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Eight reasons why Najib’s legitimacy as Prime Minister is questioned

There are at least eight reasons why there is widespread questioning of the legitimacy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the Prime Minister of Malaysia after the 13th general elections on May 5.

1. Najib and Barisan Nasional have only won 47% of the popular vote, while Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat won the majority popular vote at 51%.

2. The 13GE was the dirtiest elections in the nation’s 56-history of 13 general elections – where there was unprecedented money politics and massive unethical and unprincipled electioneering summed up by Umno/BN triple strategy of “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear”.

There was also the grave problem of the gerrymandering of the constituencies to benefit Umno/BN, where one vote in Putrajaya (16,000 voters) is equal to nine votes in Kapar (140,000+ voters) – making a total mockery of the “one man, one vote, one value” principle.

If the 13GE had been a clean, free and fair one, the popular vote won by Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat would have exceeded 60 per cent and even reached two-thirds of the total vote, securing the majority of the parliamentary seats to PR (even reaching a total of 125 parliamentary seats comprising 45 for PKR and 40 each for DAP and PAS) instead of the present 89 seats for PR and 133 seats for BN. Continue reading “Eight reasons why Najib’s legitimacy as Prime Minister is questioned”

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Bitter election creates long-term headache for Najib

by Niluksi Koswanage
Reuters
Malaysiakini
May 26, 2013

Malaysia’s divisive election has left a bitter taste for millions of people that risks creating a long-term problem of legitimacy for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s long-ruling BN coalition.

The outrage was clear at a busy intersection across from one of Kuala Lumpur’s fanciest shopping malls, where a huge poster of Najib and his deputy had been defaced – a rare display of public disrespect in the Southeast Asian nation.

One of the scrawled comments poked fun at the unconvincing share of the votes won by Najib’s ruling coalition in its May 5 election victory: “47 percent PM,” it said.

“If you don’t like it, you can leave,” mocked another, alluding to a comment by Najib’s new home minister that those unhappy with the result – and the electoral system that produced it – should pack up and emigrate.

The tense political atmosphere threatens to prolong policy uncertainty that investors hoped the polls would put to rest, as Najib braces for a possible leadership challenge and the opposition mounts a noisy campaign to contest the result.

By securing 60 percent of parliamentary seats with less than 50 percent of the popular vote, the BN’s victory has served to expose starkly the unfairness of a gerrymandered electoral system that is also prone to cheating and bias. Continue reading “Bitter election creates long-term headache for Najib”

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Why the 10-day impotence and hiatus by Najib to rectify the constitutional farce of illegally swearing in two Ministers and three Deputy Ministers without first appointing them as Senators?

Yesterday, Malaysians saw the sorry spectacle of Paul Low who took his oath as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department on 16th May 2013 before the Yang di Pertuan Agong at the Istana Negara pathetically telling the media to “Ask Putrajaya” when questioned about the legality of his appointment to the Cabinet as he has not been sworn in as a senator yet.

This is the first time in the 56-year history of Malaysia where two Ministers and three Deputy Ministers have been placed in the Cabinet and constitutional limbo for ten days after the announcement of their ministerial appointments, as they had the dubious honour of being illegal Ministers and Deputy Ministers during this period as they have not been sworn in as Senators yet.

I had expected very quick and efficient end to the constitutional farce of two illegal Ministers and three illegal Deputy Ministers by having the five to be sworn in as Senators on the very night, even if it is midnight, when I issued my statement pointing out the grave constitutional oversight – i.e. on Friday 17th May 2013.

But I was wrong. Day after day, the two Ministers and three deputy Ministers did not know whether they were coming or going, become butts of jokes as illegal and unlawful “backdoor” Ministers and Deputy Ministers – with the sorry and pathetic spectacle of Paul Low yesterday as the latest example.
Continue reading “Why the 10-day impotence and hiatus by Najib to rectify the constitutional farce of illegally swearing in two Ministers and three Deputy Ministers without first appointing them as Senators?”

