DAP’s Marina Ibrahim: Party may suffer setback in efforts to court Malays following Sarawak Dapsy’s Kuching road sign controversy

Sarawak Dapsy came under fire from various groups after it pasted stickers in Chinese characters on several road signs in the city recently. ― Picture via Facebook/DAP Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — The recent actions of Sarawak DAP’s Socialist Youth (Dapsy) wing in placing Chinese characters on signboards in Kuching has come under criticism from some party members.

An example would be the publicity secretary of Johor DAP’s Women wing, Marina Ibrahim, who said doing so will erode the trust of the party’s Malay members.

Describing it as “unreasonable”, she added such actions could jeopardise DAP’s efforts to court Malay support.

“Everyone, including DAP leaders, should be cautious when expressing their views or decisions, and take into account the sensitivities of other races, including the Malays,” Marina said in an exclusive interview published by Utusan Malaysia today.

She said that as DAP’s leadership has faced similar situations before; they are now more perceptive to the views of rank-and-file members, including its Malay members.

“For me, Dapsy ought not to have acted based on emotions to the point that it disregarded the law, since what they did to the road signs is an offence under local authorities’ laws and regulations.

“As a result of their actions, the efforts by other Malay members and myself in winning Malay trust have been affected. It is not easy to win the trust of some, which can be so easily destroyed with one baseless action or statement,” Marina said.

Sarawak Dapsy came under fire from various groups after it pasted stickers in Chinese characters on several road signs in the city on Thursday, justifying it by saying they would be helpful to tourists from China.

During her interview, the 32-year-old Kluang local also touched on other subjects, including the use of Jawi in schools.

“The issue of Jawi script should not be polemicised by anyone, including DAP’s leadership. Although they have the freedom to voice their opinions, they need to consider the sensitivities of all and sundry.

“I myself explained the matter to them during the monthly dialogue programme where leaders hear the views of the grassroots, where I said learning Jawi did not mean Islamisation. This in turn led to greater understanding,” she said.

Marina also sought to debunk the perception among the Malays that DAP is a Chinese-centric party, adding that this is untrue.

“I considered this assumption to be a challenge; hence, this is why I joined the party in 2015. But over time, I came to see such claims were untrue.

“Should such perceptions continue, what will happen in the end? With each passing day racial issues are on the rise. It is already 2020 but we have not resolved them, and instead things are intensifying,” she said. - malaymail