By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
May 17, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Despite their initial shock at Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim’s resignation, DAP leaders believe his sudden departure would not affect the party’s appeal to the Malay electorate.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke told The Malaysian Insider that the DAP has been successful so far in its quest to encourage more Malay participation within its ranks, including the recruitment and grooming of more leaders from the community.
Loke said the DAP would have to live by Tunku Aziz’s quitting and respected his decision.
“Even though there will be a small setback, the party’s momentum will not be affected, even when it comes to reaching out to Malay members,” he said when contacted.
The Rasah MP pointed out that when Tunku Aziz decided to withdraw from seeking a reappointment of his senatorship, the latter was replaced by another Malay leader — Prof Dr Ariffin Omar, a 63-year-old academician who lectures at the National Defence University of Malaysia.
“We have more Malay participation now. And even though he left, his replacement is also a Malay leader of great prominence.
“And there will be many other Malay leaders to emerge in the future,” Loke said.
He said the DAP’s candidate line-up in the coming polls was also likely to include a good number of credible and notable personalities from the Malay community.
“It is regrettable that he took this decision… but we have to live by it and respect it. We will move forward from this,” Loke added.
Zairil Khir Johari, political secretary to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, appeared to echo the same sentiment as Loke, saying that the departure of one party member should not affect the party’s direction or morale.
“I do not think it (Tunku Aziz’s resignation) will have any problem in whatever we are doing. We will continue the same outreach programmes.
“The machinery will continue to run… in that sense, there is no difference. Our recruitment of Malay members does not depend solely on one or two members in the party,” he pointed out.
Zairil, son of the late Tan Sri Khir Johari, is himself among the fresh batch of Malay leaders who recently chose to join the Chinese-dominated DAP, which has been trying hard to shake off its anti-Malay tag by beefing up its Malay membership.
Zairil said the departure of one party member should not affect the party’s direction or morale. DAP deputy secretary-general Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham also cited Ariffin’s appointment as an example of the party’s spreading influence within the Malay electorate and said that more from the community have expressed interest.
“We even have Malay members wanting to form a Malay DAP branch.
“So from here, you know that we are not a Chinese-based or communist party as alleged,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
But Ngeh hoped that Tunku Aziz would reconsider his quit decision, admitting that the leader’s presence would help boost Malay participation within the DAP somewhat.
“Anything negative that happens to a party, to a certain extent, would affect the people’s view of that party, of course,” he said.
Agreeing with Ngeh, DAP vice-chairman Chong Chieng Jen noted that every member in the party wields his or her own influence, within any one community.
“But we will move on, although we were all very shocked about his decision,” he said, adding that it was uncharacteristic of the usually mild-mannered Tunku Aziz to take such drastic action.
The DAP has tried to reach out to the Malays, who make up 60 per cent of the 12-million strong electorate, by recruiting leaders such as Tunku Aziz.
But the founding member of Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M), who quit the DAP on Monday after his public spat over Bersih 3.0 with party leaders, has conceded his failure to win over the community to the Chinese-dominated party that has been accused by Umno of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam.
http://anilnetto.com/democracy-2/europe/chants-of-bersih-interrupt-najibs-london-address/
Why isn’t the above incident reported in the mainstream (bn-controlled) media?
Was it sound EVER? Frankly DAP appeal to Malay is simply an elitist one – its not going to be broad based perhaps even ever.
An informed Malay will NOT want to join parties tainted with corruption destroying the country and their community or with high % of Malays with its complex and restrictive political and social environment.
They have been seeking a different platform to fight for their basic freedom and rights as individual – to truely empower and liberate themselves from decades of damaging politics of race and religion controlling their daily lives.
What is there to regret or think that his departure will be a set back.
A party focused to get rid of corruptions and race separations is bound to get some racists or politicians want BN to govern forever …maybe seeing his off-springs cannot stand on their own two feet and depend on UMNO b to help.
