It's all the Chinese's fault!

When all else fails, just blame the Chinese.

That's the essence of Malaysian politics. I'm glad that these groups are vocal with their demands. At least now, the Chinese can't really be blamed for voting the way they did, nor being questioned with "Apa lagi China Mau?"...

Lay out all the cards on the table. Let everyone see and make their choices.

Don't say one thing but do another! I hope the rules are clearly spelled out once and for all... hopefully in my lifetime.

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Can Umno steer BN in the right direction?

by Khoo Kay Peng

Umno is making a big mistake if it caves in to the demands of Perkasa, a coalition of Malay rights groups.

In the run up to the party’s recent annual general assembly, Perkasa leaders were busy drawing up memorandums calling for the abolition of vernacular schools (especially Chinese vernacular schools), allowing only Bumiputeras to be exempted from repaying their National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loan schemes and others.

Once again, the group has chosen to target the Chinese community to bolster its credentials as an ethnic champion. What’s worse is that some Umno leaders are echoing some of the same demands leading up to their party’s annual general assembly last week.

Instead of supporting the president’s efforts to promote liberalisation, Wanita Umno has submitted a memorandum calling for the Sedition Act not to be repealed. Resolutions have been submitted to discuss a broad range of issues including the status of vernacular schools and suggestions to strip off the citizenship of non-Malays who are not fluent in the Malay language.

The party leadership should take notice that international observers are going to follow the proceedings very closely. Umno is the most dominant ruling party in the country and the resolutions passed in the party’s annual general assembly are going to have a major impact on how the country is going to be run.

Of course, Umno delegates have the right to freedom of expression.

However, the party must be reminded of its obligations as a ruling party and the consequences of its speech especially those that are racially charged and sensitive. Instead of blaming the Chinese for the BN coalition electoral setback, the party should conduct a self-evaluation on what the party has done wrong in order to improve its electoral performance.

Any ruling parties that refused to admit their weaknesses after decades of being in power do not deserve to continue to be in power. Making the Chinese community as its main political punching bag is not going to prove that the community is the main cause of the Malays’ dilemmas and grievances.

If the attacks persist, it is going to show that Umno, as the most dominant Malay-based ruling party over the last five decades, has failed to deliver as the leader of the BN-led federal government. It controls the administration and its resources. It has been able to implement any affirmative policies that benefited the Malays without any resistance from its partners in BN.

Who is to be blamed if the Malays failed to improve their socio-economic standards and conditions? Should the Chinese undergraduates be penalised just because not enough Malay graduates qualified for exemption from repaying their PTPTN loan?    

Some Umno leaders have said that the Chinese voters are easily duped to support the opposition. A few even suggested that these voters are part of a conspiracy to bring down Umno. The only fault the Chinese voters have committed is to exercise their voting right to elect a democratic government.

All political parties that choose to participate in the electoral process must respect the decision of the voters.

Some segments of Umno, especially those who insisted on blaming other races and religions for their leadership failure, are the biggest threats to the BN coalition’s political future. It would be foolhardy for any ethnic minority parties to think that they can displace the majority Malay leadership.

Most of the non-Malay voters did not vote for the BN because they had demanded better responses from the ruling BN regime for their grievances and problems. 

In this regard, MCA and other Chinese-based parties must work together with the moderate and progressive leaders in Umno to restore the confidence of Chinese voters in BN. These parties do not have to respond in similar fashion by bashing up the instigators.

MCA, Gerakan, SUPP and LDP can reach out to the Malay community by assuring them that the Chinese community encourages them to succeed and to achieve greater heights. Tertiary institutions linked to the parties could provide full scholarships and bursaries to Malay students who obtained good academic results. Chinese-based companies could offer top Malay students to work for them as management trainees.

It is important to debunk the notion that the Chinese community is the main cause of the Malay community’s weaknesses and woes. We must make an impression that meritocracy is the only yardstick for success. Individuals regardless of race or creed are encouraged to achieve greater success and contribute positively to national development.  

BN is only viable if Umno can help to steer it towards the right direction. The right path is to stay progressive and inclusive. Umno must ensure that it does not push itself and the BN further away from the moderate middle ground. 

Khoo Kay Peng is a political analyst and a management consultant. He believes that this nation can only progress with the collective will of its people. - See more at: http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/Can-Umno-steer-BN-in-the-right-direction#sthash.4XIohkLB.dpuf

Khoo Kay Peng