Clueless about honour and self-respect

Senior Minister Nazri Aziz is clueless about the Chinese psyche.

COMMENT

On one hand you have a senior Umno Minister Nazri Aziz declaring that he will fight tooth and nail to ensure Chinese representation in a Barisan Nasional (BN) government even if the MCA or Gerakan fails to secure a single parliamentary seat in the coming polls.

On the other hand you have MCA leaders who are embracing ‘honour’ and are adamant about staying out of Cabinet if they don’t make the grade at the 13th general election.

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek has already said that if MCA fails to win at least 15 parliamentary and 31 state seats, the party will not accept any Cabinet posts in the next government.

Is this a threat or an outpouring of hopelessness or a declaration of honour-infused selfless act?

Nazri has likened this to a threat to the Chinese community, lamenting that many of his ethnic Chinese friends had approached him with complaints.

This is a problem with our ministers. Having been too long in power, they get intoxicated by it and it de-sensitizes them.

They don’t understand honour and self-respect. Its honour, not a threat, dear minister Nazri.

Perhaps MCA vice-president Chor Chee Heung can recommend that Nazri read some of the Chinese classics about self-respect and honour?

Clueless Nazri

It is to the credit of the MCA leadership to remain firm on its stand to stay out of the Cabinet should the party fare worse than it did in the 2008 general election.

MCA has insisted that this is out of respect for the Chinese community and not to “punish” them. Obviously Nazri doesn’t understand the Chinese mind.

Nazri said that BN would not “punish” the Chinese voters by simply yanking their representatives from Cabinet posts if they refused to vote for the two Chinese-centric component parties.

Nazri is assuming that BN will retain its power post the 13th GE. But that’s typical of Nazri. You can’t help but cringe and grimace at his self-conceit.

He thinks only Gerakan and MCA represent the Chinese voters? But then, Nazri has never been known for his cerebral statements.

He’s more of the swashbuckling type – the make things up as you go along type. It hasn’t struck him – what if we have a new government?

Chinese have options

Well, the Chinese can forget MCA because they are going to be vigorously represented by DAP and PKR.

Nazri has inadvertently acknowledged that the Chinese have another party of choice.

That will be the DAP. By saying that, you direct Chinese attention and also that of non-Chinese to examine the DAP personality.

Those who assailed DAP as being a carbon copy of Singapore’s PAP seem to ignore the fact, that these two parties have lived worlds and time apart.

PAP has evolved into an imperial party while the DAP, to its credit retains the image of a no frills carry on ploughing political party.

I have never been acquainted to the inner dynamics of how the DAP functions but had an opportunity recently when I was fortunate to be invited to a social gathering organised by the party during the recent fasting month.

No gimmicks

Here’s a few personal account observations:-

The first thing that strikes you is the minimalist approach which I think is almost a doctrine in DAP. It’s all business.

Here you come to do only political business. No artificial gimmicks.

You come dressed simply to work. You have a simple makan, engage in minimal small talks and then adjourned to do what is demanded on the agenda of the day.

No singing, no show time by invited artists, no handing out hampers.

You are quickly made conscious, that this is a party of the serious minded, do work- get results people.

What does that tell you?

It tells you that this party can sapu all the Chinese votes.

And if it pragmatically leavens its ethnic image, it can even entice support from non-Chinese.

My point then is that the Chinese will have their representatives – the majority in DAP and the rest in PKR – irrespective of Nazri’s conceited views are.

This excerpt is from the writer’s blog sakmongkolak47. The writer is a FMT columnist.