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IGP must prove he is not political catspaw of Home Minister Zahid out to extract vengeance for Najib’s poor showing in the 13GE

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar protests too much when he claimed that the arrest of Opposition figures and activists were not politically motivated, that nobody is above the law and offenders should stop using politics as a shield to avoid prosecution.

Khalid is quite a “catch” for UMNO/Barisan Nasional as he is proving to be the most “political” IGP in his first week as the top police officer in the country.

In the past week under a new IGP, Malaysians do not see any new initiatives, breakthrough or success in the most important challenge of the police to make safety and security the top police priority, return the streets to the people and abolish the “fear of crime” which is paralyzing the freedom of movement and activities of citizens, tourists and investors.

What for instance is Khalid doing to end the decades-long infamy of Johor Baru as the “capital of crime” in Malaysia?

Instead, we see the police under the IGP coming down hard on Pakatan Rakyat leaders and social activists, although public peace and order had not been undermined in any manner – raising the question of the commitment of the police under the IGP to promote and protect the human rights of Malaysians in the coming years.

It is no coincidence that the police crackdown on Pakatan Rakyat leaders and social activists comes at the same time as the announcement of a new Cabinet and a new Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi. Continue reading “IGP must prove he is not political catspaw of Home Minister Zahid out to extract vengeance for Najib’s poor showing in the 13GE”

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Open Letter to those BN elected Members of Parliament with integrity and conscience

by Richard Loh
May 23, 2013

Dear Yang Berhomat Ahli ahli Parliament Barisan National,

It is with much regret to go against my principle to call for your reconsideration in remaining with your coalition party, Barisan National.

There must be a very good reason, at times, to go against one’s principle for the sake of the people and nation.

Before going into the reasoning in suggesting that you reconsider your position to remain with Barisan National let me asked a few questions in reminding you what and who you are.

1) What is your purpose to be an elected Member of Parliament?

2) Is high position (being a minister) and power solely or one of your motive to be an elected Member of Parliament?

3) Have the deterioration of racial harmony and religious intolerance caught your attention?

4) What is your priority being an elected Member of Parliament, party first or people/nation first?

5) Can you see what is happening right now with BN especially umno?

Continue reading “Open Letter to those BN elected Members of Parliament with integrity and conscience”

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The de-racialisation of Barisan Nasional?

— Yang Razali Kassim
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 — On the 44th anniversary of the May 13, 1969, racial riots that gave birth to it, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) displayed signs of being in existential angst.

Though it won the 13th general election on May 5 by securing the most parliamentary seats, BN lost the popular vote and failed to wrest back its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the face of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) strong showing.

While BN was relieved to have been returned to power, the results were a body blow that sent it into deep introspection. A significant upshot has been a proposal to transform itself from the current model of a coalition of communal parties into a single, merged multi-racial entity.

Significantly, too, this idea came from no less than the secretary-general of Umno, the party that is the lynchpin of BN and the epitome of Malaysia’s communal politics. Given his key position, Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor could well be reflecting an internal debate now spilling into the open.

Other Umno leaders who have begun to publicly float such “radical” views in the wake of the 2013 general election (GE13) are Datuk Nazri Aziz and Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, both members of the Umno supreme council and the previous Cabinet. While Tengku Adnan and Nazri successfully defended their parliamentary seats, Saifuddin lost his despite being known for his reformist views. Continue reading “The de-racialisation of Barisan Nasional?”

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A tectonic shift

— Jamil Maidan Flores
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 — After the 13th general election in Malaysia recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak grumbled about a “Chinese tsunami” that barged against his Barisan Nasional coalition, leaving it with only 47 per cent of the popular vote. Barisan Nasional has a Chinese component, the MCA, but the Chinese vote went heavily to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, a three-party coalition led by former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Still, thanks to the gerrymandering of rural constituencies and to the huge perks of incumbency, Barisan Nasional won 133 of 222 parliamentary seats at stake and retained power. Najib remains prime minister.

