DAP disciplinary committee chairman Tony Pua has defended his party’s so-called anti-“Green Wave” advocacy as one that is solely intended to stop PAS from s
More so, the DAP loyalist pointed out that UMNO bore much of the brunt of the Green Wave phenomenon as per outcome of the 15th General Election (GE15).
“Stopping the Green Wave is about stopping PAS. PAS made great leaps in the last election, often at the expense of UMNO, if you don’t recall,” Pua penned on his Facebook page to rebut a recent claim of DAP being “Islamophobic” by former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ).
“And as you would agree, PAS ≠ Islam and vice-versa.”
For context, KJ who recently returned to UMNO’s fold after having been expelled by the party on Jan 27, 2023 has accused Pakatan Harapan (PH) of running an “Islamophobic” campaign by warning Johor voters that supporting Barisan Nasional (BN) would pave way to PAS gaining influence.
“They’re claiming there is a ‘Green Wave’ and that voting for BN means getting PAS,” contended the former health minister while campaigning for BN candidates in Bukit Batu, Bukit Permai and Senai yesterday (July 9).
“I see this as a form of campaigning that is rather Islamophobic, especially when such a narrative is coming from ministers. Let me make it clear that BN is not in a coalition with anyone. Instead, it will be a ‘blue wave’ that will be created this Saturday (July 11).”
‘Green Wave = DAP’s fear-mongering?’
In further dismissing KJ’s argument, Pua jibed that “it’s extremely disingenuous of you (KJ) to equate stopping PAS as Islamophobic”.
“Just because UMNO/BN is now colluding with PAS,” asserted the former three-term MP (two terms Petaling Jaya Utara and one-term Damansara).
“Let me repeat, in case there’s any ambiguity, we want to stop PAS, we fully respect Islam and recognise it as the official religion of Malaysia.”
In a related development, PAS has described PH and DAP’s attempt to instill fear among non-Malay voters in Johor by harping on the “Green Wave” element as a sign that the duo is unsettled.
According to PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, PH had resorted to similar strategies in the six state elections three years ago where it labelled the Islamic party and Perikatan Nasional (PN) a menace to a multi-cultural society, freedom of religion, and Malaysia’s future.
“When an election campaign relies on fear, it signifies one thing: that the party (pushing such narratives) is not confident in its manifesto, track record or ability to convince voters with rational arguments,” chided Kubang Kerian MP in a FB rant.
In the context of Johor, DAP’s anxiety is very funny. The claim that PAS could be a threat to the non-Malay community is also not based on numerical reality. PAS is only contesting 11 seats out of the total 56 state seats.
On the contrary, BN which is DAP-PH’s partner in the Federal government is contesting all 56 seats.
With the number of seats contested by PAS, it’s unreasonable to portray PAS as being on the verge of taking over the state government alone and changing the entire face of Johor.
Interestingly, PAS also took a swipe at DAP for “trying to revive old emotions among voters” with the presence of controversial figures such as Hew Kuan Yau a.k.a. “Superman Hew” who has been associated with harsh and provocative political speeches at its ceramah.
“Likewise, the re-emergence of Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang in Johor shows that DAP is still relying on old symbols to mobilise supporter sentiment,” mocked Tuan Ibrahim.
This strategy may have worked before. In the 2023 state elections, the “Green Wave” narrative was used to stir up fear, especially among non-Malay voters.
Discover moreIt helped PH curb the rise of PN in certain states. But the same strategy may not necessarily work in Johor. – Focus Malaysia
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