“Malay-Only Government” Is Retrogressive

A Kadir Jasin

PARDON me for saying from the outset that any idea about a Malay- or Bumiputera-only government is bad. It’s retrogressive and against the ideals of Malaysia Baru (New Malaysia).

As such I had not given much thought to the media frenzy about a new coalition of Malay-Bumiputera parties supposedly coalescing around the Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

This was not until a highly educated and successful young Malay man asked me, over a cup of teh tarik in Petaling Jaya recently, the question:

“Are we going to have a Malay-only government, Datuk?”

I don’t know how and when this idea cropped up. But if I’m not mistaken, it came about when a picture of Prime Minister, his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, Pas President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, the Pas Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, and Dr Mahathir’s stalwart, Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan, having tea made its round in the media.

But that should not be a big deal. Dr Mahathir met all manner of people – friends and foes. He met Abdul Hadi several times before.

The meeting with Abdul Hadi was followed soon after by reports that the Umno Supreme Council had given an exclusive mandate to its President, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to hold talks with Dr Mahathir.

The reports, among other things, allegedly quoted the OKT (the accused person) Ahmad Zahid as saying something to the effect that Umno had no choice but work with Dr Mahathir since Pas had done so.

But when I mentioned this to the Prime Minister sometime later, he quipped: “Dia (Ahmad Zahid) ada sokongan ka?” (Has Ahmad Zahid had the support?)

Since then, Umno has been hit by a crisis of sorts. Several members of its ruling council, the Majlis Tertinggi, had opposed the idea and said Ahmad Zahid was not the right person to be engaging in any talk with Dr Mahathir.

It pits Ahmad Zahid’s supporters against the diehards of former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, and those who are independent of the two.

Ahmad Zahid is facing more than 30 charges for accepting bribes amounting to over RM40 million from an Umno-linked company and for pocketing money meant for charity.

In that sense, Ahmad Zahid isn’t the best person to be leading any multi-party negotiation and it would be odd for the Prime Minister to be talking serious politics with an OKT.

In the latest development, a member of the council, Datuk Lokman Adam who is known in the social media as “Lobak Man” (Carrot Man), had been sacked from the party for calling Ahmad Zahid traitor.

Lokman is a self-proclaimed supporter of the former Prime Minister and OKT, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak. He believes that Najib would be found innocent, exonerated and return to lead the country.

Malay Only?

For now, the so-called “Pakatan Nasional” (National Alliance) is nothing more than wild talks and social media feedstock. It is supposed to draw support from elements in Bersatu (the Prime Minister’s party), Umno, Pas, among the PKR rebels and Bumiputera parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

There a deafening silence about the position of the DAP, the biggest non-Bumiputera majority party in the PH government. Also not being spoken about is Amanah, another coalition party of PH. The latter is a sworn enemy of Pas.

But basing on the narratives of both Umno and Pas, the DAP seems to have no place in the alliance. That means there will be no meaningful non-Bumiputera representation.

Given its obvious Malay/Muslim-centric, the alliance, if ever it materializes, is not likely to get the automatic support of the Bumiputera parties in Sabah and Sarawak, bearing in mind that the majority of Bumiputeras in the two Borneo states are not Muslims.

Both Umno and Pas have taken to demonizing the DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam in their attempts to undermine the PH Government and to rally the support of the Malays and Muslims.

I have never bought into the mantra that the Malays and Muslims are threatened under then PH. Instead, the Malays and Muslims became weak and tainted because of the corruption of the former Umno-led Government.

Many of its leaders are being tried and many more are likely to be investigated. They need diversion and are lying to the people that they are poised to make a comeback. This is their way of trying to forget the haunting thoughts of going to jail.

Having said that, I will, however, not discount the possibility of the existence of a second window to the proposition, i.e the transfer of power from Dr Mahathir to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.