DAP still the ‘lesser evil’ for Chinese voters? Najib house arrest tests its hold

 

A FACEBOOK post about the fate of the DAP by a declared member of the new party Bersama has drawn attention and sparked discussion online.

The post by Betty Teh asked: “Chinese can still accept DAP after this?”

It was surely referring to the  news of the house arrest of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak and its impact on the DAP, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led government.

PH is facing intense online criticism over Najib’s pardon and the fact that he will serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.

But the answers from users were not what the Bersama party or the poster would have expected.

In a reply to the post, Peter Hcley made it clear that there are no other alternatives to the DAP for them, since with the DAP in the government, the voice of the Chinese community is still being heard.

The user also said they had hopes that the new party would tell voters what they would really do for the country, as there are still some DAP members on whom the people could count.

Lookazon Chew made a popular comment:

However bitter the pill of Najib’s pardon is, the DAP is not losing its support base.

The post garnered several responses, including from those who said it is better ‘to choose the lesser evil’ or that common sense means the pardon has ‘nothing to do with DAP.”

Tan Poh Shoon directed criticism towards the poster, indicating the post is hurtful.

For Keng Fuan Wong, it was the King exercising his prerogatives; thus this has nothing to do with DAP.

Bersama has condemned the pardoning of Najib, asking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for answers and urging a release of the full conditions behind the pardon.

Bersama leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has called on Anwar and the Pakatan Harapan leadership to publicly disclose the full conditions attached to former prime minister Najib’s house arrest.

Rafizi said this was the minimum owed to the public following Najib’s conditional pardon today.

“Let ordinary Malaysians be the eyes and ears of society so that this house arrest is enforced strictly in accordance with the conditions imposed,” he said in a statement.

Najib has been granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of his RM50mil fine and other conditions.

Rafizi said Anwar and the PH leadership from PKR, DAP and Amanah had a responsibility to provide an explanation rather than repeatedly saying the matter was beyond their control.

“This is not about  politics but about the debt that Anwar and PH owe the people over 1MDB, especially the unnamed individuals who took great risks in carrying out their daily duties until the 1Malaysia Development Bhd issue became known to the public,” he said. —  Focus Malaysia