Red Shirts set tone for next GE
World Future TV
Malaysia (PAS) and on the traditional demonising of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), but these are not the only powerful drivers of the Umno battle plan.
It’s current battle horse is to hit, tit for tat, at the DAP and its formidable Bersih linked machinery.
Umno has been successful in 2015 in its portrayal of the Bersih 4 rally as a Chinese affair. The rally took place on the eve of the Merdeka day, a day which is a historic one for many Malays in particular. The regime of Prime Minister Najib Razak portrayed an offense to the spirit of freedom, accusing the dismantled opposition pact of insolence.
Najib’s criticism of Bersih 4 landed on deaf ears among the demonstrators, but it gained support among the core Malay-Muslim community, which is Umno’s and the Barisan National (BN) alliance voter base.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin dismissed the idea that a united Malay community would bring victory to the Umno, and its coalition partners in the Barisan National (BN).
This strategy, which is not new, was shot down by former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad, who said to the local media the country will fail if the Malays were the only ones in power.
In a 2013 interview to The Malaysian Reserve, Mahathir said it was not conceivable for the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) to join Umno and form the government.
The reason he gave was Malaysia is not governable with Malays alone.
Mahathir also said the Chinese community should be brought back to the folds, voting for BN in the next elections, which the BN failed to do.
Umno is preparing for the 14th General Elections with Malay unity, and the defense of Malay rights as the central points of its future campaign.
