DAP admits to lagging Malay support
DAP says that although the Malays are not blind to corruption within the government, they also believe that no other party can protect them as best as Umno.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua, told an economic forum yesterday that DAP’s biggest challenge is in drumming up its sorely lagging Malay support.
According to him, while the Malays concede that the government is corrupt, they also believe that the party best able to protect Malay interests is Umno.
He added that the daily dose of propaganda from Barisan Nasional-owned media in painting DAP as the “bogeyman” has made the false anti-Malay sentiment appear convincing.
“These days anything we say is twisted to look anti-Malay,” Pua told 100 participants at Hotel Sri Petaling after delivering a talk on “Economic Transformation: For Better or Worse?”
“Although the propaganda is ridiculous and so obviously fake, when it is said a thousand times to people who are most insecure, they will start to think that it’s possibly true.”
“All they need to think is that there’s a possibility that DAP wants to gets rid of the monarchy and Islam in the country, and they will vote for a party that they believe will protect their interests.”
Pua, however, took heart in the progress that DAP has made in Selangor where none of the Malays have complained of mistreatment by the party.
Forum moderator and Selangor executive council member, Teresa Kok, further added that the Malays have been so indoctrinated by BN-owned media that their view of DAP is lopsided.
Common policy important
Using the recent hudud controversay as an example, she said that while the non-Muslims feared its implementation, the Muslims were strongly in favour of it.
“So when (PAS spiritual leader) Nik Aziz (Nik Mat) said that DAP was afraid of the hudud like a child afraid of a ghost, the Malays were elated,” she said.
“They told our PAS representatives that they were so happy that Nik Aziz told DAP off and that PAS was finally insisting on what they think is right.”
But the Seputeh MP assured that despite PAS support of hudud, it would not be so easily implemented should the coalition take over Putrajaya in the next general election.
