Stop playing the race card, Najib’s critics tell him

By MT Webmaster Last updated Sep 26, 2015

So where does that leave Najib? What option has he left? He can either resign and allow Dr Mahathir’s proxy to take over or he can try to stay in office with the support of the only people who still support him — the stupid Malays and those country bumpkins from the kampung and those he has bought off with BR1M.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Pete, I don’t think it is an issue of convincing the US that Najib is anti-West. I know that he is not. He has tried very hard to have a great relationship with us and other countries in the West. The real issue is this: In order to stay in power, Najib is pandering to the most racist, most intolerant, and most ignorant parts of Malaysian society. His comments to the Red Shirts/Silat group today are the best example of that — telling them that he and they are “willing to die for the Malay race” because they were slapped in the face four times (by the Chinese). And no matter what he said, Najib will never die for Malaysia — he and Rosmah will escape on a private jet to one of their many condos overseas.

As an American, my greatest concern is that Malaysia will go the way of Sri Lanka, or Bosnia, or so many other countries that have been torn apart throughout history by race and religion, because of the politically expedient actions of their leaders, whose only goal was to gain and stay in power, and to keep the money coming in. That is what Najib is doing now, for his own personal, political, and financial gain. And if that happens — if Malaysia starts to fall apart over racial and religious divide lines — then think about all of America’s investment in Malaysia that will be in jeopardy, and our cooperation on defence and counter-narcotics and terrorism. Long-term, that is why we should be concerned about Najib’s racial pandering.

It might not be a violent ending. Malaysia is not like other countries. It could just be the steady drip-drop of many of Malaysia’s most educated and most talented, regardless of race or religion, deciding that they want to live in freedom overseas. (John Malott)

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That was what John Malott, the United States Ambassador to Malaysia from 1995 to 1998 said yesterday. Looking at the Malaysian situation from a purely foreign diplomat’s point of view, Malott is actually right. But when you take politics into consideration, then Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak may not be too far off the mark.

I mean, even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad rose the ranks of Umno against the backdrop of Malay nationalism, which some may interpret as racism. Tun Musa Hitam became the Deputy President of Umno and the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia also using Malay nationalism, or racism if you wish to call it that.

Anwar Ibrahim not only played the race card but the religion card as well to climb the ladder of the Umno leadership. Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin once declared that he is Malay first and everything else second.

According to the polls, more than 50% of Americans think that President Obama is not only a Muslim but was born in Africa, which means he is a pendatang and not a real American. Two days ago, Donald Trump, one of the Republican candidates for the US Presidency, did not correct the statement by a member of the audience who said that about Obama when Trump knows that Obama was born in the US and is a Christian.

Trump was heavily criticised for allowing this distortion but then he was just being a good politician. And he also feels that immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans and that something must be done about it, especially when immigrants are the cause of crime in the US, or at least that is what Trump thinks.

This is the man who wants to be the next US President and he, too, plays the race and religion card when it suits him. If that is what more than half the US voters expect of him then this is the card he will play as long as he can win the Presidency. And did not President Bush say that God asked him to attack Iraq, which means God is a Christian?

Is this good politics on the part of Najib? Should Najib prove that he is the Prime Minister of all Malaysians and not just the Prime Minister for the Malays? I think the more appropriate question would be does Najib have much choice in the matter?

Gerakan, a Chinese based party in the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, is making statements that give an impression they are no longer on the same page with Najib.

DAP, another Chinese based party in the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (or Pakatan Rakyat 2.0), is asking MCA, a Chinese party, to leave Barisan Nasional and join the vote of no confidence against Najib next month.

Lim Kit Siang said today that they need at least 40 Barisan Nasional MPs to join the vote of no confidence so that Najib can be ousted from office next month.

Dr Mahathir, on the other hand, said that Najib has bought off all the Umno leaders. So that would mean the 40 or so Barisan Nasional MPs that they need would have to come from the ranks of the non-Malays.

Political analyst after political analyst has written over the last two years that Barisan Nasional no longer has the support of the Chinese. Even Malay analysts have said the same thing, as had Dr Mahathir and many other Umno leaders. In fact, this is why Dr Mahathir wants Najib ousted, so that Barisan Nasional can win back the non-Malay support.

DAP leaders are saying that Najib no longer has the support of the urban and/or educated Malays. The only Malays who still support Najib are the stupid Malays and the Malays from the kampung in the Malay heartland, say the DAP Chinese.

(So, any Malay who still supports Najib and/or Umno are either stupid or have been bought off with BR1M, etc.)

The message that all and sundry are sending Najib is very clear. Non-Malays no longer support Najib and Umno and expect 90% or more of them to vote opposition in the next general election. Educated and/or urban Malays no longer support Najib and Umno and expect the majority of them to vote opposition in the next general election. The only Malays who still support Najib and Umno are either stupid, country bumpkins who live in the kampung, or Malays who have been bought off by the government.

By the way, the popularity ratings for Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, which before this was sagging, has suddenly shot up because he has closed the country’s doors to immigrants and refugees. He wants Hungary for Hungarians just like Trump wants America for Americans. It is a fine line indeed between nationalism and racism.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK