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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Election issues which could be decisive for parties Posted: 26 Apr 2013 02:16 PM PDT
Lim Mun Fah, Sin Chew Daily Election campaign activities are reaching a climax. PAS deputy spiritual leader Datuk Dr Haron Din's statement of implementing hudud laws if Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government even if the DAP opposes the move has allowed the BN, originally caught in a position of being attacked, to grab an opportunity to launch a counter-attack against Pakatan Rakyat. Despite Haron later saying that the question of whether to implement hudud laws or not was the internal affairs of the three Pakatan component parties and thus should be negotiated and hudud laws are only applicable to Muslims, his earlier remarks have set off ripples and again brought the conflict between PAS and the DAP to the surface. DAP chairman Karpal Singh immediately issued a statement, stressing that the DAP firmly opposes to the establishment of an Islamic state and the implementation of hudud laws. Party parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang also pointed out that the implementation of hudud laws is just PAS's target and has never been an agreed political programme of Pakatan Rakyat. It can be predicted that the BN will keep attacking Pakatan Rakyat on the issue as many Chinese of the older generation are still fear of an Islamic state and hudud laws. BN needs only to strengthen their fear to win their support. However, BN has also made some mistakes that can be taken advantage of by Pakatan Rakyat. For instance, it is a mistake to allow controversial figure Datuk Zulkifli Noordin to contest the Shah Alam parliamentary seat as a "friend of the BN". The notorious Zulkifli is Perkasa's vice-president and his remarks insulting Hinduism had caused an uproar. Not only the Indian community dislikes him, the Chinese community also regards him as an extreme racist. Similarly, infamous Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali will be contesting in Pasir Mas parliamentary constituency while BN candidate Che Johan Che Pa did not only withdraw from challenging him, but also openly pledged to support him. It has triggered strong dissatisfaction and criticisms in the Chinese community. Pakatan Rakyat even accused Che Johan of following the instructions of Umno and the so-called disciplinary action to be taken against him was just a show. Chinese education is another issue affecting the voting tendency of the Chinese community. After the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) made five demands, DAP deputy chairman Tan Kok Wai said that it did not make sense and urged Dong Zong to stop the act and stand beside the DAP. BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak's political secretary Wong Nai Chee later accused Dong Zong of raising the threshold by demanding the replacement of SPM Bahasa Malaysia with UEC Bahasa Malaysia, causing an impasse to the recognition of UEC. Dong Zong urged Tan not ignore the role and independence of non-governmental organisations while accusing Wong of starting a rumour. Obviously, Dong Zong's principle to go beyond political parties but not politics is favourable to neither the BN nor Pakatan Rakyat. However, if its demands are reasonable, political parties should respect and be co-operative instead of using the recognition of UEC and Chinese independent schools as political chips. Although the reputation of Dong Zong has somewhat faded over all these years, its status and influence in the Chinese community should not be underestimated. It is not wise to be hostile to Dong Zong. As the election campaign intensifies, it is expected that issues like hudud laws and Chinese education will continue to ferment and even play a role in the voting trend. It is now up to political parties to take control of these issues and turn them in their favour.
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| New Malay dilemma: Stay with Umno or not? Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:11 PM PDT
But now that BN seems weakened, the Malays are getting cold feet In a poll by the Merdeka Centre conducted in January and February, 72 per cent of Malays said the country was headed in the right direction, versus just 20 per cent of Chinese who felt that way. Asked if they were happy with the government, 63 per cent of Malays polled said they were, compared with 20 per cent of Chinese. Reme Ahmad, ST IN the 1999 general election, many Malays were upset with Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) over the sacking of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. But Chinese voters backed BN, arguing against changing a stable government that had grown the economy, never mind the perceived corruption in parts of the government. Thirteen years later, the roles are reversed. The issue of corruption is finding more resonance now with Chinese voters, many of whom are swinging towards Datuk Seri Anwar. That has given the opposition its best chance to topple the long-serving BN. But now that BN seems weakened, the Malays are getting cold feet, some analysts say. Indeed, many who had misgivings about BN earlier now seem to be rooting for it, according to several private pollsters and surveys by government agencies. There are sound reasons for this. Under BN, the Malay community's wealth and educational levels have risen sharply over the decades. Some Malays are also concerned that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance, if it won power, would dilute Malay and Muslim rights. "There is a long, deep-seated relationship between the Malay community and Umno," says Malaysian writer Karim Raslan. Malays form 63 per cent of the country's population of 28.3 million. In a poll by the Merdeka Centre conducted in January and February, 72 per cent of Malays said the country was headed in the right direction, versus just 20 per cent of Chinese who felt that way. Asked if they were happy with the government, 63 per cent of Malays polled said they were, compared with 20 per cent of Chinese. Umno leaders have long been a steady presence in towns and villages, attending to community needs and winning the loyalty of Malay voters. But this could be changing, Mr Raslan said, with younger Malays not as anchored to Umno. Indeed, you might call this the New Malay Dilemma. To be sure, reading the tea leaves on Malay sentiment isn't easy. Although they still embrace Umno, many are uncomfortable with its image as a party that has not always acted firmly against the corrupt. The young and Internet-savvy avidly follow the scandals that have surrounded some BN figures, such as the one where a government soft loan to breed cows was ploughed into buying expensive real estate. Urban Malays, along with the Chinese and Indians, are also irked by other issues - for instance, inflation and rising crime in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru. Take Mr Muhammad Hafifi, 28, a former Penang factory worker who now helps his mother sell fruit in Simpang Ampat, Perlis. Mr Muhammad gets his news from links provided by friends through Facebook postings. There is a "big difference", he says, in how issues are discussed online and in the mainstream media. His parents, he said, are for Umno, but he has yet to decide. Still, the government is reasonably certain that come Election Day, Malays will still vote for Malaysia's Grand Old Party, Umno. "We live comfortably in our country. I don't think we want to see problems with racial harmony, though I do know there are weaknesses in Barisan," said retail shop supervisor Embong Zahari, 48, in Alor Setar. The Pakatan Rakyat has said it plans to ease affirmative action for Malays, and help everyone based on needs, not race. But these are programmes that have also produced a surge in the number of Malay engineers, accountants and rich businessmen. Some Malays are worried that the Chinese, who dominate business and the rich lists, would become even more dominant economically. BN leaders such as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have played up this fear of an end to affirmative action. Dr Mahathir, 87, is a hero among rural Malays for taking the community out of poverty and overseeing the rise of Malaysia's prosperity. The BN is tapping into these fears by - indirectly and directly - fielding two controversial candidates from Malay supremacy group Perkasa. Should they win, it would be a clear sign that the Malays are suspicious of PR's agenda. And while Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) talks a lot about religion, there are Malays who feel it has failed to protect Malay and Islamic rights in Selangor and Penang, where PR is in power. Also, in places where PAS has implemented Islamic laws, not all Malays liked what they saw. Yes, Malays do want Islam retained as Malaysia's official religion and do not want alcohol sold in convenience stores. But they baulk at laws that for instance, require men and women in Pas-controlled Kelantan to use separate supermarket counters. "Umno practises moderation in religion and offers a balance between material and spiritual development," said Kelantan BN campaign director Hassan Harun. In the end though, it could come down to a perception that life has indeed improved for the majority of Malaysians. Retiree Rahim Salleh, 65, in Pendang, Kedah, has two sons who are engineers in the industrial town of Sungai Petani and in Penang. His daughter is a teacher in Kuala Lumpur. "I am happy that they don't have to work under the sun like me," said the former padi farmer. |
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