Chinese Bravado

Gathering in such low numbers and without a significant presence of other ethnic groups, it simply spoke of how isolated the Chinese are politically.

Mak Khuin Weng

Pakatan Harapan had their anti-kleptocracy gathering on Saturday and it spoke volumes. It was a parade of a spent political force.

Indeed, the words ‘flaccid’ and ‘impotent’ could be used to describe the once towering opposition coalition that challenged the mighty Barisan Nasional.

Sadly, that’s not the only take away message because the crowd that gathered were primarily Chinese Malaysians.

It appears that a segment of this community is so angry and frustrated with BN that they did not stop to think and reflect what their small presence on the field meant.

Gathering in such low numbers and without a significant presence of other ethnic groups, it simply spoke of how isolated the Chinese are politically.

Instead of being a voice of reason, we have an image of a Chinese man stepping on a ball effigy with the words MO1 had come to symbolize that event. Small man attempting to show his bravery is an appropriate metaphor for the photo.

But because that photo – and that the participants are primarily Chinese – are the take away message of that gathering, the whole Chinese community may as well be tarred with that metaphor.

Instead of being a voice of reason, the Chinese community are now seen as a weak and impotent political force that wants to pretend they are in the big leagues.

But all they managed to do was fill up a small portion of a large field in Petaling Jaya. And they are doing it in support of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which is perhaps the biggest irony of all.

P.S. To those who disagree with me, I would advise them to go look at all the gatherings that PAS organized in the year of 2017 alone and make a comparison.