`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Singapore daily says Najib, Umno badly bruised by Bersih crackdown


July 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Analysts say that Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno have emerged badly bruised as a result of the use of excessive force to block the Bersih rally, the Singapore Straits Times reported in a commentary today.

The analysts also added that Malaysian society has been polarised by the country’s divisive politics as clearly demonstrated when thousands braved a security lockdown of Kuala Lumpur.

A section of the thousands who braved the lockdown to participate in the rally. — File pic
The commentary states that what began as a call for electoral reform by Bersih has grown to mean something more, particularly in the face of furious attacks against it by Utusan Malaysia and Perkasa, and in turn the Bersih rally has become a proxy for those in Malaysia who want to break away from the old system of race-based politics.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Center, told the Straits Times that “the incredulity of the government’s response with fear, the banning of yellow T-shirts and linking the movement to communism has further distanced the government from voters, particularly the younger electorate.”

Dr Bridget Welsh, associate professor of political science at the Singapore Management University, added: “There is no question that the government lost a large chunk of support from the multi-ethnic middle ground and chattering classes.”

Barisan Nasional also staged a march on the same day. That march, however, only comprised Umno’s Youth wing and numbered in the hundreds.

The Bersih rally still amounted to a setback for Najib even though the turnout was not as big as its organisers had hoped.

The commentary also states that the challenge now for the government is to figure out how to claw back the support of disenchanted voters and how Najib manages inter-racial tensions while trying to woo back voters from across the ethnic divide will be a big challenge in the months ahead.

The deepening divide within the politically dominant Malay-Muslim community also poses another problem to the Malaysian government as of the thousands who attended the Bersih rally, most were Malays, the Straits Times said.

This high turnout among Malays suggests that the opposition, under Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which focuses on issues such as corruption and good governance, is having an effect on the community’s support for electoral reform and overhauling the security and justice institutions, the daily said.

Malaysia’s voters have become more assertive and as a result, Ibrahim told the Straits Times: “The Malaysian government needs to be more imaginative to deal with the changing political environment. Brute force is not a long-term solution; engagement is.”

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.