So why is he grousing about a Chinese tsunami? I think it’s because he has felt a tectonic shift — in this case a tectonic shift in the political mood of Malaysia. It well may be that Malaysian politics will never be the same again. That doesn’t bode well for the Barisan Nasional, or for Najib himself.

Perhaps it’s a comeuppance. There were numerous reports of shenanigans attributed to the ruling coalition. Of flying voters. Of immigrants in Sabah who were given identity cards on condition they would vote for the ruling coalition. Of padded voters’ lists. Of people long dead who were able to vote. Of the Barisan Nasional campaign doling out a total of US$2.5 billion (RM7.5 billion) to poor voters, and resorting to other forms of subsidy schemes.

If these reports are true, and the evidence is piling up that they’re accurate, then there’s nothing that the local politicians of the Philippines, past masters of election fraud, can teach their Malaysian counterparts. However, to the credit of the Malaysian politicos, although there were some accounts of violence, there wasn’t a single shooting throughout the campaign. Continue reading “A tectonic shift”

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Umno Baru’s hidden agenda

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
May 20, 2013

When Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – the new home minister – told disgruntled opposition supporters that they should migrate if they were unhappy with the results of GE13, he had unwittingly confessed that Umno Baru has a hidden agenda.

This little-known plan is Umno Baru’s mass immigration policy and is a deliberate ploy fuelled by political self-interests. Asking people to emigrate will ensure that Malaysia is populated largely by Umno Baru-putras and selected foreigners.

Zahid reluctantly acknowledged that the rakyat was disappointed with the rigging of the polls, but at the same time, he revealed the fears of Umno Baru leaders. The cheating did not go as smoothly and secretly as they had intended.

Zahid possesses neither charisma nor intellect. His oft repeated line is for people to shape up or ship out. With each new political appointment, he stuns us with his ability to set new standards for boorish behaviour.

In 2008, he was appointed a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with a portfolio which included religious affairs and agencies like the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim). He caused controversy when he warned officers that they had to support the government’s policies, or leave.

When Abdullah resigned and Najib Abdul Razak took over in 2009, Zahid was made the defence minister. He invited criticism when he said that the low percentage of non-Malays in the armed forces showed that they lacked patriotism. Continue reading “Umno Baru’s hidden agenda”

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The brilliance of Zahid Hamidi

by Aerie Rahman
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 20, 2013

Move aside Khairy Jamaluddin and Saifuddin Abdullah — we have a new poster boy for change within the Barisan National power structure. Not used to flamboyance and only recently baring the fangs of radicalism, Zahid Hamidi has sparked a debate on a new form of politics: migratory politics.

With his decree demanding that those who are unhappy with the current political system migrate to republican states, this man is a maverick. He is braving the tide by countering Najib Razak’s efforts to stem the pernicious brain drain beleaguering this nation. We need more mavericks within BN! Not mere “yes men” whose servitude are repulsive, but men with independent minds. Zahid fits the bill. This is a man to watch, Malaysia! Continue reading “The brilliance of Zahid Hamidi”

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Najib should show immediate leadership to end the unprecedented racist nastiness arising from poor Umno/BN performance in 13GE or he would have reneged from his promise to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians

The 13th General Elections results on May 5, 2013 have caused double disappointments, as both the contending coalitions, the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional, have different reasons to be upset by them.

Pakatan Rakyat supporters are rightly outraged that the victory due to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat, as testified by the 51% popular vote for Pakatan Rakyat as compared to 47% popular vote for Barisan Nasional, have been snatched away from them because of the dirtiest general elections in the nation’s history.

Barisan Nasional leaders and strategists on the other hand are exasperated that their triple strategies of “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear” had failed to achieve their intended results, viz recapture of two-thirds parliamentary majority and regaining the state government in Selangor.

