Using the Malays to screw the Malays?

Hafidz Baharom, The Heat Malaysia

It was surprising to think that the DAP after all its poise in promoting that it’s race-based days were over, let one speaker run amok on a racist tirade in the middle of Sarawak.

In the recently passed Sarawak state election, Hew Kuan Yau told a crowd while stumping for his party’s candidate that they should vote a “Malay DAP” representative just so that “he can screw the Malays, the corrupt and the so called pok-kais”.

First of all, I would’ve expected such a speech being said in Peninsular Malaysia. After all, we tend to be a lot more racial here in Peninsular Malaysia in all facets of life.

In Sabah and Sarawak? Not so much. In fact, the most promoted thing about our east Malaysian states is the fact that they have remained truly multicultural without serious qualms in terms of race and religion.

The biggest problem for Hew — dubbed “Superman” — is that while his speech was recorded across the South China Sea, the Internet made sure it didn’t stay there for sure.

The bigger problem for the DAP now — with two by-elections in upcoming days and two years till the next general election — is that the call to “vote DAP Malays to screw Malays” was posted on DAP’s official YouTube channel, which means they have accidentally endorsed the message.

This was yet another screw up on the communication side of the party right after their misstep with a parody.

Obviously someone forgot that this is a country where Malays make up the majority of the population by a whopping 40 plus per cent, and that Umno and its Barisan Nasional counterparts have been playing catch-up very quickly in terms of social media campaigning.

The “vote Malays to screw Malays” phrase will provide Umno with enough ammunition to sail through the two upcoming by-elections easily, on top of the fact that both parliamentary seats are also strongholds of Umno, being in northern Selangor and Kuala Kangsar — Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s old seat.

What’s more, this snafu is not going to play well with rural voters who will be reminded of this two years from now, and would involve a lot of firefighting that could have very well be avoided in both urban and rural seats.

On top of that, the whole concept will evolve and impact the Pakatan Harapan coalition even worse. Both PKR and Parti Amanah Negara will both be accused of being the “DAP Malays who will screw the Malays”. With the coalition now being in a very fragile state after the six seated fracas that saw DAP and PKR contest each other, this does not bode well for the future of Malaysia’s political opposition.

But there is hope, if egos are set aside and proper unity is achieved within the Pakatan coalition — and it needs to happen before the next two by-elections to ensure that at least whichever candidates fielded will have a chance at keeping their deposits.

Firstly, get the national chapters of all three — DAP, PKR and Amanah — to revisit the unity agreement. Make sure there are no longer any disputes over seats in the upcoming general election.

Second, come up with a plan to integrate into one proper coalition with one symbol, and an integrated organisation structure. This is of course where those egos and proper unity requirements need to come into play.

Thirdly, announce a proper Shadow Cabinet with proper shadow ministers, regardless of whether or not you will get paid for it. The excuse given a while back by PKR President Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail was that there were no funds.

Pardon my French, but screw the funds. Set it up.

And finally, fire Superman. He’s a toxic liability. He’s kryptonite to the well being of the Opposition coalition which has just made an already tough upcoming general election that much tougher.