A GOOD LESSON FOR 1MELAYU: Chinese don't need CORRUPT RM30 dinners, they just want THEIR FAIR RIGHTS

KUALA LUMPUR — A senior Umno leader today defended the call for 1Melayu by delegates at the party's on-going general assembly, saying that the party “should not forget its roots”.

Party vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said that the core of Umno has always been about Malay “survival” and it is only through Malay support that they have remained in power all this while.

“Definitely, the strength of Umno is based on the Malays. Umno should not forget its roots. We need to strengthen... to ensure that not only maintaining (sic) the current support but also increase the number of Malays supporting Umno,” he told journalists when door-stopped at the general assembly.

“There is a need for us to ensure the unity of the Malays, but that is not being racist. The unity of Malays should not be construed as a racist movement.

“If people are united, it is not racism. The same goes for DAP, when they are united, that is not racism because that is their race,” he said, alluding to the strong Chinese base that makes up the opposition party's membership.

Yesterday, a Penang Umno delegate called on the government to replace its 1Malaysia slogan with 1Melayu, since efforts to reach out to Chinese voters were snubbed in the recent 13th General Election.

Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, who spoke during the policy debate, accused the Chinese community of “betraying” the government, saying they were not appreciative despite the amount of money used to woo them in the run-up to the May national polls.

“We shouldn’t shout ‘1 Malaysia’ anymore; what for? We should now shout ‘1 Melayu’ slogan.

“What’s the use of helping them? We did all these things they stab our backs. All that effort... to hold dinners and such with almost RM30 a head,” he said, referring to the many campaign dinners organised by the ruling Barisan Nasional prior to the May 5 general election.

Shafie today, however, said the 1Malaysia slogan - the brainchild of Umno President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2009 - was not a failure as it serves a wider purpose of bringing all Malaysians together.

He said 1Melayu could be viewed as a “sub-branch” of the larger 1Malaysia concept, likening it to just one of many villages found in the country.

“Not to say it didn't work, but it is also a tool, a mechanism where people can be united through working together, (gaining) a better understanding together,” he said, referring to the 1Malaysia concept.

“While we want to enhance Malay strength by uniting them under the roof of Umno, at the same time we should not forget the Chinese, and Indians and other communities,” he added.

Shafie, who also heads Umno's Semporna division in Sabah's east coast, argued that the call for 1Melayu has grown organically from the party's principles, which are embodied by their long-held slogan of “Bersatu, Bersetia, Berkhidmat” or unity, loyalty, to serve.

“It should not be done in a very emotional way. In the context of Umno, 1Melayu is not a foreign approach because it is (about) Malay unity.

“It's just that if we look at the context now, everything done to help the Chinese is racist, you help the Malays its racist, to help the Kadazan is racist, to help the Murut, Iban is racist... we can't do this.

“We need support from everyone, that is undeniable. We have to get support from everyone,” he said.

In the aftermath of the fractious 13th general election that saw BN register its worst-ever electoral result, attempts were made to frame the outcome as the result of a so-called “Chinese tsunami”.

Just two days after the May 5 polls, Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia published on its front page at article titled “Apa Lagi Cina Mahu” (What more do the Chinese want). It also ran editorials accusing the community of undermining Malay political power, despite being given opportunities by the government to earn their riches.

The view was exacerbated when Umno emerged as the biggest winner within BN, winning 88 of the 133 federal seats that the coalition managed to retain in the May 5 polls. Nearly all other component parties registered declines, with the Chinese-based MCA hardest hit.

This led to calls for the country’s dominant Malay community to be rewarded for their show of support and for the BN government to stop courting the Chinese due to their lack of support. - Malay Mail