But what is of great concern to all thinking, rational and patriotic Malaysians is the unprecedented racist nastiness which have been allowed to surface and gain momentum in the two weeks after the 13th General Election results – initiated of all persons by Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself when he dismissed the 13GE results as a “Chinese tsunami” when it was a Malaysian and urban tsunami.
Continue reading “Najib should show immediate leadership to end the unprecedented racist nastiness arising from poor Umno/BN performance in 13GE or he would have reneged from his promise to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians”

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The low-down on fighting graft

― Kunjuraman Karuppan
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2013

MAY 19 ― The focus on Transparency International-Malaysia chief Datuk Paul Low’s appointment as a minister in the Najib Cabinet can only mean one thing ― that everyone is depending on him to ramp up the fight against corruption.

That includes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who picked Low to do the job despite a beefed-up Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the creation of corruption courts.

And this is where Low should know better than to say he is depending on the prime minister’s stature to enable him to fight corruption.

The truth is, Najib is depending on Low’s stature to show that his administration is serious about fighting corruption.

If that wasn’t the case, the prime minister would have chose Tunku Abdul Aziz, perhaps, to do the job. But the former TI-M chief seems more interested in riling up the DAP than leading the fight against graft. Continue reading “The low-down on fighting graft”

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Najib’s feckless and uninspiring cabinet

Mariam Mokhtar| May 19, 2013
Free Malaysia Today

Najib is impotent when tackling corruption, or defusing racial and religious tensions. His weakness as a leader is reflected in the Cabinet line-up

COMMENT

Najib Tun Razak’s defence of the Malay daily Utusan Malaysia which displayed a provocative headline, “What more do the Chinese want?” does nothing for national reconciliation, something which Najib promised to address, after GE-13.

Trying his best to placate an increasingly cynical public, Najib vowed to be a prime minister for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, state or political views.

He said, “I love my country …… We will also continue to promote moderation among multiracial Malaysians and place great importance on racial harmony and national unity.”

Despite the sweet talk, he refused to censure Utusan, but said, “You blame Utusan but you don’t ask about the Chinese papers.”

If Najib was adamant that both the Malay and Chinese newspapers were stoking racial hatred, the right thing would have been to punish both papers.

Najib is impotent when tackling corruption, or defusing racial and religious tensions. His weakness as a leader is reflected in the Cabinet line-up. Continue reading “Najib’s feckless and uninspiring cabinet”

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Najib should disclose who must bear responsibility and take the rap for the constitutional farce and embarrassment to the YDPA with oath-taking of two Ministers and three Deputy Ministers on Thursday unlawful, null and void

In his two-hour address to the first meeting of the new Cabinet of 30 Ministers and 27 deputy ministers at Putra Perdana on Thursday after their swearing-in before the Yang di Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak invoked the spirit of exemplary service to the ministers by giving their best to the people and the country.

Najib said cabinet members must “add value” to their services by engaging the public in public forums, face-to-face sessions and even social or traditional media.

Unfortunately, Najib’s post-13GE Cabinet, which is already the most “unimpressive” of all six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history, started off with great egregious disservice to the people and nation as the oath-taking of two Deputy Ministers and three Deputy Ministers were of unlawful, null and void.

Najib also failed to “walk the talk” to engage the public by observing thunderous silence in the past three days dodging my expose on Friday that two Ministers, Datuk Paul Low and Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar (both Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department) and three deputy ministers, Waytha Moorthy (PM’s Office) , Dr. J. Loga Bala Mohan (Federal Territories) and Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah (Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism) have illegally been sworn in when they could not be appointed whether to the post of Minister or Deputy Minister for the simple reason that they are not qualified to hold any Cabinet office without first being sworn in as Senators. Continue reading “Najib should disclose who must bear responsibility and take the rap for the constitutional farce and embarrassment to the YDPA with oath-taking of two Ministers and three Deputy Ministers on Thursday unlawful, null and void”

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Five things for Paul Low to do as Minister of Integrity in Najib Cabinet

I have described Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet announced three days ago as the most unimpressive Cabinet of six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history.

I maintain this judgment despite the surprise appointment of the Transparency International-Malaysia President Datuk Pau Low as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Deparment, whose portfolio should be on Integrity and fighting corruption in Malaysia.

