Time for Muhyiddin to state his stand - is he with Najib or not?

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat leaders ticked off Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, demanding that he makes clear his political stand after raising the spectre of May 13 in recent comments that shocked the country with its aggressive racial overtones and direct contradiction of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s prized 1Malaysia slogan.

They warn that if Umno, the dominant partner in the ruling BN coalition, did not get its act together, it would further chase away investors, who have already been fleeing the country contributing to an 81 percent plunge in Malaysia’s foreign direct investments in 2009.

“As far as I can remember, the spectre of May 13 has never been invoked by previous Deputy Prime Ministers in the past four decades,” DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in a press statement.

“What should be the cause of concern to all - including potential investors whether local or foreign - is the resort to May 13- talk or threat in political discourses even during the Merdeka Month celebrations.”

Make it clear and walk the talk

Malaysia will celebrate 53 years of Merdeka or independence from British rule on August 31. But even so, nation-building efforts have failed to unite the various ethnic groups and racism has now become entrenched in the Malaysian society.

Through the decades, academicians, business groups and pundits from various fields have urged the BN, in particular Umno, to unite the country instead of pursuing policies that deliberately aimed to divide the various ethnic group so as to enable
it to consolidate its grip on power.

“Malaysians are sick and tired of this racist talk which has become more alarming by the day. They are also confused. On one hand PM Najib talks about 1Malaysia and a rosy future for all Malaysians. The next moment DPM Muhyiddin thrashes it – so which is which, who do they follow?” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“The time has come for Muhyiddin to explain where he stands – with Najib and 1Malaysia or with Perkasa and Mahathir. If he ignores, then it behoves Najib to ask his deputy where is his loyalty and make sure that he toes the line. Malaysia will be torn apart if the PM moves in one way and the DPM the opposite.”

Differentiating himself

In a bid to differentiate himself from his boss, Muhyiddin has chosen to take the easiest route and one that is frequently used by politicians – that of being a race and religious champion. He has chosen to hunt with the hawks in Umno, which include former premier Mahathir Mohamad who is also the patron of ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa.

So far, their faction has managed to swing initial support from the Malays but as they become more extreme and strident in both rhetoric and deeds, it is unclear if their popularity will sustain. Already, prominent leaders from business groups – both Malay and non-Malay – have appealed to Najib to put an end to it.

“At the rate things are escalating, someone will be lodging a police report for sedition against Najib for unveiling the New Economic Model on March 31 for its proposal for the fifth Strategic‘Reform Initiative which is a transparent right-wing and market-friendly affirmative action,” Kit Siang said.

Who's in charge - anyone at all?

Currently, the New Economic Policy is the driver behind the BN government’s handling of the economy. The NEP’s original aims were to eradicate poverty regardless of ethnicities but through the years, especially during the Mahathir era, it has become ‘adapted’ to promote Malay rights through special affirmative action.

Yet many of the ordinary Malay folk say they have not benefited from this policy and slam the Umno elite for hiding behind special rights as a pretext to enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

Najib, who came to power in April 2009, has unveiled a 1Malaysia plan that aims to unify the races. He has also promised a New Economic Model or NEM to replace the NEP. However, his efforts to implement both have been curtailed by the Umno hawks including his own DPM.

“The escalation of race politics when Najib is proclaiming his 1Malaysia policy raises disturbing questions about whether he is serious about the 1Malaysia slogan or whether he is really in full charge of his administration. This is a matter which warrants the serious attention of all political leaders and the Malaysian citizenry,” Kit Siang said.