UALA LUMPUR: Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today suggested that perhaps his protege Najib Tun Razak is pandering towards the non-Malays, instead of protecting his own race.
In a blog posting, he said Umno's inability to defend the Malays from Chinese attacks has led them to form NGOs like Perkasa.
Mahathir's comments come amidst speculation that certain quarters in Umno are uncomfortable with Najib's all-inclusive policies, with some even suggesting that a mutiny could be brewing.
“We hear a lot about demands by Chinese extremists questioning the provision of Malay special rights in the constitution, demanding an end to the NEP, reduction of quotas for Malay students.
“They even say the Malays are also 'kaum pendatang' or immigrants. An article even claims that there is no such thing as a Malay race,” said the former premier.
Despite this, Mahathir said, Umno remained silent.
However, he said that the party chose to suspend an Umno member who labelled the Chinese and Indians as descendants of immigrants.
“It seems to many Malays that Umno is incapable of countering the attacks by Chinese extremists against the Malays,” he added.
Race politics is dangerous
In view of this, Mahathir said NGOs like Perkasa feel compelled to rebut the racist statements by the Chinese, but when they do so, they are labelled as racist instead.
The former Umno president reminded Barisan Nasional that it lost many seats in the 2008 general election.
“Where it won, the margins are very small. If a few hundred Malays decide not to vote BN, even the seats that it had won would be lost in the next general election,” he said.
According to Mahathir, Umno and the government are facing a dilemma.
“In trying to win over the Chinese with allocations and abolishing NEP provisions, the BN will lose Malay support as it did in 2008.
“On the other hand, no matter how the government tries to satisfy Chinese demands, the Chinese have clearly rejected BN,” he said, noting that Chinese parties BN are also in a crisis.
Mahathir also dismissed Pakatan Rakyat as not a viable alternative, saying it has shown no capacity to rule.
He also underscored the danger of playing race politics.
“This country may find itself being governed by a weak government. There will be more politicking and more racial conflicts.
“There will be instability and chaos. Then everyone, whatever race he may be, will suffer. The choice is ours,” he said.
'Umno is trying to reform'
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) political scientist Sivamurugan Pandian said Umno is trying to reform according to the current political landscape.
“Maybe what it's trying to do is to bring back the core supporters who cast votes against it in 2008. To win back these traditional supporters shows a sense of leadership in Umno,” he told FMT.
“Although Mahathir says that Umno is not protecting Malays rights, in the current situation maybe Najib is trying to show a sense of leadership first before moving on to other issues,” he added.
Sivamurugan said NGOs should play a check and balance role, instead of becoming a political power.
“Let political parties remain political parties and NGOs remain NGOs. At the end of the day, the government is the one who will be able to implement all the policies,” he added.
As for the Chinese, the academic said the community is shifting towards opposition parties because the Chinese-based parties in BN are not displaying leadership.
“When they fail to see the leadership that they want, they will always show rejection of the parties for not protecting their rights.
“What the Chinese want does not pertain to development but to a leader who can protect their rights and is responsible to the people,” he added.
08/05/10
In a blog posting, he said Umno's inability to defend the Malays from Chinese attacks has led them to form NGOs like Perkasa.
Mahathir's comments come amidst speculation that certain quarters in Umno are uncomfortable with Najib's all-inclusive policies, with some even suggesting that a mutiny could be brewing.
“We hear a lot about demands by Chinese extremists questioning the provision of Malay special rights in the constitution, demanding an end to the NEP, reduction of quotas for Malay students.
“They even say the Malays are also 'kaum pendatang' or immigrants. An article even claims that there is no such thing as a Malay race,” said the former premier.
Despite this, Mahathir said, Umno remained silent.
However, he said that the party chose to suspend an Umno member who labelled the Chinese and Indians as descendants of immigrants.
“It seems to many Malays that Umno is incapable of countering the attacks by Chinese extremists against the Malays,” he added.
Race politics is dangerous
In view of this, Mahathir said NGOs like Perkasa feel compelled to rebut the racist statements by the Chinese, but when they do so, they are labelled as racist instead.
The former Umno president reminded Barisan Nasional that it lost many seats in the 2008 general election.
“Where it won, the margins are very small. If a few hundred Malays decide not to vote BN, even the seats that it had won would be lost in the next general election,” he said.
According to Mahathir, Umno and the government are facing a dilemma.
“In trying to win over the Chinese with allocations and abolishing NEP provisions, the BN will lose Malay support as it did in 2008.
“On the other hand, no matter how the government tries to satisfy Chinese demands, the Chinese have clearly rejected BN,” he said, noting that Chinese parties BN are also in a crisis.
Mahathir also dismissed Pakatan Rakyat as not a viable alternative, saying it has shown no capacity to rule.
He also underscored the danger of playing race politics.
“This country may find itself being governed by a weak government. There will be more politicking and more racial conflicts.
“There will be instability and chaos. Then everyone, whatever race he may be, will suffer. The choice is ours,” he said.
'Umno is trying to reform'
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) political scientist Sivamurugan Pandian said Umno is trying to reform according to the current political landscape.
“Maybe what it's trying to do is to bring back the core supporters who cast votes against it in 2008. To win back these traditional supporters shows a sense of leadership in Umno,” he told FMT.
“Although Mahathir says that Umno is not protecting Malays rights, in the current situation maybe Najib is trying to show a sense of leadership first before moving on to other issues,” he added.
Sivamurugan said NGOs should play a check and balance role, instead of becoming a political power.
“Let political parties remain political parties and NGOs remain NGOs. At the end of the day, the government is the one who will be able to implement all the policies,” he added.
As for the Chinese, the academic said the community is shifting towards opposition parties because the Chinese-based parties in BN are not displaying leadership.
“When they fail to see the leadership that they want, they will always show rejection of the parties for not protecting their rights.
“What the Chinese want does not pertain to development but to a leader who can protect their rights and is responsible to the people,” he added.
08/05/10
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