Viewpoint: Malaysian Politics

Featured article by Yap Chong Yee

Hello Maverick SM it will be nice if you will publish my article as a feature article.
[Ya, I will; as long as it is constructive and not bigotry] Here it is:

I live in Australia and my views are those of one who is objective and I have no worry of any police actions until I come to Malaysia as I will in my confrontation with Judge Zainon binti Mohd. Ali of the Court of Appeal.

I think that Ku Li and all those who espouse that nonsense of Ketuanan Malayu or whatever. Ku Li and his type are not realistic in holding on to the culture of fear that was engendered by the May 13 riots of 1969. [comment by me: I think you did not get Ku Li's message; he was fair and reasonable in his views on Ketuanan Melayu]

The big question that I want to ask Ku Li is “ IS THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OF ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT STILL A FEATURE UNDER THE MALAYSIAN CONSTITUTION ?”

If the answer is a “yes” then what has happened in the March 8 election is confirmation that all that talk of Ketuanan Melayu is so much bullshit ! The truth of the issue is that the Malays stuck it out AND VOTED for Malay parties (PAS, PKR & UMNO); I say that PKR is accepted by the Malays as synonymous with a Malay leader, namely Datuk Seri Anwar. This is the point that Malays must realize is the change in the political landscape; you now have two Malay Parties (UMNO on the one side, Vs PAS & PKR of the other). It does not matter that PAS defect to UMNO, such a defection will not enhance the vote bank of UMNO, because PAS can never do well in the BIG 3 STATES OF Penang, Selangor & Perak.

PAS is an Eastern state party, they have been entrenched in Kelantan for ever and they have no relevance in the rest of the states. These 3 crucial states are lost to the Malays, because from past performances an elected government in Malaysia stays in government for at least the life of 10 parliaments.

I will not mince words but the reality of the new dawn of Malaysian politics is THAT PKR WILL FORM THE NEXT GOVERNMENT; and I think Anwar will not upset this certain arrangement and defect to UMNO. No way because a new government in Malaysia has been returned and since the first days of Independence Malaysians have consistently returned the same government, and Anwar will know that from history his position as PM is well & truly entrenched. I don’t think that Anwar will defect to UMNO Malay special privileges or not. The stage is well set and this is what I have been advocating all along the duration of this election.

It was my personal campaign that the Chinese & incidentally the Indians must vote “OPPOSITION”. The strategy is to form the Chinese into a vote bank of swinging voters; Chinese who will vote the Party that delivers and to vote against the government that does not deliver. For the past 50 years the Chinese have been led by a clueless MCA that has consistently sold out their Chinese constituents; all that the MCA wanted were those useless Tan Sri's and Datukships. WHAT A SUCK UPS.

The point that I want to educate the Chinese is that you do not stick to any party, not MCA nor even DAP. I say to my Chinese brothers that you stay free and easy and vote for them who delivers. In the event Pakatan Rakyat does not deliver then you will be required strategically to vote UMNO if the party still survives their present problems.

I have always said that the leader of a government need not be a gentleman, but he needs to be a man who is a leader. I say that Datuk Seri Anwar is such a man. There has been a barrage of criticisms directed at Datuk Seri like those of that fellow Chandra Muzaffar or something like that. I say those type of criticisms are just hog wash because no one can be certain that a man is true to character and to say so is naïve. The thing that we look for in a leader is what he says he will do for the society as a whole. Datuk Seri has said that he will alter the nature and structure of the NEP and that is what the Chinese want.

It has never been the hope for the Chinese to hope for a few scholarship to come our way but if it does it will be nice; however in the government of Pakatan Rakyat there lives a hope that burns eternal. I don’t think even if Pakatan Rakyat comes into government that unfairness will be remedied because Malay officers who administer the project will still give none to Chinese. Be that as it may but living in hope with Pakatan Rakyat is better than none with the government of Umno!

Coming back to my argument, Malays make up 68% of voters, Chinese 24% and Indians make up 8%. It used to be that with a complaint MCA & a slave dog of MIC every election returned an UMNO government; however by the will of God, that Mahathir fellow screwed up big by screwing up Datuk Seri Anwar that led to the break up of the Malay vote bank of UMNO. This separation of the Malay votes cannot be retrieved because whatever happens, UMNO Vs Anwar cannot be patched up, no matter what. I say to the face of UMNO and the Malays in general that you can sell Ketuanan Melayu, until you are red in the face you will not get Anwar back, because it will be against the self interests of Anwar himself to defect to UMNO. As from March 8, let me say it to the face of UMNO, Ku Li, Mahathir and all of that type that Ketuanan Melayu is a dead issue and it cannot be revived. The irony of this is that the only way that this bullshit of Ketuanan Melayu can be revived is for UMNO to dissolve and the Malays go join PKR and for Pakatan Rakyat to dissolve. It is only by such action that the Malay vote bank of 68% can be returned to the Malays.

I say it openly and I want the Malays to know that it is already beyond your power to return to your evil ways. I will briefly sketch a rough picture of the possibility that UMNO may resort to the damnation of the RIOTS OF MAY 13. If the Malays do such a stupid thing then all Malaysians will sink together; in this globalised world the national image is everything. Take for example the announcement by Indonesia of an investment by Lakshmi Mittal (the Indian steel giant) of USD$10 billion in a steel plant in Indonesia. This by logic should have come to Malaysia, because India, in cultural and jurisprudence, is closer to Malaysia than to Indonesia. Malaysians speak fluent English, Malaysia has our legal system and judiciary that is English Common Law and Malaysia has a pool of English speaking educated middle class; so why did Lakshmi Mittal go to Indonesia? Has it anything to do with the ill treatment of the Indians recently? Maybe, but all the same the USD$10 billion did not come to Malaysia.

In recent policy announcements by the Chinese government, they have a hoard of USD$1.7 trillion and they have set up a sovereign investment fund of USD$200 billion. There is one thing that the Chinese government is sensitive about, it is treatment of overseas Chinese. China has gone to invest in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, and of course Singapore has got the biggest chunk of Chinese investment but I do not know of any Chinese investment in Malaysia. The bridge in Penang ? Not going to happen !

Note: The above article is written by Mr Yap Chong Yee, a Malaysian residing in Australia and it is absolutely his own views which I may not totally agree but it is constructive thoughts and opinions. I had posted verbatim except for some "4-letter words" used and spellings.