DAP should quit kowtowing to extremists

 

"DAP, once vocal in condemning 'kleptocratic' politics, now chooses silence. Silence for what? For positions in the cabinet.”

- PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari

What was shocking about the “Green Wave’s” recent attacks against DAP was the near silence from the mandarins of Pakatan Harapan when it came to the defence of the largest coalition partner in the unity government.

After all, DAP has been a team player. Remember when its secretary-general Anthony Loke said he would sacrifice anything for Anwar Ibrahim to be prime minister?

“So I wish to put on record, as I said just now, on Nov 22, before Anwar went to Istana Negara, I told him, as long as you can be prime minister, DAP is willing to sacrifice anything, that is my commitment to Anwar,” he had said in 2022.

With Umno in the mix, it has been a nightmare. Umno youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has made it clear what he thinks of DAP.

As someone who has been in his crosshairs, Teresa Kok said, “One dilemma faced by DAP is having to respond to the challenge from Umno, particularly from Akmal, who issues racist statements every week that target DAP.

“If DAP does not respond, we would be seen as a ‘muted’ party by the Chinese and Indian communities.

“However, when we get into loggerheads with Umno and Umno Youth like before, the Malays see us as being rude and racist.”

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

This, of course, is rather bizarre because apparently, DAP still thinks it is better not to confront someone like Akmal because the Malays will think it is rude even though a majority of them have shifted their allegiance to Perikatan Nasional/PAS.

So it is better for these Malays to think of DAP as whipping boys rather than a political party that opposes a theocratic state because God knows, nobody wants to spook the Malays.

These recent attacks by Akmal and the “Green Wave” were humiliating and extreme, but what was made clear was that DAP could not rely on the Madani establishment to counter the extreme attacks of the religious far right.

When Kok was embroiled in the halal certificate fiasco, what did the prime minister, the one that DAP would sacrifice anything for, say?

"There is a problem... regulations are necessary so that Muslims do not feel apprehensive. But if she (Kok) feels that the regulations are not necessary in a certain area, discuss it properly," Anwar had said when Kok raised the matter.

Keep in mind that Kok was only responding to public statements from the religious head of the prime minister’s cabinet.

The fact that Kok is still under investigation is further evidence that any kind of dissent concerning a religious policy which affects non-Muslims would involve state security intervention.

‘Sin of secularism’

Meanwhile, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is linking DAP to the scourge of secularism. Oh, how I wish DAP defended secular principles as enthusiastically as they bend over for Madani.

I would use this platform to defend nearly everything it says and do. It is not as if DAP has not touted its secular pedigree when it suited its purposes.

Loke had previously said that his party need not drop the secular nation agenda and its slogan “Malaysian Malaysia” merely to reap support from other ethnic groups.

“Before forming the unity government, all parties agreed not to touch on each party’s principles and constitutions,” he added.

DAP sec-gen Anthony Loke

Mufti bill perfect test

The Federal Territories Mufti Bill, a bill which would radically change the power dynamics between secular and religious law of this country, is still in play.

This would be the perfect opportunity to test DAP’s commitment to secularism. DAP not only has to object to this bill but this should not come as a surprise to its coalition partners because everyone knows where DAP stands on the issue of separation between mosque and state, right?

The state wants its non-Muslim partners to be complicit in the formation of religious laws. Why? Because it not only gives a fig leaf of democratic legitimacy but also demonstrates religious and racial superiority over its partners.

Any kind of religious law - no matter the religion - is, in reality, a suicide pact.

Death of free speech

Remember that DAP supported the death of free speech - albeit in a most cowardly fashion - seeing as how the Communications and Multimedia Act amendments were pushed through.

DAP and Harapan would have virulently opposed these amendments if they had been done by PN.

Madani has gift-wrapped a set of legal but oppressive tools for the “Green Wave”.

Where does this leave rational Malaysians? Nowhere good.

You see there is no trade-off. If Madani could point to policies in education, healthcare and social services which were egalitarian and utilitarian, then rational people would have no choice but to ignore these political moves by the Madani elites as the price of doing business.

Bridget Welsh talked about this betrayal in her comment piece “A politics of betrayal?”.

“Those who wanted a different government from that of Umno now have the same party and practices in power, with Anwar providing the means for the party’s leaders and their family members to be rehabilitated, including through taxpayer-funded patronage,” she said.

Easy surfing for ‘Green Wave’

We are always told that if it was not a Madani government, then we would have to accept the “Green Wave”. I say why make the “Green Wave’s” job easier? Why lay the foundation in terms of policy and governmental procedure, or lack of it, for the “Green Wave”?

A good example of this gaslighting is Howard Lee’s latest piece about PAS’ “derhaka” (treason).

The hypocritical and mendacious PN has demonstrated that it is willing to slay Malay establishment sacred cows to gain political power.

However, the greatest threat to the non-Malay community came from within this unity government when the Umno youth leader inflamed the KK Mart issue, which caused domestic terrorist attacks against the convenience store chain. Not to mention, the founders of KK Mart were humiliated and dragged through the court system.

The grand old man of Malaysian politics, Lim Kit Saing, said in a recent speech, that we should learn from life experiences, I concur. DAP shouldn't play the victim card if they are willingly a punching bag for the illiberal forces. - Mkini

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.