This is because Low has not been able to give any assurance that his appointment marks a tectonic shift in the Najib government’s commitment to make anti-corruption top priority, and not just “more-of-the-same salesmanship and gamesmanship” under the tutelage of Idris Jala’s sloganeering National Transformation Programme in the past four years – which saw Malaysia’s international standing on the anti-corruption front plunging to new lows.

To convince Malaysians that Paul Low’s appointment is not going to be another repeat of Idris Jala appointment of “more of the same” of the past four years, there are five things which Paul Low should immediately address in the first week as Minister, viz:

  1. Full report and assessment whether the Prime Minister, BN Ministers and candidates have complied with the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge which Najib had signed on behalf of all BN leaders and candidates in Low’s presence on Feb. 20.

    This will be one of my first parliamentary questions to him when the 13th Parliament convenes next month, and he should immediately commission a full investigation so that he could give full, detained and satisfactory answer to this query when Parliament meets.

  2. Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on National Reconciliation after the 13GE, as announced by Najib after his mistaken and ill-advised comment about the 13GE results as a “Chinese tsunami” when it is a Malaysian and urban tsunami. Continue reading “Five things for Paul Low to do as Minister of Integrity in Najib Cabinet”

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Malaysia in “best of times, worst of times” – call on Malaysians to keep faith and hope in moment of despair and to press on until victory is achieved for change of government and policies

The two weeks of Malaysia since the 13GE on May 5 is best described by Charles Dickens in the opening paragraph of his historic fiction of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities (a book written 154 years ago and which has sold over 200 million copies):

“IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”

It was “the best of times” for Malaysia, when Malaysians, transcending race, religion, region, class, gender and age, were united in the hope of change of government and policies; but it was “the worst of times” when such hopes were crushed by the dirtiest general election in the nation’s 56 year history.

It was “the spring of hope” when Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, class, gender and age dare to dream the Malaysian Dream where there is an end to the politics of race, corruption, cronyism, abuses of power and all forms of injustices; but it was “the winter of despair” with one post-13GE drivel after another from those re-established in power about “Chinese tsunami”, “Chinese taken for a ride”, “Apa Lagi Cina Mahu” and the latest challenge to patriotic Malaysians to “Migrate elsewhere” if they are not satisfied with the country’s electoral system, demonstrating that the evil tentacles of the old politics of race, lies and fear are still very much alive and powerful.

The “Light” in the epoch of “Darkness”, when there is so much disappointment, outrage and anger in the country at the 13GE results that Datuk Seri Najib Razak could be sworn in as Prime Minister with 47% of popular vote while Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is denied the highest office in the land with 51% of the popular vote, is the accelerated political awakening of Malaysians, particularly the young generation of Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region and class, coming out in their tens and hundreds of thousands to demonstrate their commitment to bring about peaceful and democratic change in the country. Continue reading “Malaysia in “best of times, worst of times” – call on Malaysians to keep faith and hope in moment of despair and to press on until victory is achieved for change of government and policies”

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Why, Prime Minister?

by Zaid Ibrahim
May 14, 2013

I have never seen as many vile and seditious statements invading the public sphere as I have in this past week. We’ve had Utusan Malaysia provoking the Chinese for rejecting the Barisan Nasional and UMNO leaders labeling non-UMNO Malays as greedy and easily misled. An academic suggested the abolishment of vernacular schools to encourage unity among the races and an old “historian” said that the Chinese are not actually keen on unity. To cap it off, a retired Court of Appeal judge practically made a call for “restoring” Malay rights and dignity by whatever means.

I never realised that retired judges are also involved in part-time politics, although I believe this case to be a serious aberration. In the meantime, have we heard anything from the Prime Minister expressing regret for these statements? Perhaps a promise to take some action to stop this dangerous game of provocation? None whatsoever; in fact, he defended Utusan by saying Chinese newspapers are playing the same game.

Is this the kind of Prime Minister we want? Certainly not. I have been very patient with him, as have so many Malaysians. We have always given him extra room to breathe because we thought he was surrounded by the worse ultras in UMNO. We allowed him to dabble in “double speak” because we thought it was necessary for him to maintain his equilibrium as UMNO President. But enough is enough. This man has to go. He is afraid to do the right thing for the country. His 1Malaysia is a sham. I blame him for allowing this mad, racist frenzy to pander to UMNO delegates so he can retain power at the party elections at the end of the year.

