‘MALAYS STILL DON’T HAVE THE MENTALITY TO DOMINATE BUSINESS’: ‘BAGS OF CASH’ MAT TAIB CALLS ON MALAYS TO ‘JEALOUSLY’ GUARD POLITICAL POWER, VOTE BN

SHAH ALAM – This year’s election will be all about “jealously guarding” the political power of the Malays by ensuring Barisan Nasional (BN) stays in power, former Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib has said.

Speaking to Malay Mail in an interview at his home recently, Muhammad said that his belief in the Malay political power were among the key reasons why he rejoined Umno after spending four years with PAS and PKR.

“Back when I joined Pakatan Rakyat, Umno was the core for BN, and PAS was the core for Pakatan. So the core for the Malay struggle was there. When PAS left the coalition, there was a vacuum in ensuring the Malay political dominance. PKR failed to fill that role, and I decided I was wasting my time,” he said.

Muhammad said that with the Chinese already having economic power, the Malays should not relinquish political power by voting for Pakatan Harapan, which allegedly makes the Chinese-dominated DAP stronger.

“DAP already has the calibre, the money, and the ambition. All that’s left for them is to dominate politics. But if that happens, it will be an issue of survival for the Malays. This is a struggle for the Malay political power, not to give it away to a DAP-backed Pakatan Harapan,” the 72-year-old said.

Muhammad said that it took Malays centuries to obtain political power in Malaysia and they should no squander it just six decades after independence.

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Muhammad blamed Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for failing to develop the mentality and the attitude of Malays during his 22 years as Prime Minister.

“He did a lot of mega projects, but he himself admitted that he failed to change the Malays. That was because he never tried to change them,” he said.

Muhammad said that the Malays in the country should instead be coached via a system akin to the Japanese philosophy of “kaizen”, where continuous improvements are made in the professional aspects and work processes.

“We should gather the best minds of Malays, the Indians and also the Chinese, and coach them to be the best at what they do, to be high quality humans,” he said.

He said that the approach was especially needed for Malays as they don’t receive enough guidance in their professional life after obtaining education.

“Malays still do not have the mentality to dominate commerce, if you go to the village, they still live the same way they used to,” he said.

Muhammad also expressed his confidence that Pakatan Harapan would not be able to receive the “Malay tsunami” that they are aiming for in order to win federal power at the coming polls.

“I have gone across the state, whenever they call me, and I can see in the semi-urban and rural areas, the Malays are very much behind BN,” he said, referring to the ruling coalition.

Muhammad was Selangor MB between 1986 and 1997.

– Malay Mail