DAP Chinese will support Umno if 1MDB is resolved
Many so-called political experts say that all Najib has to do is resolve the 1MDB issue and DAP and Pakatan Harapan are going to collapse because the urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, are going to flock to Umno and Barisan Nasional. If this is how the ‘experts’ analyse things then I should be given a PhD in political science or political philosophy. 1MDB is not the issue here and if you think so then stop thinking.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
“Najib needs to restore trust deficit among urban voters, say political experts,” said Today Online, the full report which you can read below.
The report started by saying, “Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing a huge trust deficit as a result of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal especially among urban voters, and he will need to win them over to gain a good result for the next general election, say political experts.”
Dr Chandra Muzaffar was quoted as saying, “The biggest challenge is to try and restore trust among the people especially in the urban areas as they have become more skeptical and critical of the government due to the (1MDB) issue.”
Anyway, you can read the rest of the report below but the impression being created is that:
1. The government is facing a trust deficit just because of the 1MDB issue.
2. If Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak resolves the 1MDB issue then the urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, are going to abandon DAP and Pakatan Harapan and are going to flock to Umno in great numbers giving Barisan Nasional 180 seats in Parliament against the backdrop of 80% of the popular votes.
3. The urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, are not really opposed to Umno and Barisan Nasional but are just upset about 1MDB.
4. Before 1MDB became an issue in December 2014, the urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, supported Umno and Barisan Nasional and gave them 180 seats in Parliament and 80% of the popular votes — for example in the 2008 and 2013 general elections.
Once the 1MDB issue is resolved Mahathir and Kit Siang will support Umno again like they did back in 2008 and 2013
Now look at the maps below and note which part of the UK is red and which part is blue. Also note that Scotland is yellow. The same thing as what is happening in Malaysia is also happening in the UK. The working class voters vote one way while the rural voters vote another way. And the nationalists in Scotland have a third choice altogether, as do the Irish. And this divide has existed for 400 years since the 1600s when Ireland, Scotland and England were divided by religion that eventually saw King Charles I literally lose his head. The question now is will Scotland leave the UK and declare independence? That, of course, is always a possibility in light of BREXIT.
Anyway, the point is: there is no 1MDB in the UK but the voting pattern there is almost like in Malaysia. In Malaysia, too, the voters vote red in the urban areas and blue in the rural areas. And this has been going on for a long time before the 1MDB issue exploded in 2014. In 2008 and 2013 there was not yet any 1MDB issue and still the pattern is red in the urban areas and blue in the rural areas.
So, if these ‘political experts’ feel that 1MDB is a cure-all elixir and once Najib resolves 1MDB (or resigns as Prime Minister) then DAP and Pakatan Harapan are as good as dead because the urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, are going to flock to Umno and Barisan Nasional, then these so-called ‘political experts’ need to spend few more years in school.
Back in 2008 they also thought that if Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigns then the voters would flock back to Umno and Barisan Nasional. That did not prove correct. Now they say if Najib resigns then the voters would flock back to Umno and Barisan Nasional. That is also not going to prove correct.
Dr Chandra contested an urban seat as an opposition candidate in 1999 but lost
How many times do we need to repeat that 1MDB is not the issue? They needed an issue to use against Najib so they chose 1MDB as that issue. If 1MDB did not exist they would have chosen another issue instead. They would have fabricated an issue to use against Najib and if they did not have 1MDB it would have been something else.
This is so fundamental that it is mind-boggling that even someone with supposedly superior brains like Dr Chandra cannot see that. There was no 1MDB in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. So why did the urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, not vote Umno and Barisan Nasional? Are you saying if 1MDB did not exist and if Najib was not the Prime Minister then DAP would have closed down years ago back in the 1970s and Pakatan Harapan (or Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat before that) would never have existed?
These ‘experts’ had better accept the fact that the urban population is anti-establishment and has been for a long time since the days of our grandfather. Furthermore, race and religion (followed by money) are the key factors that decide how people vote. In times of plenty the urban population votes government and during hard times they vote opposition. Hence all the voters want is dedak, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is so fond of saying, especially the Chinese voters. To the Chinese it is all about money, even when they bury their parents.
Why is it the Chinese voted government in 1999 while the Malays voted ABM (Anything But Mahathir)? Simple! The Chinese were more concerned about the economy and they were quite happy with what the government was doing.
