So it’s Chinese-Malay again, is it?

Let us hope His Highness the Sultan is progressive enough to agree to a female Menteri Besar for the first time in Malay history. Once that is able to happen then the possibility of a female Prime Minister becomes much closer to reality.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Anwar taunts MCA, says loss a ‘catastrophe’

(Malay Mail) – MCA’s loss in the Kajang by-election yesterday spells “catastrophe” for the Chinese-based party as it showed a continued lack of support from the community, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim asserted today.

The opposition leader, whose wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail won the state seat, pointed out that PKR’s Malay candidate garnered a “remarkable” 75 per cent of the Chinese community’s support.

“This is a Chinese candidate representing Chinese interest and that’s the most they can get. And I think that is a catastrophe as far as MCA is concerned,” Anwar told reporters at the sidelines of Parliament here.

Anwar also said that based on MCA’s claimed increase in support among the Chinese, from 18 per cent to 25 per cent in the space of roughly a year, it would need until “the next century” to stage a revival.

Despite the mockery, Anwar conceded that the voter turnout yesterday was much lower than what Pakatan Rakyat expected.

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I have many times been called a racist (mainly by the Chinese and Indians, of course, while the Malays call me a traitor or apostate) because I talk in terms of Malay and non-Malay (or Malay, Chinese, Indian, etc.). But then that is how Malaysians talk, even the national leaders from both sides of the political fence.

Anwar Ibrahim taunted the Chinese-based MCA because it failed to get the support of the Chinese voters. Anwar taunted the Chinese-based MCA because a Malay candidate garnered more Chinese votes than a Chinese candidate. Read what Anwar said in the above news report.

So, Anwar’s ‘post mortem’ of yesterday’s Kajang by-election is: who won more of the Chinese votes, the Chinese candidate or the Malay candidate? The fact that the Malay candidate won more Chinese votes than the Chinese candidate means Pakatan Rakyat gained a huge victory over Barisan Nasional. The sweetness of this victory is that the Chinese voted for the Malay instead of the Chinese.

Was the Kajang by-election about Pakatan Rakyat versus Barisan Nasional or about a Malay candidate versus a Chinese candidate? (Actually it was about Anwar Ibrahim versus Najib Tun Razak, a sort of proxy fight). And is Pakatan Rakyat’s victory seen on the basis that they managed to get the Chinese to vote for a Malay candidate instead of for a Chinese candidate?

Of course, Malaysian politics is racially based and everything is about race. Even the opposition treats it so, Anwar Ibrahim included. It is also very parochial. Put a non-Hakka in a Hakka constituency and see what will happen. Or put a Besut chap to contest in Kemaman and see what will happen although both are towns in Terengganu.

Anyway, the Kajang by-election is over. This will more or less end the tussle between PKR Selangor Boss Khalid Ibrahim and PKR Selangor Boss Azmin Ali. (Yes, next time maybe Anwar will not be so stupid as to appoint two bosses in the same state and cause so many problems). Next would be what to do with Khalid.

Probably tomorrow, Khalid might be impeached and DAP will have to see to that. Next, Pakatan Rakyat will have to send an emissary to the Palace to inform His Highness that they wish to replace the Menteri Besar and PAS will have to see to that. Finally, Pakatan Rakyat will have to call for a meeting to choose the new Menteri Besar to replace Khalid and PKR will have to see to that.

Let us hope His Highness the Sultan is progressive enough to agree to a female Menteri Besar for the first time in Malay history. Once that is able to happen then the possibility of a female Prime Minister becomes much closer to reality.

Actually, I have no problem with female leaders. In fact, to be very honest, I actually have a soft spot for Yingluck Shinawatra although many may hate her. Personally, if the Malays (and the Palace, of course) are ready for a female Menteri Besar then I have no problems with Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail becoming the new Menteri Besar of Selangor.

The problem with the Malays, though, is that they are still not ready to allow Christians to preach Christianity to Muslims or for Muslims to leave Islam to become atheists (or for Malays to enter into gay unions). So are the Malays ready for a female Menteri Besar? Hell, they won’t even allow men to have sex with women whom they are not married to.

My idol: Yingluck Shinawatra