Has DAP finally condoned Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia? Why? Why out of a sudden DAP plans to reach out to mass and the only way that they can think of is fielding Malay candidates. Malaysian political analyst and avid followers were blanched last week when DAP intended to field Malay candidates in the next general election. Umno top leaders have their own say about this issue.
It all began when Umno vice-president Zahid Hamidi exposed a plan by the DAP to name Malay candidates in several states in the next general election. "They're taking measures to ensure that the candidates (Malays) would be accepted by voters," he told reporters after opening the Masjid Tanah Umno divisional meeting few weeks ago.
Which state? One might ask. As cunning as DAP is, they will surely pick states such as Perak, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. According to Zahid, DAP is hoping to conquer Perak and naming one of its own as mentri besar of the state. The party is also banking on their growing popularity in Melaka after successfully reclaiming Kota Melaka, a seat which the party lost in 2004.
It’s obvious that DAP is fielding Malay candidates as it could not rely on the candidates of its opposition partners, PKR and PAS, to garner the support of the Malays in the next general election. DAP is finally having a go at breaking away from of the convention of fielding Chinese candidates in Chinese-majority constituencies after refraining from contesting in Malay-majority areas all this while.
Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam commented that DAP can field any candidate since Malaysia is a democratic country. He said Melaka Umno machinery is ready to face any DAP candidate, and he is confident that Umno-BN will win the next general election.
Meanwhile, Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin said DAP’s plan is just an attempt to hoodwink the Malays when in reality the party is a chauvinistic party which had never cared about the wellbeing of the Malays. He said DAP was trying to portray themselves as a party that championed the interests of all race when it was not the case.
He further reminded the public to not become disunited just because someone says they will champion their plight.
“We have never heard of the DAP fighting for the Malay cause. In fact, they are only good at disputing policies aimed at helping the Malays,” he said.
He added that, despite only contesting in Chinese-majority areas in elections, the party chose to brand Umno as a racist party.
This was furthest from the truth as Umno and the BN championed the interests of all Malaysians irrespective of race, he added.
What will DAP’s partners respond upon realizing that DAP has its own agenda which does not include them? DAP’s plan will only strengthen itself. This makes PKR and PAS look like they’re merely a stepping stone for DAP to achieve its own political purpose.
Umno supreme council member Noh Omar said that the reported DAP intention to field Malay candidates in the next general election reflects greed and a lack of confidence in its opposition partners. He said the move was probably because it has been stipulated that in several states only Malays could head the government administration.
Zahid also noted that DAP had started a blogsite in Malay after using mainly English and Mandarin to reach out to the people all this while. It seems like this plan of DAP’s was concocted without the knowledge of PAS and PKR. It is public knowledge that the ‘unholy alliance’ is a strategy that is benefitted DAP more than its sidekick.
DAP however claimed that it had right from its founding 45 years ago in 1966 committed itself as a party for all Malaysians and not just for any one race or religion.
According to a media statement issued by party advisor Lim Kit Siang, DAP’s new initiative is to reach out to secure more Malay support to save Malaysia from decline in quality of life, increasing economic inequality, corruption, abuses of power, environmental degradation and worsening international competitiveness is part of the DAP’s founding political struggle to unite Malaysians regardless of race, religion, geography or socioeconomic status in a common patriotic mission to make all Malaysians proud of Malaysia.
The Malaysian public is left wondering and still confused about DAP’s intention. Fielding Malay candidates for the next general election can be seen as a way to break voters’ trust towards Umno. All these while, Umno has been the sole party that is synonymous with Malays.
Is DAP try to take advantage of being the ‘new’ thing for the Malays? Trying to break the tradition of being the sole non-Malays party that is being accepted more and more by the public? It is a common knowledge that a new thing is considered as an ‘in’ thing for Malaysians. Has DAP foreseen the huge of publicity they will get by fielding a Malay candidates for the next general election? Or perhaps this is another propaganda DAP is using just to garner early votes – to implant confidence and faith in them from the voters?
*The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.