Chinese will vote Umno once the 1MDB issue in resolved like they did in 2008 and 2013
We conducted a poll back in 1999 and what we found out was very surprising. These are some examples of the questions and the answers that the Chinese and urban population gave.
1. Is there freedom in Malaysia? No!
2. Is Mahathir a dictator? Yes!
3. Is the ISA a draconian law? Yes!
4. Is there rampant corruption in Malaysia? Yes!
5. Does Malaysia still need the ISA to ensure there are no race riots or religious extremism? Yes!
6. Is the government managing the economy well? Yes!
7. Do we need a strong opposition? Yes!
8. Do you think the opposition should take over? No!
9. Do you support PAS? No!
10. Do you support Barisan Alternatif? Yes!
There were actually about 40 questions but from the answers you can see that the Malaysian voter does not really know what he or she wants. For example, they say they oppose RUU355 because they do not wish to see a dual-legal system emerge in Malaysia. The fact that Malaysia has had a dual-legal system for hundreds of years since long before Malaysia was born seems to be news to these people. To them RUU355 is about amputations and beheadings and they just refuse to find out what it is really about.
The urban voters, in particular the Chinese and Indians, have made up their minds they are going to vote ABU (Anything But Umno). And this means anything at all associated with Umno, Barisan Nasional included but not restricted to just Barisan Nasional — such as Najib, 1MDB, GST, BR1M. It does not matter whether it is good or bad. As long as it comes from the Umno-government they will reject it.
Najib was quite correct last month when he said the next general election is going to be a Umno-Malay-led coalition versus a DAP-Chinese-led coalition. That is the bottom line to this whole thing. 1MDB, GST, BR1M, investments from China, or whatever, are merely excuses to use to justify their opposition to and unite the people against Najib. And if you think that if 1MDB, GST, BR1M, investments from China, etc., did not exist then Umno and Barisan Nasional are going to garner 80% of the votes and win 180 seats in Parliament then you should stop thinking.
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Najib needs to restore trust deficit among urban voters, say political experts
(Today Online) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing a huge trust deficit as a result of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal especially among urban voters, and he will need to win them over to gain a good result for the next general election, say political experts.
“The biggest challenge is to try and restore trust among the people especially in the urban areas as they have become more skeptical and critical of the government due to the (1MDB) issue,” said Dr Chandra Muzaffar, chairman of 1Malaysia Foundation during a panel discussion on key issues leading up to the next Malaysian election at the Regional Outlook Forum 2017 organised by the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute on Monday (jan 9) afternoon.
The urban population, Dr Muzaffar said, is very much in the know about the comings and goings of the 1MDB issue. Dr Muzaffar — who heads the non-profit foundation promoting national unity and is also a political scientist said it would be easy to restore faith and trust by being “transparent and honest”, if Mr Najib says he is prepared to come clean on the scandal, and “implies that he will step down”.
“However, he (Mr Najib) is not prepared to do that and that is the real problem.”
State investment fund 1MDB is under investigation by, among others, the United States Justice Department and Singapore authorities.
Mr Najib, who denies wrongdoing, sacked his deputy, Mr Muhyiddin Yassin, as well as another federal minister, Mr Mohd Shafie Apdal, for raising questions on 1MDB.
Dr Muzaffar, a former opposition leader, noted that the failure of the political elite to be honest and accountable – when investigations and court proceedings in other countries are revealing the truth behind 1MDB, has become a major issue for the 14th general election.
Malaysia’s general election is not due till mid-2018 but analysts have said that Mr Najib may call for snap polls as he has weathered a year of political storm and fending off the 1MDB corruption scandal.
Mr Najib has also overseen warming relations with opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia in what is seen as a bid to gain more Malay votes.
Dr Muzaffar also noted that if opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) is able to prove to voters that it is a viable and cohesive coalition to administer the country, ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) will be in “deep trouble”.
Commenting on the battleground state of Selangor, which the ruling party has vowed to reclaim from the opposition, former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim said at the sidelines of the forum that PH is likely to retain the state.
He said for Selangor – which has a sizeable number of urban voters, people are well aware of the current issues plaguing the country unlike those from the rural areas. “The race and religion cards are not effective anymore, as they (young voters) are well read.”
Mr Zaid said the opposition should strengthen their position by agreeing on the seats they are contesting and to draw up a proper and cohesive manifesto.
“Spend time on it (manifesto), talk about things that people want and care about.”
