Both before and after the 13th General Elections on May 5, both the former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the Umno official mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia have proved to be the most racist and unMalaysian voices in the country, resorting to lies and falsehoods to pit the Malays against the Chinese.
In his latest blog, his accusation that the Chinese in Malaysia were out in the 13GE to oust the political power of the Malays and to dominate Malaysian politics must rate as one of his most irresponsible, reckless and baseless allegations in his long political career – which is only matched by another of his irresponsible and reckless allegation during the 13GE, that I contested in Gelang Patah constituency to create a “racial confrontation” and that I incited the Chinese to hate the Malays.
There is not an ounce of truth in these outrageous allegations by the former Prime Minister and he has not been able to offer any evidence to substantiate his reckless allegations.
For instance, has he been able to offer any evidence to substantiate his allegation that I had incited the Chinese in Gelang Patah to hate the Malays, when in fact, in all my speeches in Gelang Patah as well as elsewhere during the 13GE, I had stressed the importance of all Malaysians regardless of race religion or region to be united in pursuit of a common Malaysian Dream to build a just, free, democratic, clean, prosperous and competitive Malaysia.
I was at first apprehensive as to what divisive and destructive effects Mahathir’s lies and racist vituperation could have on the Malays in Gelang Patah in particular and in Malaysia in general.
But I am glad and more hopeful about the future of Malaysia because I find that Mahathir’s racist lies and falsehoods have little market even among the Malays – and wherever I go after the 13th General Elections, Malays regardless of background and age have come forward to congratulate me for my victory in Gelang Patah.
Clearly, the Malays are not only forsaking UMNO, they are forsaking Mahathir even more – showing that the former Prime Minister is facing the law of diminishing returns in his political influence.
May be this is why Mahathir is sounding more and more desperate in coming out with more and more reckless and irresponsible racist allegations.
Mahathir and Utusan should stop their Chinese bashing before Najib’s claim as Prime Minister of all Malaysians become totally discredited.
If any Chinese politician or Chinese press had indulged in 10 per cent of Malay bashing in what Mahathir and Utusan had done in Chinese bashing all these months, the Chinese politicians would have been charged and jailed in court for sedition and the Chinese newspapers closed down without ado.
Why then is Mahathir and Utusan getting special treatment, immunity and impunity?
In fact, Mahathir is putting Najib to the test, whether Najib is going to be a stronger Prime Minister after the 13GE who will “walk the talk” of his 1Malaysia signature policy, or whether he is going to be a weaker and more ineffective Prime Minister with Mahathir and Utusan Malaysia daily undermining and destroying his 1Malaysia policy with their irresponsible, reckless and baseless racist allegations.
(Media Conference Statement in Kota Bharu on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 11.30 am)