TunM’s PAS-slant clarion call to “vote for Malay candidates” in GE16 jeered by Madani backers

 

TWICE former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest quest of mobilising the Malays to vote for their brethren to preserve the Tanah Melayu identity come the 16th General Election (GE16) has not sit well with presumably Madani backers or rather Malays who can think for themselves.

After all, such call mirrors that of PAS which wants its grassroot members “to vote BN (Barisan Nasional)-UMNO” and “reject Pakatan Harapan at all costs” in the July 11 Johor state polls.

In his social media post which is now a rarity following a severe fall at his residence in The Mines on Jan 6, the centenarian stressed the need “to vote for the Malay candidate without loyalty to any party or NGO faction” to ensure “the country continue to exist as Tanah Melayu”.

“The impact of the choice is very heavy, namely whether Tanah Melayu will remain Tanah Melayu or become a non-Malay land,” he penned on Facebook.

‘The loyalty of the Malays is to the Malay race. If this loyalty is given to a party or faction, Tanah Melayu will disappear. Without Tanah Melayu, the Malay race will disappear from this world. The Malays will become a race without a country.”

But a seemingly pious Muslim educator begged to differ given that Islam does not teach its disciples to place loyalty “to one’s race above loyalty to Allah and His Messenger”.

“All humans whether Malay, Chinese, Indian or any other race, are creations of Allah who are glorified by piety, not by skin colour or lineage,” countered the commenter to Dr Mahathir’s post which has elicited 10K likes, 1.8K comments and 882 shared at the time of writing.

“Therefore, choosing leaders should be based on trust, justice, integrity and ability to prosper the country, not solely on the basis of race. Creating fear in other races as the basis of  politics will only fuel division while Islam calls for justice for all humans.”

‘Malays still languish till today’

While respecting the views of Dr Mahathir who helmed the government for “22 years and 22 months”, a Malay commenter revealed the harsh truth that “those who sold Malay-owned lands are Malay leaders themselves”.

“For decades, Malays hold majority power but has the percentage of Malays land owners increased?” he lamented.

The truth is that we don’t just need Malay leaders. We need Malay leaders who are faithful, trustworthy and able to protect the rights of all races to jointly develop Malaysia.

Malaysia is for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion. We can’t live with hatred, envy and suspicion in us. Ultimately, economic achievement, the well-being of the rakyat and harmony are the benchmarks of our Malaysia. This is my 2 cents, Tun.

Although Dr Mahathir who is now the SG4 (State Government 4 a.k.a. the four Perikatan Nasional-ruled states) adviser is singing a pro-opposition tune, some netizens felt that he cannot afford to overlook “the importance of leaders with integrity” and “the reality of Malaysia being a plural society.”

“Moreover, when he was a PM, he used to remark that Malays are poor … Malays are lazy. As if only his children and his cronies are hardworking … not to mention rich,” snubbed one commenter.

A seemingly disgruntled commenter admonished the tendency of “fanning the Malay sentiment” for political mileage.

“Change the government 1,000 times yet the situation of the Malays & Bumiputeras will remain the same,” he envisages.

Another was spot on for opining that “when choosing a candidate as leader, you can’t just look at the Malay race alone but also the party the Malay race belongs to”.

Ultimately, one can debate on social media till the cows come home but “don’t fulfil your responsibility when the polling day comes”.

“Voices on social media don’t determine the outcome. Votes at the ballot box determine the future. If we want change, start by casting our votes,” one commenter aptly pointed out. 

 - Focus Malaysia