Reality of Racial Politics

“Every 12 months, the parties go back to one race championing their own causes and at the end of the day, when the general election comes, we talk about ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ and all that. Malaysia needs to look at Datuk Onn Jaafar’s second struggle to create one nation.”

- Datuk M. Kayveas, PPP President.

Who is to be blamed for racial politics?

Is it Barisan Nasional or PAS or DAP who are to be blamed?

Politicians admit to playing racial politics but they claimed that's the reality of the Malaysian political system.

Gerakan vice-president Ng Lip Yong said very often, it was true that politicians played up the differences between the races. A lot of the problems in society were not racial problems, he said. "Poverty, for example, is not a problem of the Malays, Chinese or Indians, it is urban poverty, really."

Datuk Mukhriz, the son of Tun Mahathir and head of the Umno Youth International Relations and NGO Bureau, said as long as there was disparity between the races, there would always be racial politics. "It is the struggle for equality for all. There is no point in complaining about politicians being ethnic-based when we do not do enough to eradicate the disparity between the races. As long as that remains, there will always be people to champion each race to equalise things," he said. He said true integration would only be achieved when no race was left behind and a person’s economic standing was no longer defined by his or her race.

En. Mukhriz, disparity will always exist, whether within the same race or in a plural society. Within the Chinese community, there may be 10% rich and 90% 'have-nots'. Within the Indian society, we have 5% rich and 95% have-nots. Similarly, within the Malay community, there are 10% ultra rich and 30% semi-rich and the balance of 60% fighting for survival.

So, En. Mukhriz, what do you mean by bridging the disparities to eliminate racial politics? Disparities between who and whom? What about the disparities between the AP Kings and the Kampung Malays? Who caused it? Is it the racial issue or the NEP? What about the disparities between the UMNOputeras and the Malays in Kelantan and the urban poors? Take all the leaders in UMNO Youth and Putera UMNO and compare it with the Kampung Malays and the urban have-nots. Did you see the disparities or are you blind? Take Mahathir's and Pak Lah's children such as yourself and your brothers and Kamaladdin and Khairy and compare with the Kampung Malays ... there is no disparities; the difference is membership of a unique class in society - the portrayer of justice and the injustice.

BN Backbenchers’ Club chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said: "Politics and politicians respond to the community and if a country is divided into different races, then you cannot expect them to be otherwise. "They should perhaps try to rise above it, but if you talk about Malay issues to the Malay community, is that playing racial politics?" He said Malaysia is not a failed state. If Malay politicians address their community and if the community trusts Malay politicians more, is that the politicians’ fault?

En. Shahrir, if Malay politicians are altruistic to their own, there would not be such disparities. Similarly, it can be said of MCA politicians and MIC politicians - they fight not for the community, but for themselves. The DAP, they can't even have enough for themselves; so how to share with the have-nots. PPP, Kayveas is right in his statement above but he too is only relevant in talking; irrelevant in doing. KeAdiLan, is a sub-contractor now for UMNO. It will fight for all until they come into power; then, they will be UMNO-sama-sama.

Who else is altruistic enough to fight for the poor? The poor themselves, irrespective of race and creed. But they had nothing to launch a fight for justice and prosperity; they are busy keeping ends meet and seeing to it that their children have food for tomorrow and some money to buy clothes and books for Hari Raya and schooling requirements. Those in the middle class, they are busy with akademi fantasia, EPL football, alfrescos and bistros, and the internet world - they forget what and who they are and what had and would be happening to the kampung poor boys.