DAP spoiling for another May 13 tragedy
KS Lee
Recent events in Pakatan, particularly the ugly exchange of words between DAP and PAS, does not augur well for the future of Pakatan and peace in Malaysia.
The 13 May tragedy was partly caused by the arrogance of DAP, particularly Lim Kit Siang. Age has not brought him maturity or wisdom. He, together with his son Lim Guan Eng, are bent on bringing on a head-on clash between PAS and DAP.
As politicians, both lack political foresight and acumen as is being exhibited by the brash way they have been behaving on this issue. It is difficult to believe they are not aware that the bitter acrimony between DAP and PAS, if not contained, will spill over to engulf the larger society.
Day by day racial unity and harmony in Malaysia is becoming more fragile and tenuous. If the feud between DAP and PAS begins to affect the whole society how will our society splinter? One does not need a crystal ball to predict this. Can it be anything but a confrontation between the Malays and Chinese? The Indians and other ethnic communities being caught in between will be forced to choose one group or the other. A replay of May 13 1969!
Do Malaysians want this? Even the 52 percent, which the opposition is constantly crowing about, largely comprising of Chinese voters do not want this, I am sure.
The terror of that fateful day in May is still fresh in the minds of most older-Malaysians. We do not want the killings, bloodshed and carnage to be repeated.
The dust has not settled on the recent PAS gathering and elections. But DAP and the Lims seem bent on a Malay purge in the Penang government. Surely, such decisions should not be made in the heat of the moment. Furthermore, it has to be a joint decision by all three component parties. There is no indication of any joint meeting having been held among Pakatan component parties, or within the DAP itself.
The Lims have also rebuffed attempts by PKR and Azmin Ali to act as peacemaker publicly and crassly. Lim Guan Eng’s trademark belligerence, ”holier than thou’’ attitude and combativeness is well known and evidenced by the unceremonious dismissal of the Penang PAS secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi, whose services as Information Officer at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office was terminated last Friday without notice.
The Lims should climb down from their high horses and consider the larger picture and not just their oversized egos. Is not the future of Pakatan and racial harmony more important? At the moment they are being motivated by an overdose of Chinese chauvinism and fallacious self-importance of their role in deciding the destiny of Malaysia.
Lim Kit Siang, just like his former arch nemesis now turned comrade, Mahathir Mohamad, nurse similar ambitions. To Mahathir his prime ambition is to make his lack lustre son Mukhriz prime minister and therefore his constant castigation of Prime Minister Najib. If he were to manage to remove Najib he was hoping to make Mukhriz the deputy prime minister and next step would be the premiership!
Najib”s refusal to accede to his wish as Abdullah Badawi did, is making him madder by the moment. If not for 1MDB, he would have concocted a hundred other reasons!
Lim Kit Siang is so certain that Pakatan will win the next general elections and that his son, Lim Guan Eng, will definitely be ensconced as deputy prime minister of Malaysia. Now, PAS has thrown the “hudud” spanner to wreck his carefully laid plans nurtured over the last fifty years and it has brought out the worst in Lim Kit Siang.
Both Mahathir and Lim Kit Siang seem to have lost all sense of right and wrong, and would stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions.
All Malaysians need to pray and hope that megalomania does not destroy the peace and harmony of Malaysia. May the Lord Almighty bless and preserve our beloved country.
