The 3R program

The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Those Malaysians as old as me will probably remember the 3R program and the 3M team. 3M were Mahathir, Musa and Murad: the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and DG of Education. 3R was the program to focus on reading, riting and rithmestic. Now you know why the program failed. Writing is ‘w’ and arithmentic is ‘a’. So it should have been called the WAR program instead.

Anyway, a team has been set up to launch a new 3R program. The brains behind this program are Dato Othman Razak, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, Dato Wan Ahmad of the Elections Commission, Dato Kamarudin Baria, Dato Tajuddin Wahab, Rahman Dahlan, Harun Che Su, Misri Barham and a few other sleaze balls.

But no, this team it is not to teach school children how to read, rite and rithmetic. This new 3R program is Royalty, Religion and Race.

The plan is: how do they make sure that the Malays will swing back to Umno? They need to make sure that they get at least 60% or more of the Malay votes because they expect at least 80% or more of the Chinese votes to swing to the opposition with maybe 50% or so of the Indian votes. So they need the Malay votes to stay in power.

So they launch the 3R program and make Malays and Chinese fight over royalty, race and religion. And this Saturday’s ‘one million man march’ is just one of many things they are doing. They raised the hudud issue and everyone jumped in to fight over the matter. They raised the ‘who is the hero and who is the treacherous Communist’ issue and, again, everyone jumped in and started fighting. Then they raided the church and got the Sultan to make a statement since he is head of religion in the state.

They know that Malaysians are very emotional and irrational. Malaysians also do not know how to engage. They only know how to curse, swear and insult. So all they need to do is to raise one sensitive issue and sit back and watch Malaysians fight each other.

The Muslims will start quoting verses from the Koran and the non-Muslims will scream, “Go fuck your Islam!” Christians will quote what Jesus said and will quote passages from the Bible. It is so easy to make Malaysians fight. It is like taking candy from a baby.

So far the plan is working well. Just be reading the comments in Malaysia Today alone are enough to measure this success. Malays and non-Malays are really hammering each other in the name of Bangsa, Negara dan Agama.

Umno has come a long way since Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister. People ask me why I admire Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad so much. Simple! Dr Mahathir is a master politician and I am seeing him play Malaysians and the opposition for suckers each and every time, and win. It is fantastic how he can manipulate Malaysians and they not only fall for it but also do not realise they are suckers.

According to Umno, the non-Malay vote is critical. Even Johor, which remained the bastion of Barisan Nasional in the 2008 general election, is now shaky. They estimated that about 60% or more of the Chinese vote in Johor may swing to the opposition.

Umno also estimated that if in Sabah and Sarawak the opposition engages in a one-to-one fight, Barisan Nasional is going to lose quite a number of seats there. 20 parliament seats from the 57 is not unrealistic.

So they must make sure that there are many three-corner or four-corner fights in East Malaysia. Then the opposition will not be able to win even five seats. And they must make sure that the Malays become pissed with the Chinese, and vice versa. Then the Malays will vote for Umno. Only then can Barisan Nasional be assured of forming the next government.

Actually, Najib and his team of advisers are very clever. And I must say I take my hat off to them. They are playing Pakatan Rakyat and Malaysians for suckers and it is working at every turn. The 3R program appears to be a success.