Najib is missing in action to many Pakatan leaders
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Pakatan Rakyat leaders have mocked Datuk Seri Najib Razak for “pulling a Pak Lah”, claiming the prime minister appears frightened to speak out against the recent slew of racially-charged incidents.
The leaders claimed that Najib’s elegant silence was reminiscent of his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time when the former premier allegedly “feared” his own men in Umno, thus allowing them to run wild with their assertions.
They also banded together in their call on Najib to break his silence and condemn the racially-charged incidents, citing fears that his failure to speak out would encourage others to incite racial hatred.
“His silence only vindicates my claim that his greatest enemy is his own party. Just like what it was to Pak Lah so now, he is pulling a Pak Lah. I am seeing Najib going down that alley now because he seems to be in the same mode.
“He fears to reject his own party’s ethnic-based politics so he just keeps quiet, elegantly muted,” PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider.
He added that it was an “understatement” to say that Najib feared repercussions from his own Umno leaders if he chose to put his foot down on the issues.
Dr Dzulkefly was commenting on Najib’s silence on the recent onslaught of racially-charged incidences like the purportedly racial statements uttered by two educators and the ongoing spat between Malay rights groups like Perkasa and the MCA.
The two school principals, one in Johor and another in Kedah, had allegedly insulted the non-Malays by calling on the Chinese to return to China. In the Johor case, the school principal had also likened the Indians to “dogs” when they wore their prayer strings.
Another racial storm was kicked up when Malay rights groups Perkasa and the Malay Consultative Council (MPM) called for the arrest of MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek for calling for the removal of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target.
Earlier, Dr Chua also came at odds with Umno and was slammed for pushing hard for his party’s demands on the issue.
PKR chief strategist Chua Tian Chang concurred with his PR colleague and told The Malaysian Insider that Najib’s silence was symptomatic of the past, adding that the premier was looking “more and more like Pak Lah” each day.
“I get this impression.... He is looking more and more like Pak Lah in those days when he was so disorientated, disorganised and unable to get the entire Cabinet or his leaders to back his decisions.
“It looks like Najib himself is unable to protect something that was his direction for the country,” he said when contacted.
Chua also claimed that Najib was trying to push his “grand concepts” of the New Economic Model and 1 Malaysia to the people without first convincing his own team of men.
“Actually, he does not even have his own team, whether within the Barisan Nasional or even worse, within Umno.
“Right now, it seems he has merely ended up singing solo and now other groups have taken the opportunity to become popular out of this situation,” he said.
He claimed Najib was frightened of offending anyone, whether his party men or Malay rights groups like Perkasa or the MPM, for he was more worried of his position within Umno than his overall nationwide appeal.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke agreed that Najib had failed to drill his policies into the minds of his own leaders.
“Even though he has thrown out his 1 Malaysia, it is not understood by his own people, by his Umno leaders or even the civil servants.
“And the fact that even Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had to mention to the Chinese papers that this 1 Malaysia should not be a solo affair, clearly reflects that even within Umno, Najib has no support for his 1 Malaysia,” he said.
The leaders also expressed fear that Najib’s continued silence would only result in further incidents, which would ultimately cause further racial discord in the country.
“At the rate he is going, I am sure many more right wing groups will up the ante, keep pushing and provoking the racial peace of the country to the maximum.
“His failure as the Prime Minister to put his foot down and stop all this nonsense will only give a signal to these groups to keep going,” said Loke.
He added that Najib’s silence could also be misconstrued as his acceptance of such acts of racism.
“I think that keeping silent is no longer an option. If he wants to succeed, he has to put his feet down and stop all this extremism,” he said.
Dzulkefly agreed that Najib’s silence would encourage others.
“People would feel encouraged to do so because they would think they have the government’s support. They may even think of Najib as their custodian. It will be like that and then what? Where will we go from here?
“To me, it is very serious, all this racial slurs and acts of racism,” he said.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said that Najib needed to provide leadership to the people, instead of being seen as condoning such extremism.
“Is he condoning these extremism, this spread of irresponsible politics of race and religion. His failure to do so would lead the country into a storm,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
The PR leaders however also suggested that the recent racial issues were a part of the Prime Minister’s grand plan on how to win the Malay vote.
“The fact that he is not doing anything, shows that he is not only enjoying it but he is also thinking that there will be an advantage for him in all this. Perhaps he is playing to the Malay gallery,” said Dzulkefly.
He added that if so, this would be Najib’s “well-contrived” but “malicious and diabolical” strategy to win over the hearts of the Malays.
“It must be a part of his game plan — to embroil the nation in this kind of divide and then suddenly swoop down as the saviour by perhaps invoking the Internal Security Act and rounding us all up,” he said.
Dzulkefly however pointed out that as the Prime Minister, Najib needed to make a good judgement call, instead of trying to be popular.
Chua said that from the beginning, Najib could have already consented to such a “dichotomous” approach to win votes.
“He might have been the one to suggest to Perkasa to play up their views while he attempts to bring in his 1 Malaysia rhetoric to gain the non-Malay vote. It could be a strategic move but he did not succeed — his part of the show was less convincing and instead of being a Prime Minister for all, he looks like he is allowing the extremists to push through their agenda,” he said.
Chua added that Najib’s game plan had only succeeded in confusing his own leaders.
“No one knows the official line — is Perkasa’s view the overall government’s position?” he said.
He claimed that even MCA was confused, which was why the Chinese-based partner to Umno was acting like Perkasa by trying to push for their demands as if they were outside of the BN framework.
