M. Kulasegaran
Malaysiakini
18th Oct 2014
At the 60th MCA annual general assembly held last December, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said MCA has the numbers and potential to champion the Chinese community, but lacks the spirit to succeed.
“We need political Viagra. Our spirit on the ground is weak,” Najib told the assembly. His comments made MCA the butt of joke, especially in the social media.
It is therefore most ironic that yesterday, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong said the 1Malaysia campaign, which appears to have run out of steam since the last general election, needed a lift similar to the aphrodisiac root Tongkat Ali, so that the campaign could be “long lasting”.
MCA leaders were laughed at for not being brave enough to rebut the prime minister for his insulting analogy.
Will Najib tell Mah off for making him the new butt of joke?
Najib has talked much about the 1Malaysia concept but there is no doubt that it is merely a political slogan that rings hollow.
An example is the discrepancy in funds allocated to national and vernacular schools.
If the prime minister is committed to his 1Malaysia concept, which must mean fairness for all, he must be prepared to walk the talk and accord fair treatment to all schools.
If he is serious about his 1Malaysia concept, he will not allow racial slurs against the non-Malay communities by extremists to go unpunished.
Neither should he have remained silent till today, after Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that he is Malay first and Malaysian second.
If Najib is committed to his 1Malaysia concept, he must be bold to implement colour-blind polices that will ensure an equal place for all Malaysians under the Malaysian sun.
However, after decades of BN rule, the government is still not able to do this. Despite having helmed the nation’s for the last six years, Najib has failed to be the prime minister for all Malaysians.
His slogan, “I am prime minister for all” is just as hollow as his “1Malaysia” slogan.
Let me tell Prime Minister Najib and his Minister Mah Siew Keong that what the 1Malaysia concept needs in order to last long is not Tongkat Ali or Viagra, but sincere commitment from the entire cabinet.
M KULASEGARAN is the MP for Ipoh Barat and DAP vice-chairperson.