Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| ‘What more does Kit Siang want?’, asks Utusan Posted: 12 May 2013 01:41 PM PDT
"What more does Kit Siang want? Isn't it enough that during campaigning Kit Siang who supposedly fights for true democracy lets DAP leaders insult Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders? Isn't he happy when DAP has succeeded in resisting PAS's Islamic fight including for hudud?" asked Zulkiflee in his column. "So we ask, what more does Kit Siang want? Didn't he think that what he is doing right now, including insulting Umno leaders, might incite a reaction from the Malays?" he added, warning the DAP adviser not to "play with fire" in flaming the people's sentiments. Zurairi AR, TMI Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia suggested today that by insulting Umno the DAP's Lim Kit Siang could expect a strong reaction from Malays. Under the headline "What more does Kit Siang want?", the newspaper's senior editor Zulkiflee Bakar accused Lim and the DAP of endangering the safety of Malaysians and breaking the law in a series of allegedly illegal rallies held in the past few days. "What more does Kit Siang want? Isn't it enough that during campaigning Kit Siang who supposedly fights for true democracy lets DAP leaders insult Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders? Isn't he happy when DAP has succeeded in resisting PAS's Islamic fight including for hudud?" asked Zulkiflee in his column. "So we ask, what more does Kit Siang want? Didn't he think that what he is doing right now, including insulting Umno leaders, might incite a reaction from the Malays?" he added, warning the DAP adviser not to "play with fire" in flaming the people's sentiments. The newspaper has been consistently highlighting the DAP and Chinese voters in its tone of coverage and editorials since last week's general election. In Election 2013, BN won the polls but lost the popular vote. Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak had suggested a "Chinese tsunami" had caused his BN to record its worst-ever electoral results. Utusan, the newspaper owned by Umno, has also suggested Chinese voters were provoking racial tensions by voting against BN, with one headline last week asking the question "Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What else do the Chinese want?)" The newspaper — seen as being aligned with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad — and other party leaders have consistently argued that votes against the Umno-led BN were akin to voting against the Malays. This is despite the fact that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties PAS and PKR are largely Malay-Muslim in their membership. The DAP also fielded Malay candidates in the elections. On Saturday, Najib defended his party from accusations of racism, and instead accused the DAP of being racists. Despite the claims from Umno, analyses of the Election 2013 results point to a urban-rural divide rather than a Malay-Chinese division in the way Malaysians voted last week. While a majority of Chinese backed PR parties, a significant number of Malay voters also voted for the opposition parties, particularly in urban centres. Yesterday, Datuk Zulkifli Noordin raised the spectre of May 13 when he accused the DAP and Lim of being behind Malaysia's worst race riots even as Umno leaders continue to blame last week's poor election results on a "Chinese tsunami" that was fanned by the PR party. The controversial Perkasa vice-president, who was a direct BN losing candidate in Election 2013, made the allegations in a series of tweets sent out on the eve of the 44th anniversary of the riots. Lim has frequently been the target of right-wing Malay groups who have singled him out for blame for the riots even though he was not even in Kuala Lumpur when the riots broke out. Former Umno member Tamrin Ghafar had cleared Lim while on the stump of the Election 2013 campaign trail, saying that Umno itself was behind the riot. The son of former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba said he was told by former home minister, the late Tun Ghazali Shafie, that the May 13 riots were likely the result of an internal Umno coup against founding Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Today, Utusan claimed that Lim had insulted Najib at one of his post-election rallies, where he allegedly said "the devil we know has become the prime minister".
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| ‘Expect a backlash from Malays’ Posted: 12 May 2013 01:27 PM PDT
According to a former appeals court judge, although Malays have a special position in the country, they only own about 20 percent of the economy. (Bernama) - Malays need to be more aggressive to strengthen political and economic power in order not to be regarded as a weak race in their own country. Former appeals court judge Mohd Noor Abdullah said Malay rights enshrined in the federal constitution must be defended and the Malay leadership does not have to be apologetic to the other races. "Result of the 13th general election (GE13) and the 'Chinese tsunami' show that the Chinese have forgotten about the bond established 55 years ago." Mohd Noor said although the Malays have high tolerance, they hate betrayal and show of disrespect. "Expect a backlash from the Malays," he told participatnts at the GE13 Post Mortem: Muslim Leadership and Survival forum, organised by the Federation of Peninsula Malay Students (GPMS) and UiTM Alumni Association here today. Efforts should be made to retain Malay political power and to increase Malay reserve land in urban areas and increase economic share to 67 percent in 10 years. Although the Malays have a special position in this country, they only own about 20 percent of the economy. Mohd Noor warned the Malays to reject corruption because it can destroy their dignity and weaken the nation. "It must be strictly enforced so that the Malays fear corruption. This is because some people say the Malays can be bought with a cigarette," he added. Umno and PAS must united Former PAS deputy president Dr Nasharuddin Mat Isa said that efforts towards Umno-PAS unity should be continued for the sake of race and religion. "The future of our nation and religion is under threat. Some people may criticise me for saying this. Is it wrong in our religion to talk about race? "The events of May 13, 1969, and those affecting Muslims are of concern to the people. When you see the current trend, it is not impossible for similar events to recur if efforts for unity are not done." Muslim Intellectual Group member Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said young Malays are not keen to fight for their race for fear of being called racists. "The young failed to understand the Malay struggle because some clerics labelled it as 'assabiyah' or fanaticism. He also shared Nasharuddin's sentiment that there is no reason for Umno and PAS not to be united for the sake of religion and nation. President of Malay Professional Thinkers Association Dr Kamarudin Kachar said a resolution will be submitted to Prime Minister Seri Najib Tun Razak tomorrow as a guide to retain Muslim political power.
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