MI
24/08/10
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Pakatan Rakyat leaders have mocked Datuk Seri Najib Razak for “pulling a Pak Lah”, claiming the prime minister appears frightened to speak out against the recent slew of racially-charged incidents.
The leaders claimed that Najib’s elegant silence was reminiscent of his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time when the former premier allegedly “feared” his own men in Umno, thus allowing them to run wild with their assertions.
They also banded together in their call on Najib to break his silence and condemn the racially-charged incidents, citing fears that his failure to speak out would encourage others to incite racial hatred.
“His silence only vindicates my claim that his greatest enemy is his own party. Just like what it was to Pak Lah so now, he is pulling a Pak Lah. I am seeing Najib going down that alley now because he seems to be in the same mode.
“He fears to reject his own party’s ethnic-based politics so he just keeps quiet, elegantly muted,” PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider.
He added that it was an “understatement” to say that Najib feared repercussions from his own Umno leaders if he chose to put his foot down on the issues.
Dr Dzulkefly was commenting on Najib’s silence on the recent onslaught of racially-charged incidences like the purportedly racial statements uttered by two educators and the ongoing spat between Malay rights groups like Perkasa and the MCA.
The two school principals, one in Johor and another in Kedah, had allegedly insulted the non-Malays by calling on the Chinese to return to China. In the Johor case, the school principal had also likened the Indians to “dogs” when they wore their prayer strings.
Another racial storm was kicked up when Malay rights groups Perkasa and the Malay Consultative Council (MPM) called for the arrest of MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek for calling for the removal of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target.
Earlier, Dr Chua also came at odds with Umno and was slammed for pushing hard for his party’s demands on the issue.
PKR chief strategist Chua Tian Chang concurred with his PR colleague and told The Malaysian Insider that Najib’s silence was symptomatic of the past, adding that the premier was looking “more and more like Pak Lah” each day.
“I get this impression.... He is looking more and more like Pak Lah in those days when he was so disorientated, disorganised and unable to get the entire Cabinet or his leaders to back his decisions.
“It looks like Najib himself is unable to protect something that was his direction for the country,” he said when contacted.
Chua also claimed that Najib was trying to push his “grand concepts” of the New Economic Model and 1 Malaysia to the people without first convincing his own team of men.
“Actually, he does not even have his own team, whether within the Barisan Nasional or even worse, within Umno.
“Right now, it seems he has merely ended up singing solo and now other groups have taken the opportunity to become popular out of this situation,” he said.
He claimed Najib was frightened of offending anyone, whether his party men or Malay rights groups like Perkasa or the MPM, for he was more worried of his position within Umno than his overall nationwide appeal.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke agreed that Najib had failed to drill his policies into the minds of his own leaders.
“Even though he has thrown out his 1 Malaysia, it is not understood by his own people, by his Umno leaders or even the civil servants.
“And the fact that even Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had to mention to the Chinese papers that this 1 Malaysia should not be a solo affair, clearly reflects that even within Umno, Najib has no support for his 1 Malaysia,” he said.
The leaders also expressed fear that Najib’s continued silence would only result in further incidents, which would ultimately cause further racial discord in the country.
“At the rate he is going, I am sure many more right wing groups will up the ante, keep pushing and provoking the racial peace of the country to the maximum.
“His failure as the Prime Minister to put his foot down and stop all this nonsense will only give a signal to these groups to keep going,” said Loke.
He added that Najib’s silence could also be misconstrued as his acceptance of such acts of racism.
“I think that keeping silent is no longer an option. If he wants to succeed, he has to put his feet down and stop all this extremism,” he said.
Dzulkefly agreed that Najib’s silence would encourage others.
“People would feel encouraged to do so because they would think they have the government’s support. They may even think of Najib as their custodian. It will be like that and then what? Where will we go from here?
“To me, it is very serious, all this racial slurs and acts of racism,” he said.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said that Najib needed to provide leadership to the people, instead of being seen as condoning such extremism.
“Is he condoning these extremism, this spread of irresponsible politics of race and religion. His failure to do so would lead the country into a storm,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
The PR leaders however also suggested that the recent racial issues were a part of the Prime Minister’s grand plan on how to win the Malay vote.
“The fact that he is not doing anything, shows that he is not only enjoying it but he is also thinking that there will be an advantage for him in all this. Perhaps he is playing to the Malay gallery,” said Dzulkefly.
He added that if so, this would be Najib’s “well-contrived” but “malicious and diabolical” strategy to win over the hearts of the Malays.
“It must be a part of his game plan — to embroil the nation in this kind of divide and then suddenly swoop down as the saviour by perhaps invoking the Internal Security Act and rounding us all up,” he said.
Dzulkefly however pointed out that as the Prime Minister, Najib needed to make a good judgement call, instead of trying to be popular.
Chua said that from the beginning, Najib could have already consented to such a “dichotomous” approach to win votes.
“He might have been the one to suggest to Perkasa to play up their views while he attempts to bring in his 1 Malaysia rhetoric to gain the non-Malay vote. It could be a strategic move but he did not succeed — his part of the show was less convincing and instead of being a Prime Minister for all, he looks like he is allowing the extremists to push through their agenda,” he said.
Chua added that Najib’s game plan had only succeeded in confusing his own leaders.
“No one knows the official line — is Perkasa’s view the overall government’s position?” he said.
He claimed that even MCA was confused, which was why the Chinese-based partner to Umno was acting like Perkasa by trying to push for their demands as if they were outside of the BN framework.
MI
24/08/10
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