Political gimmicks to con voters

Umno leaders are playing a dangerous game and leading the nation towards the brink of destruction when they choose to play the race card at the drop of a hat.

COMMENT

Umno, MCA and MIC never fail to use the race card to gain support from the Malays, Chinese and Indians respectively. This race card is the trump card which the British colonialists had left as a legacy to those three parties in the then “Alliance Formula”.

Therefore, the opposition will always find it difficult to win the general elections due to these three parties always availing themselves of the ace from the deck of cards dealt by the past colonial masters.

This means that even before Independence itself, the cards have always been stacked against the opposition as the rakyat’s minds are already pre-conditioned with the issue of race.

With the 13th general election tipped to be just around the proverbial corner by political pundits, Umno politicians have upped the ante in their recent 65th Umno general assembly with racial speeches accusing the Chinese and the DAP of wanting to grab political and economic power.

Stirring up Malay sentiment is Umno’s tried and tested formula of successfully wooing the Malays and it has always yielded tremendous gains for Umno.

As such, during the British era right until this present day, there has not been a single shred of doubt that Umno is the dominant party in the BN coalition. It is Umno which calls the shots and assigns MCA and MIC to only look after their respective race.

This formula of divide-and-rule which has been started by the British has been continued by Umno, MCA and MIC to this present day for them to maintain and stay in power. It is almost impossible to break the divide-and-rule policy because the rakyat are not ready for it. And that is the sad reality to this present day.

For example, there have been rumours that this time the Batu candidate for this coming polls is a Malay guy. Previously in 2008, PKR’s Tian Chua defeated Gerakan’s Lim Si Pin by a 9,000-plus vote majority. If Umno fields a Malay candidate in Batu, will PKR also field a Malay candidate? The demographics in Batu roughly mirrors that of the demographics of the nation.

Harsh reality

It is a harsh reality here that in Malaysia it is all about race, race and race with a capital “R”. A former prime minister has once commented that PAS is afraid to contest in a Chinese-majority seat.

Well, actually it is Umno which is afraid. In Kepong at least 88% of the voters are Chinese.

If Umno fields a Malay candidate in Kepong, PAS will also field a Malay or Chinese candidate and we will be seeing a PAS versus Umno tussle in Kepong – a very interesting and intriguing battle indeed.

Why doesn’t Umno field a Malay candidate in Kepong in line with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s much-hyped up 1Malaysia slogan?

Race-based politics is a legacy left by the British and honed into perfection by Umno. It will continue to be the order of the day if BN continues to win the coming general election.

As the rural Malay vote is the crucial decider this time around, Umno is going all out to woo the rural Malays by playing the race card.

This is evident going by the vitriol spewed forth at the recent Umno general assembly where the Chinese have been vilified by one Umno delegate after another who accused the Chinese of wanting to usurp the Malays.

1Malaysia plain rubbish!

This is a clear indicator that 1Malaysia is plain rubbish; nothing but a political gimmick by Najib to con the voters. This also shows that BN has given up all hope of wooing the Chinese voters.

With Umno leading the way of race-based politics and MCA and MIC as their lackeys in tow, it is difficult for New Politics to see the light of day.

The sudden Chinese-bashing taking root before the polls show that Umno is desperate to win at all costs and is willing to sacrifice the principles of 1Malaysia on the altar of political expediency.

Umno has no qualms in killing off 1Malaysia for the sake of political survival. Thus, 1Malaysia is now confirmed dead and buried with Umno revealing its hand via the ferocious usage of the race card.

It is now blindingly obvious that Umno is fanning the flames of racism. Curbing corruption and eradicating cronyism have taken a backseat.

Umno is now leading the nation towards the brink of destruction and the abyss of doom when its leaders choose to play the race card at the drop of a hat. Emotions will run very high if the Malay mind is conditioned by Umno to be under a siege-mentality.

Umno leaders are playing an extremely dangerous game in stoking the flames of racism by using the Chinese as the bogeyman to instil fear and hatred of the Chinese into the hearts and minds of the Malays.

Malaysia is a racial tinderbox and all it takes is just a tiny spark to set off an explosion. If that happens, it will be detrimental to everyone.

Umno leaders must come to their senses that much more is at stake than just their political survival. They must put aside selfish interests for the good of the nation before it is too late. Will they continue to be consumed by their lust for power?

The future of this country is at stake. If this irrational madness continues, then we are all going to go down together. Will sanity prevail or will racism emerge victorious?

Selena Tay believes in giving Pakatan Rakyat a chance to govern the nation. She is a FMT columnist.