Zaid to Chinese: Stop mocking Malay leaders; vote BN
The Chinese should abandon the idea of alternative Malay leadership for the country for there is none
(FMT) – The Chinese community must stop mocking the current lineup of Umno leaders as they are “largely moderate” in comparison to the Malays leading Pakatan, Zaid Ibrahim wrote on his blog today.
He said that unlike the Malay leaders Pakatan offered, the current Umno leaders were suitable to address the many sensitive and social conflicts Malaysia was experiencing.
“Since independence, [Umno leaders] have kept the country growing despite corruption scandals and wasting the nation’s resources on non-viable mega projects,” wrote Zaid, who himself was a former Umno Cabinet minister.
“The Malay political leadership must be amongst those who can show certain flexibility and are “practical” in the implementation of policies. The Chinese must stop mocking these Malay leaders.”
He said the public should appreciate the good things the leaders had done for Malaysia; even the harshest critics, he claimed, had benefited from the government they sought to replace.
“No matter how unhappy some of us are with the leaders we have, the country has been fairly prosperous and peaceful. It’s easy to criticize and ridicule, but to govern well takes a lot more,” he wrote.
Zaid said that since the Chinese must accept the fact that the country will be ruled largely by Malays for a long time to come, they should take into account that neither the DAP nor PKR could offer an alternative Malay leadership.
“With his personal problems, Anwar (Ibrahim) is unable to offer the kind of leadership that we need. All he can do is boycott, demonstrate and agitate. All he wants is for the people to hate Umno, and while he has succeeded, it has come at great cost to inter-ethnic relations in Malaysia.
“The Chinese should abandon the idea of alternative Malay leadership for the country, for there is none. It will come one day but not now. Trying to change leaders in Putrajaya largely because Anwar says we should will invite instability.”
He said this was why it was vital for all Kajang voters to cast their ballots in favour of BN instead of Pakatan in the coming March 23 by-election.
‘Vote BN in Kajang’
“The Chinese have an opportunity in Kajang to show that they are a practical lot. Showing they can also be humble will cool temperatures.
“It’s not easy to be humble when you are successful and you think the world is at your feet. It’s not easy to be humble when you are economically strong,” wrote Zaid.
By ensuring BN candidate Chew Mei Fun’s victory, the people of Kajang would prevent Umno and even MCA from veering to the far right, he said.
“If the BN fares badly in Kajang it also means that Umno will be moving to the extreme right, a position we have not seen before. The consequences will be hard to comprehend for now.
“I hope the Chinese will give moderate Chinese leaders a chance to regroup against the extremists. Pushing MCA to the extreme is like pushing Umno to the extreme – you no longer have the kind of leaders we are accustomed to.
“A new breed will take over. Do we know what’s in store for us if this happens?” asked Zaid.
