
Whatever they do, non-Malays shouldn't question.
When PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man went around giving a “certificate” of approval for the 1MDB swindle after listening to 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy, it was in contrast to DAP’s relentless questioning of the legitimacy of the sovereign wealth fund.
When religion and culture are brought to the public domain and in cases where it is allowed to dominate despite the Constitutional guarantees for the non-Malay, then friction and discord are bound to arise.
Neither side is going to be happy and even if there is an attempt to “moderate” the issues, particularly when race and religion have been used as political tools, the onslaught from the extremists would tame such moderation.
Worse, most of the time, the perpetrators get off scot-free. There are very easy ways to defeat PAS and Bersatu on their home ground and in a democratic manner.
I am not going to say this aloud but if you want to eliminate PAS and Bersatu and their extreme racial and religious politics, you have no choice but to go for it.
Milshah: It's a two-way relationship, commander. True, Malay political parties have been helped by the DAP in the past.
But didn’t DAP gain as well from the relationship? DAP on its own could not form a government.
Try as it might, the most we could gain is around 40 seats out of the 222 seats. That’s not even 50 percent.
Malay parties indeed used DAP, but DAP too used Malay parties. It’s a used and being used relationship.
Don’t be naive to think DAP did not gain anything from allying with Malay parties. But without being the government, by having only 40 plus seats, how long could the DAP last?
Voters will eventually abandon DAP if they know it cannot be the government and help the voters. Who would want to vote for a political party which will not have power or become the government? None.
Knowing the fact that DAP could not survive on its own in the long run is the reason the party is allying with Malay political parties. DAP gets to become ministers, allocations, influence government policies, etc.
Without Malay parties, there is no way DAP could form a government. If DAP wants to get out of this use and being used in a relationship, it can always opt out. No one is forcing DAP to ally with Malay political parties.
Cogito Ergo Sum: It’s true. The non-Malays are mere fig leaves to the Malays. They lost all semblance of dignity when the MCA and MIC became obsequious to their masters in Umno.
It’s too late now for the DAP and for any non-Malay to be taken seriously. Op-eds by non-Malays mean nothing even if they dissect the situation with surgical precision.
Even the prime minister has time and time again said “Don’t spook the Malays.” And this is the mantra being used to eventually do away with the non-Malay voice.
It’s too late. The DAP will be seen as the bogeyman if they start to give voice to the frustrations of the non-Malays. Way too late.
Drngsc: For the sake of Malaysian unity and a prosperous future, the Rocket (DAP) has sacrificed a lot. I only hope that Malaysians appreciate it.
A country with so much potential must move forward and not get stuck in small local issues of 3R (race, religion and royalty), while the world is moving forward by leaps and bounds.
Some are trying to live in caves, while the world is using artificial intelligence and ChatGPT.
Tread wisely, Rocket, for you are dealing with rather unsavoury characters who are untrustworthy and without dignity.
Let us hope that they change for the better, for the sake of a harmonious, prosperous Malaysia.
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