Sarawak Chinese infected by DAP racism, says Dr M
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism after being infected by the virus of Chinese racism that he said is the guiding principle of the DAP.
He also suggested that any DAP administration would only be ostensibly Malaysian.
The former prime minister accused the DAP of destroying the power-sharing formula that Barisan Nasional (BN) had implemented for half a century.
“I congratulate the DAP for bringing its racist politics to Sarawak. Before this all races co-operated well with each other for the good of Sarawak. Now we see clearly that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism,” he wrote in his blog today.
“They have become infected by the virus of Chinese racism that is the guiding principle of the DAP,” said Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister.
On Saturday, the DAP won 12 mainly urban seats in the Sarawak state election by riding the anti-Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud sentiment.
Dr Mahathir said that the DAP in Sarawak, where it first established itself in 1978, was almost totally rejected in the past.
But after winning the lion’s share of Chinese-majority seats, “the DAP has destroyed this power and wealth-sharing formula by separating the Chinese from the rest,” he said.
“For more than half a century the races in Malaysia had worked together to build the nation. The world saw stable BN governments with power and wealth being shared by all races quite fairly.
“None of the races got everything that they considered they were entitled to — not the Malays, nor the Chinese, nor Indians, nor Ibans, Kadazans, etc. All had to give up something. That is the essence of sharing,” he wrote.
The DAP doubled its presence in the Sarawak state assembly from six to 12 seats in Saturday’s election, nearly wiping out its rival Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) in Chinese-majority seats where the latter only won in two such seats.
Dr Mahathir, who was PM from 1981 to 2003, said if the same pattern was seen in the next general election that is expected to be held in a year, it would split the country.
“Malaysia faces a grave danger of being divided by two parties — one Malay dominated by default and the other Chinese by choice. This will not be good for Malaysia. But this is what the DAP is striving for. A two-party system based on race will not contribute to stability much less national unity.
“I pray and hope that the Sarawak pattern is not repeated in this beloved country. Let us all think carefully whether we want to split up this country or we are prepared to sacrifice something of our own in order to maintain the stability and growth through the BN coalition,” he said.
He said that even though the DAP talked about a Malaysian Malaysia, it only appealed to the racial sentiments of the Chinese.
