Ordinary Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese or Indians, have shown that they are more Malaysian-minded and patriotic than MCA/UMNO/BN leaders who have been trying their utmost in the past nine days to racialise the 13th general election results so as to divert attention from the new-found unity among Malaysians, particularly the young generation of Malaysians of all races, for a new Malaysian politics to end racial politics, corruption, cronyism, abuses of power and all forms of exploitation and injustices in the country.
The first and most irresponsible and anti-1Malaysia blow was struck by none other than the advocate of 1Malaysia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who kicked off the racialisation of the 13GE results with his shocking but baseless statement that the 13GE results was a “Chinese tsunami” when it was a Malaysian and urban tsunami!
Najib and UMNO leaders found justification in the racialisation of the 13GE results, calling it a “Chinese tsunami”, from the campaign of the MCA President, Datuk Chua Soi Lek, during the entire 13GE period, warning that if MCA candidates are defeated, the country will be landed with a “two-racial rather than a two-party system”.
Chua Soi Lek was clearly looking for an excuse to explain an anticipated dismal MCA electoral performance in the 13GE, claiming that defeated MCA candidates are victims of a Chinese tsunami and uprising of the Chinese versus the Malays, and that under the circumstances he and the MCA leaders cannot be blamed if they do not do well in the 13GE.
Chua was cooking up an excuse to justify MCA’s dismal electoral performance, but he has done Malaysia’s race relations and nation building, both the Chinese in particular and Malaysians as a whole, a great disservice and even committed a most unMalaysian and unpatriotic act by giving justification and legitimacy for the prejudiced and bigoted who want to see the 13GE results as a “Chinese tsunami” or a Chinese versus Malays manifestation, when it is not the case at all!
The Malaysian Chinese voters voted in the 13GE on May 5 not as Chinese but as Malaysians like their Malay and Indian vote-countelrparts who similarly voted as Malaysian citizens rather than as Malays or Indians to assert their citizenship rights for a country where there is an end to racial politics, corruption, abuses of power and all forms of exploitation and injustices in the country!
The Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which comprised DAP, PKR and PAS, is not a mono-racial grouping but a multi-racial coalition of Malaysians covering all races, religions and regions in the country.
It is not just the Chinese, but the Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans, who are excited by the hope and promise of UBAH in the 13GE, which is the most powerful repudiation of the mischievoius claim that the 13GE results were a Chinese tsunami when they were a Malaysian and urban tsunami for UBAH.
True, comparatively there had been a higher percentage of Chinese voters supporting the UBAH message in the 13GE than the other racial groups, but this UBAH political awakening had not been exclusively confined to the Malaysian Chinese as there can be no denial of the fact that there had also been substantial support from all other races, whether Malays, Indians, Kadzans or Ibans, for UBAH, or Najib and UMNO/BN coalition would not have lost more parliamentary seats than in the 2008 general elections, securing 133 Parliamentary seats on May 5 as compared to 140 Parliamentary seats in 2008.
I do not know how long Chua can survive as MCA President, as there is mounting pressure inside MCA for him to immediately resign as MCA President for the MCA’s Seven-Eleven (7-11) showing in the polls, and that he should not wait until the MCA party polls in December.
There is even talk of a “Save MCA” mass signature campaign to requisition an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to remove Chua immediately, in the same manner that Chua had succeeded in forcing out his predecessor Ong Tee Keat as MCA President.
We in the DAP do not want to get involved in MCA politics, but as Chua has done a supreme disservice and a most unpatriotic act in giving currency to the UMNO belief that the 13GE results was a Chinese tsunami when it was a Malaysian and urban tsunami, the last thing Chua should do as MCA President is to totally undo this great disservice he had done both the the Malaysian Chinese and the Malaysian nation by convincing Najib and the UMNO leadership that they should stop regarding the 13GE as a Chinese tsunami recognise that it was in fact a Malaysian and urban tsunami which must be addressed with proper policy responses by a responsible UMNO/BN leadership!
Is Chua capable of undoing this great disservice he had done to the Malaysian nation as a whole and the six million Malaysian Chinese in particular?
If Chua is not prepared, or incapable, of undoing the great damage he had done, is the rest of the present MCA leadership prepared to speak up to remedy the great wrongs which Chua had committed to the Malaysian nation and the Malaysian Chinese with his distortion of the 13GE results as a purported Chinese tsunami resulting in a two-racial system?
In this connection, I commend the former Higher Education deputy minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and the BN MP for Johor Baru Shahrir Samad for speaking up to repudiate the fallacy of the dangerous theory that the 13GE results are a Chinese tsunami when they were in fact a Malaysian and urban tsunami.
It is really sad and tragic that Saifuddin and Shahrir can speak up for the truth but Chua and MCA leaders dare not do the same, but even worse, are trying the poison race relations by claiming that the 13GE results are a Chinese tsunami.
UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz has said that UMNO leaders were in a state of shock and needed a “cooling off” period to come to terms with losses in Chinese votes in the 13GE.
This is understandable but what is inexcusable, intolerable and unforgivable is for anyone to make inflammable, racist and seditious statements like the one made by the former Federal Court judge, Mohd Noor Abdullah, which must rank as the most racist and seditious speech ever made in Malaysia in the past 44 years!
Why has the police and the Attorney-General not taken any action to arrest, charge and prosecute Mohd Noor for the most divisive, destructive, racist and seditious speech ever made in the country in the past 44 years?
I agree fully with the call by the National Unity and Integration Department (NUID) Director-General Datuk Zulkifli Noordin urging politicians and the media to stop race-baiting and inciting racial tension.
But will the Prime Minister, UMNO leaders and in particular the UMNO mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia, (not to mention the outsourced UMNO outfits like Perkasa), listen to the NUID?”
The biggest culprits in race-baiting and inciting racial tensions since the May 5 general elections results come from the UMNO leaders.
Are they prepared to end all race baiting by stop racialising the 13GE results, such as irresponsibly claiming that it wlas a Chinese tsunami when in fact it lwas a Malaysian and urban tsunami involving all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region?
Sir, the BN parties, even UMNO, are now very weak. It cannot control very much now. They are in disarray, shell shocked. Najib is indecisive and essentially ‘lost’.
Pakatan should help ease the situation and bring the Malaysian ship upright and steady, not rock it further.
More mega rallies and street meetings at this time is not helpful with many ill-intentioned and controversial parties emerging from every nook and cranny, stoking the temperature.
Do whatever that is necessary to ensure continued peace and order.
With your victories, you have responsibilities.
MCA is right in not accepting any cabinet post. They are doing the honourable thing. However this spent party should not adopt a sulking, pouting stance. They should sense the mood of the people they claim to represent, and respect the wishes of the electorate.
All Malaysians are duty bound to co-operate with the Government and to keep the peace. As a strong opposition, we shall keep a watchful eye on the Government.