by Lim Kit Siang

I fully endorse what the DAP MP for Raub, Datuk Mohd Arif Abdul Aziz, said in the latest entry in his blog Sakmongkol AK47 that all right-thinking Malaysians must expose The Great Lie – that after 57 years of UMNO government under six UMNO Prime Ministers, Malays and Islam in Malaysia are under threat and facing a life-and-death struggle.

In the recent UMNO General Assembly, The Great Lie was the underlying theme of all the UMNO, UMNO Youth, Wanita and Puteri assemblies, even in various State UMNO Conventions and UMNO-sponsored conferences in the run-up to the UMNO General Assembly proper.

This was why both before and during the UMNO General Assembly, the rhetoric and politics of fear, hate and lies were in full swing, full of racist, extremist, provocative but baseless statements and warnings which do not bear up to a second of scrutiny, like “If Umno loses, Malays may never rule again”, “We have become slaves in our own land”, call for the use of “1Melayu” in replacement of “1 Malaysia” slogan and the lie of all lies that the Chinese in Kedah burnt the Quran “page by page during a prayer ritual”.

Of the six UMNO Prime Ministers, the first three have passed away – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein.

Tonight, I want to challenge the three remaining UMNO Prime Ministers, Tun Mahathir who was the longest PM of Malaysia for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, Tun Abdullah who was the fifth Prime Minister for five years five months and Datuk Seri Najib Razak who has been Prime Minister for five years eight months to explain to all Malaysians, and in particular to the Malays, how Malays and Islam in Malaysia are under threat and facing a life-and-death struggle after 57 years of UMNO government, and specifically, after 33 years of Mahathir, Abdullah and Najib as Prime Minister?

If Mahathir, Abdullah and Najib cannot explain how after 57 years of UMNO government, and 33 years of their stewardship as Prime Minister, Malays and Islam in Malaysia are under threat and facing a life-and-death struggle, it is then the patriotic duty of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, to unite to expose The Big Lie which will be the greatest poison of united Malaysian nation-building.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, warned the recent UMNO General Assembly that BN will be ousted from power if it loses just two per cent of support in the next general election.

Although this is a warning to UMNO delegates, it should be a great encouragement to the majority of Malaysians who want to see change in Putrajaya as the only way for Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans, to feel tall and being proud again of being a Malaysian and for Malaysia to be able to compete with the rest of the world (instead of having to appoint a foreigner to save the national flag carrier MAS as if there is not a single Malaysian capable of doing the job).

Ten years ago, who would have dared to think that it would take only a two per cent loss of voter support for UMNO/BN to be sent to the Opposition benches in Parliament.

As Muhyiddin had admitted, a loss of two per cent voter support will translate to Barisan Nasional being reduced from its 133 seats won in the 13GE to 103 federal states, less than half of the 222-seat Parliament – comprising 68 UMNO seats and 35 non-UMNO seats.
A loss of five per cent voter support would have slashed the total BN seats to 81, comprising 53 UMNO and 28 non-UMNO seats.

UMNO and Barisan Nasional, in particular the UMNO leaders and their cronies, are under threat and fighting a life-and-death struggle, but this cannot be equated to Malays and Islam coming under threat and facing a life-and-death struggle.

Malay political power, Malays as Prime Minister, the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation of Malaysia as provided under Article 3 of the Constitution, the position of Malay Rulers, Article 152 on Bahasa Malaysia and the other languages and Article 153 on the special position of the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interest of other communities are not and have never been under threat or facing any life-and-death struggle.

Struggle for democracy in Malaysia

Malaysia has come very close to have the first change of power at the federal power, which is in fact an important test whether democracy is healthy and alive in Malaysia!

Just as 10 years ago, nobody would have dared to dream and hope that only two per cent of voter shift from UMNO/BN would have led to UMNO/BN being ushered out of federal power in Putrajaya after being the sole coalition to form the Malaysian Government for nearly six decades, nobody can predict what would happen in the next 14GE whether held in 2017 or 2018.

Would Pakatan Rakyat comprising PKR, PAS and DAP be around in the 14 GE to lead the charge to bring about the first catalytic change in federal power in Putrajaya?

I personally pray and hope so – that Pakatan Rakyat will be around to build on the momentum of the 13th General Elections to create the two per cent shift of vote from Umno/BN to bring about the first catalytic change of federal government in the 14 GE.

But if you ask me whether I can categorically say that the tripartite Pakatan Rakyat will be around to fight the 14GE, I cannot answer you as I do not know.

It is no secret that things have not been well in Pakatan Rakyat, and this is why the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council has not been able to meet for over six months to reaffirm Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy framework and the consensus principle which are the two key prerequisites to save PR and restore public confidence in it.

I have no doubt that Malaysians, the majority of whom voted PR and rejected UMNO/BN, want to continue to support PR and they want to see PR replace BN as the new federal government in Putrajaya in the 14GE – but this is only on the proviso that PR keeps faith with Malaysians to give top priority to the PR common policy framework and consensus.

If this PR common policy framework and consensus is breached, as on the issue of hudud, a heavy political price will have to be paid by Pakatan Rakyat and all the three component parties, including PAS, in terms of popular voter support as well in parliamentary and state assembly seats, but most important of all, in public confidence. -The Rocket