by Charles Santiago
Perkasa’s notorious chief, Ibrahim Ali, has once again leapt to his feet to extend support to the rowdyism demonstrated by UMNO Youth in Penang. Why Ibrahim, one may ask. It’s because a political dispute has been caricatured as a slur on the Malays. And Ibrahim is a self-styled leader of the Malay community.
I am not defending RSN Rayer’s “UMNO celaka” remarks. But tempers flare and words fly in heated arguments, whether they are at state assembly sittings or Parliament. However, taking it out of context to mean an insult to the Malays and Islam is stretching it, yet again, for political mileage.
UMNO Youth stormed the state assembly building looking for Rayer and has threatened to burn down the DAP HQ if there is a repeat of the incident.
Most people learn from their mistakes. UMNO bully boys don’t. They are yet to realize that issuing threats, passing inflammatory remarks, indulging in the play of religion and race on politics plus gangsterism have contributed to the Malays distancing themselves from the ruling party.
Maybe it’s accumulated anger, which started brewing when DyanaSofyaMohdDaud was nominated as the Parliamentary candidate for the TelukIntan by-election. It shocked UMNO and then rattled them.
Going by UMNO’s racist politics, it is unfathomable to see Dyana’s face on a DAP banner. To their mind, she can only be their poster girl – a Malay candidate from a Malay party.
This is of course in direct contrast to Prime Minister NajibRazak’s call for national integration through racial unity. Parroting the premier, UMNO leaders have thumped their chest during fiery speeches that second Najib’s “People First” campaign, which seemingly cuts across racial and religious lines.
But their own rhetoric failed them in TelukIntan.
UMNO leaders condemned Dyana and called her ungrateful. Even her mother was not spared when former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad attempted to give Dyana’s mum parenting tips, chiding her for not raising Dyana to support UMNO.
And in a recent salvo, IkatanMuslimin Malaysia (ISMA) has called Dyana a “cheap candy” that is being used by the DAP to fish for Malay votes.
ISMA leaders have been hogging the media for their insane statements, cleverly crafted to give the impression that the Malays and Islam are under attack by non-Muslims, especially the Chinese. And yet, they have no qualms slandering Dyana.
It’s therefore clear that UMNO, ISMA, Ibrahim Ali and the likes are only interested in entrenching their political position and power using race and religion as trump cards.
There are many crucial issues crippling Malaysia and affecting the daily life of her people – abuse of power, sliding economy, increasing crime, a deteriorating school system, rampant corruption, and rising food prices, to name a few.
Instead of finding durable solutions to these pressing issues, UMNO leaders and those who have jumped on the bandwagon are stirring racial and religious sentiments, to keep a tighter grip on power.
Clearly, a loss in UMNO legitimacy as the protectors of the Malays is resulting in violence, intimidation and vilification.
So Dyana gets vilified and regular political fights are fashioned to insult Malays and Islam.
Unperturbed by challenges faced by the people, the government happily gives Malaysia My Second Home certificates to two pandas and houses them in a 25-million ringgit complex.
And after all this, UMNO leaders sit and wonder why they are losing the support of the people and especially the Malays.