To make sure UMNO b WILL help…he has to do something to please Najib.
Who knows…you can never know.
A person can change overnight for selfish motives.
Waste of time to talk more.
Wish him good-luck and close the subject.
He is not that important.
Just wait and see. Tunku Aziz will be getting some form of ‘reward’ from Najib in the very near future.
Malays who chose to join DAP are usually well educated, cultured, colour blind, highly intelligent ,a lover of truth and justice and most importantly, God fearing.
Very few Malays can measure up to the level of Ariff Sabri or Aspan Alias.
‘…But the founding member of Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M), who quit the DAP on Monday after his public spat over Bersih 3.0 with party leaders, has conceded his failure to win over the community to the Chinese-dominated party…’.
This sums it all up very clearly. He did not succeed. He had no impact.
But why did the Tunku suddenly come out into the open and started blasting his colleagues, his party and civil society prior to Bersih 3.0 ? What prompted him to act like this openly and defiantly ? There must be something biting him very hard. Was he under some sort of pressure or tension ?
What followed next was quite predictable but unfortunate. Tunku should have expected what was to follow.
No individual is bigger than the party and will be subjected to party disciplinary action although there was some holding back.
To be dropped as a Senator was a big blow to someone who thinks he has an impeccable track record and is too big and too important to touch. I suppose he could not take it mentally and emotionally from someone so….ah, junior and insignificant as Lim Guan Eng.
LGE too is also at fault and should be blamed. He thinks too highly of himself. He may, I say ‘may’, have achieved some things but hey, this guy is still wetting his pants.
He is brash, arrogant and does not use his brains. He lacks social and communication skills, he lacks diplomacy and inter-personal skills when dealing with people especially older and more senior people; he has no PR.
In short, he just lacks finesse. So LGE It will cost you.
The truth hurts…..the reality is no decent Malay would vote DAP….what benefits do they get by voting DAP????Unless, DAP agrees to retain NEP and include that in its manifesto….
No one is indispensable! What had this DAP Malay poster-boy been doing during his stay with the party? Didn’t hear him speak up on the corrupt rogue BN govt, the Cow-gate scandal, the missing jet engines and the scorpene subs that couldn’t dive then problems resurfacing?
Glad he showed his true colors well before GE-13 otherwise DAP will be in deep trouble. Good riddance!
“LGE too is also at fault and should be blamed. He thinks too highly of himself. He may, I say ‘may’, have achieved some things but hey, this guy is still wetting his pants.” Sheriff Singh.
Mr. Singh, try being the secretary general of a national party like the DAP. What will its members say if he keeps quite over Tunku Aziz’s vitriol against the party.
In any organization, all members are equal and subject to the same admonishment from the leadership if they do anything detrimental to the well being of the party.
What is so great about Aziz that special treatment be accorded to him from the SG?
I fully support and respect LGE for his principled stand and civilized response to Aziz who had not made any significant contribution to the party.
Just note the number of DAP leaders (Kit, Dr Tan Seng Giaw, Karpal, Chen Man Hin, to name a few) who have sacrificed their entire lives for the DAP and stay principled till this day.
What has Aziz contributed to DAP, except his so called “principle and integrity”?
A man who criticizes his own party after quitting it is no better than a scum. An ungrateful scum, because no other party would have been that magnanimous to have given him the platform that the DAP had.
In any case, the DAP, gained nothing and lost nothing by this Aziz coming and leaving.
I pray no more articles on Aziz will ever be posted on this blog.
Let’s not waste our time on this nobody.
i wonder why this man has been over glorified. i dont see his significant in dap. it seems like he is the only malay in malaysia. there are millions more who are more better off than him. just leave him with his latest haul.
lucky that he left dap, today he can claim that the ah jib gor policy is heading the right path. any sane being with intelligence will not jeopardize the future of our children by saying this.
please dont waste time on this rubbish any further.