KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 – The controversy surrounding Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s special officer’s alleged racist remarks, made at a 1 Malaysia seminar in Malacca on Monday, illustrates the limits of symbolism in political offensives.
The damage from Datuk Nasir Safar’s remarks appears to have reversed some of the gains made by Najib in his symbolic gestures to win back the Indian community as well as other non-Malays, many of who voted for Pakatan Rakyat parties in Election 2008.
Najib has been making all the right moves from handing out cash to Tamil schools, to offering RM1 billion in unit trusts and meeting the venerated Kalaignar N. Karunanidhi in Chennai and bracing the crowd to visit Batu Caves on the eve of Thaipusam last month.
These symbolic acts are designed to boost his image with the Indian community.
While his symbolic gestures have not put food on the table, they have gone a long way in winning the hearts and minds of Indians in particular.
But in allegedly saying “Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese especially the women came to sell their bodies” Nasir has undone Najib’s carefully-crafted public relations campaign.
“In public he is Prime Minister for all Malaysians but his own officer calls non-Malays immigrants,” PKR secretary-general Saifudin Nasution Ismail told The Malaysian Insider.
Saifudin said the PM cannot remain silent, aside from a brief statement from his office announcing Nasir’s resignation.
“This is clearly a paradox to his 1 Malaysia and coming from a close and loyal friend of the prime minister.”
DAP’s Tony Pua said Nasir has clearly discredited Najib’s 1 Malaysia especially in the eyes of non-Malays.
“I cannot believe Najib has this sort of people at his side after speaking so much about 1 Malaysia since becoming prime minister.”
The PJ Utara MP described Nasir’s remark as “beyond extreme” and said Najib needs to weed out others in his office and in Umno who have the same beliefs.
The immediate action to give Nasir his marching orders may have mitigated some of the damage.
“Najib’s action is immediate and shows his no nonsense manner. He has shown force and direction in resolving the issue,” said MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
“If not, it could have blown up into a major crisis,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
MI
04/02/10
The damage from Datuk Nasir Safar’s remarks appears to have reversed some of the gains made by Najib in his symbolic gestures to win back the Indian community as well as other non-Malays, many of who voted for Pakatan Rakyat parties in Election 2008.
Najib has been making all the right moves from handing out cash to Tamil schools, to offering RM1 billion in unit trusts and meeting the venerated Kalaignar N. Karunanidhi in Chennai and bracing the crowd to visit Batu Caves on the eve of Thaipusam last month.
These symbolic acts are designed to boost his image with the Indian community.
While his symbolic gestures have not put food on the table, they have gone a long way in winning the hearts and minds of Indians in particular.
But in allegedly saying “Indians came to Malaysia as beggars and Chinese especially the women came to sell their bodies” Nasir has undone Najib’s carefully-crafted public relations campaign.
“In public he is Prime Minister for all Malaysians but his own officer calls non-Malays immigrants,” PKR secretary-general Saifudin Nasution Ismail told The Malaysian Insider.
Saifudin said the PM cannot remain silent, aside from a brief statement from his office announcing Nasir’s resignation.
“This is clearly a paradox to his 1 Malaysia and coming from a close and loyal friend of the prime minister.”
DAP’s Tony Pua said Nasir has clearly discredited Najib’s 1 Malaysia especially in the eyes of non-Malays.
“I cannot believe Najib has this sort of people at his side after speaking so much about 1 Malaysia since becoming prime minister.”
The PJ Utara MP described Nasir’s remark as “beyond extreme” and said Najib needs to weed out others in his office and in Umno who have the same beliefs.
The immediate action to give Nasir his marching orders may have mitigated some of the damage.
“Najib’s action is immediate and shows his no nonsense manner. He has shown force and direction in resolving the issue,” said MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
“If not, it could have blown up into a major crisis,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
MI
04/02/10
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