His conduct is inexcusable. Continue reading “Why, Prime Minister?”

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What betrayal?

by P Ramakrishnan
Aliran

Was there an agreement before the general election? Did Chinese Malaysians actually promise the BN their votes ahead of time, asks P Ramakrishnan.

Discredited politicians are trying to denigrate the Chinese by accusing them of betrayal. What betrayal are they talking about? Do they indeed know what they are talking about?

When you talk of betrayal, it means going back on one’s word. It means dishonouring a solemn pledge.

For this to take place there must have been a clear understanding and undertaking between two parties. In this case it would be the Barisan Nasional and the Chinese community reaching an understanding and pledging to vote in a mutually acceptable manner with regard to GE13. Continue reading “What betrayal?”

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What a constitutional farce – Paul Low and Abdul Wahid Omar not legally Ministers and Waytha, Loga and Ahmad Bashah not legally Deputy Ministers as they have not been sworn in as Senators

It is neither a good omen nor a good start for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s post-13GE Cabinet.

Already Najib’s new Cabinet labours under a cloud of legitimacy for the simple reason that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Prime Ministership is under a cloud of legitimacy – not only because Najib and Barisan Nasional got 47% popular vote as compared to Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat’s 51% popular vote, but also because the 13GE was the most unfair and dirtiest general elections in the nation’s history.

If the 13GE had been clean, free and fair, with a level playing field for both coalitions, Anwar and PR would not only have an increased popular vote over 60 per cent or even exceeding 65 per cent, but would also have won a majority of the 222 parliamentary seats in the country.

Now, Najib’s post-13GE Cabinet has also become a farce and even a joke as it has two illegal Ministers and three illegal Deputy Ministers although they have gone through an unlawful oath-taking ceremony before the Yang di Pertuan Agong yesterday.

It is sad and shocking that the Prime Minister’s Department and the various government departments involved have become so careless, negligent and remiss that the fullest compliance with the proper laws, regulations, proprieties and protocols have been ignored or even violated – which should never have happened in a 56-year-old parliamentary democracy under six Prime Ministers.
Continue reading “What a constitutional farce – Paul Low and Abdul Wahid Omar not legally Ministers and Waytha, Loga and Ahmad Bashah not legally Deputy Ministers as they have not been sworn in as Senators”

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National Reconciliation after GE13

by Anak Malaysia

Immediately after GE13 results were out, PM Najib announces for a national reconciliation effort to place as top priority for the new government to address.

Two days later, we read in Utusan newspaper front page headline – “Apa lagi Cina mahu?”

This type of reporting must stop immediately!

The only way forward is for PM Najib to put his foot down and tell Utusan newspaper chief to stop such evil reporting.

Enough is enough! We, the rakyat, wanted genuine national reconciliation and not lip service only.

Talk is cheap but the PM must show the rakyat it is time to move forward and heal the land of such racism and racial slurs that will divide the nation further. Continue reading “National Reconciliation after GE13”

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Stop the Racist Politics of Suspicion and Hate in the Country

by Koon Yew Yin

Even before the elections took place, various UMNO leaders led by Dr. Mahathir and Utusan Malaysia have led the onslaught against the Chinese in the country. Now the results are in, they are taking to a new level the politics of suspicion, hatred and revenge in the Malay masses for what they say as a betrayal by the Chinese voters.

There are several undeniable contrary facts to their thinking. Firstly, as others have pointed out, the so-called Chinese tsunami was actually a Malaysian tsunami which accounted for the largest ever proportion of total votes – in fact the majority – going to the opposition. Simple arithmetic explains why Chinese who comprise less than 30% of the total population can barely account for at most half the total votes cast against the BN even if all Chinese had voted against the BN. Continue reading “Stop the Racist Politics of Suspicion and Hate in the Country”