Guan Eng spat: Najib, Muhyiddin fail to rise above racial lines

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin were unable to rise above racial lines, opting to support Nik Ali Mat Yunus, the Penang state development officer who had publicly called Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng biadap or uncouth.

“This is further proof that racial overtones are involved. If Najib and Muhyiddin were strictly basing their views on professional conduct, then why didn’t they speak up when former Selangor chief minister Khir Toyo gave the Broom Awards to under-performing civil servants,” DAP leader Gobind Singh Deo told Malaysia Chronicle.

National news agency Bernama had reported Najib as having 'reproached' Guan Eng for chiding Nik Ali, saying that the federal Cabinet could not accept the way he had hit out at the officer to the extent that he had tarnished the latter's image.

Further confirmation of racial bias despite 1Malaysia

Indeed, many in the Chinese community had anticipated this reaction from the PM and DPM, which pundits say underscores the how polarized Malaysian society has become after five decades of Umno-BN rule.

Ethnic unhappiness and racism are never far from the surface in Malaysia, thanks to the deliberate race-based policies that Najib’s Umno has introduced to spook Malay insecurity for its own political gains.

“This is exactly what the Chinese community had expected and it is good that they know for sure, nothing has changed despite Najib’s professions of social equality under 1Malaysia,” Batu MP Tian Chua toldMalaysia Chronicle.

“The feeling among the non-Malays is that no matter how righteous, even if it directly contradicts the truth, Najib and Muhyddin won’t have the courage to chastise a Malay person. If this is so, it bodes ill for the future of all Malaysians, especially the Malays, who stand to be hit and corrupted the most by this sort of blindsided, vested-interest politics."

Faced with loss of support, Umno presses race button even harder

Indeed, the Pakatan Rakyat to which both Gobind and Tian belong has made tremendous headway since its electoral success in the 2008 general elections. Pundits attribute its fast-growing popularity to the non-racial policies it adopts. Even PAS has supported a governance style that prioritizes needs rather than the color of one’s skin - which it has often reiterated to Umno is decreed under Islamic principles.

“I think the non-Malays know by now how change can never come under Umno regardless of whether Najib or Muhyiddin is in charge. As for the Malays, they can see for themselves how bad and widespread the corruption is, and how progress and professionalism can never be a reality under Umno. Can there be when Umno defends the wrong and the guilty just to enable their own elite to stay in power and enrich themselves further?" asked Tian.

The latest brouhaha broke into the open earlier this week. At an Umno-organized press conference, Nik Ali had used ‘crude’ words to attack the Penang Chief Minister. His boldness was widely perceived to be instigated by Umno, which is trying hard to wrest Malay support from PAS and PKR by playing the role of race-champion.

Nonetheless, Guan Eng hit back, sharply rebuking Nik Ali for his rudeness. His administration has opted to go head to head with the federal government over poorly performing federal officers, even though some of these have hidden behind Umno, causing trouble when taken to task for not doing their work well. Guan Eng also warned Umno-BN was intensifying efforts to discredit and topple the Penang state government.

“It has already happened in Perak. Umno is now actively trying to destabilize Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan. Their main thrust is to fire up PAS – get PAS into a race-championing competition with Umno. They hope to get PAS into trouble with DAP and PKR, and Pakatan as a whole ends up shaken,” Tian said.

Pakatan warns will continue to expose inept federal officers

Pakatan leaders have reiterated their coalition will not shy away from its brand of non-racial politics, confirming that all its state governments would continue to work on the basis of transparency and meritocracy. They also warned they would continue to blow the whistle on inept state officials.

A few years back, ex-Selangor chief minister Khir Toyo had introduced the Broom Awards to push state officers into working harder. Those who failed to meet targets were given brooms. The awards were eventually canceled after the civil servants objected, arguing that they felt humiliated.

“The broom is not meant to shame the officer but it is a reminder that the government wants all departments to buck up and improve to become results-oriented,” Khir had then said.

“Obviously, double standards are involved, but we will press on and expose all the federal officers who don’t buck up. We won’t keep quiet. The citizens are entitled to the best service, why should we spend taxpayers’ money on people who don’t work or perform,” Gobind said.