This article appeared in the New Straits Times of April 28, 2013
1. The DAP’s Kit Siang has learnt a lot from Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR leader. When unable to counter a critic, silence him by threatening to take libel action in court if the statement is not withdrawn. A long drawn hearing in the court with many postponements, will relieve Kit Siang from having to answer his critic.
2. Now he wants to sue me for calling him a racist. I have been called a racist and an ultra hundreds of times. I never sued anyone. I am a politician and ours is a democratic nation. I believe in free speech. If my political opponents call me names, I can reply or I can do something to prove them wrong.
3. I was called a Malay ultra when I became the Deputy Prime Minister. Yet in the 1999 Elections the Malays did not support me. It was Chinese votes which gave me a two-thirds majority. Incidentally Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, the loudest in calling me a Malay racist, lost in that election.
4. I reiterate that Kit Siang is racist when using the Malaysian Malaysia slogan and calling for meritocracy.
5. In blog.limkitsiang.com an article by Lee Hwa Beng states “This shows MCA won mainly in mixed seats where there are fewer Chinese voters while it lost in the Chinese majority seats.
6. One can deduce therefore, that the MCA won with the support of Malay rather than Chinese votes.” It is all about race and it belies the claim that race and religion are no longer issues in Malaysian politics.
7. The conclusion of the writer is that the DAP won only where the Chinese are in the majority.
8. The MCA is not racial because it is supported by Chinese, Malays and Indians. If the DAP does not play on its Chineseness, it cannot win. That is why Kit Siang chooses Gelang Patah where 53% of the voters are Chinese. By contesting there, Ghani is going to prove that Johore Chinese care for the friendship with the Malays. This was so in the past, when the Barisan Nastional won in that constituency, when Johore scored 100% victories.
9. Kit Siang’s article claims that Gelang Patah is a microcosm of Malaysian society, because it has 53% Chinese, 33% Malay and 12% Indian. Does this really represent a microcosm of Malaysian society? Gelang Patah is in fact not even the norm in Johore, much less in Malaysia. If he had said it is a microcosm of the urban society, I would agree, certainly not the racial mix and distribution in Malaysia.
10. In another of blog.limkitsiang.com article by Sakmongkol, the heading speaks for itself.
11. It says “Lim’s return to Johore emboldens the Chinese.”
12. Again the emphasis is on race, the Chineseness of Gelang Patah which causes Kit Siang to choose Gelang Patah. The writer went on to say that “We (Kit Siang is DAP”) have a chance to wipe out the MCA (a Chinese party which believes in kongsi with other races of the Barisan Nasional). Further it averred that the DAP does so to replace the MCA as the party of choice for the Chinese. Again the emphasis is racial, on the choice of the Chinese alone and not on Malaysians. MCA is pictured as the lackey of the Malays. What is the DAP going to be in Pakatan, the kingmaker, the master. In Malaysia no one race can rule this multiracial country, by proxy or otherwise.
13. Further on it says, “Kit Siang’s return to Johore is giving meaning and purpose to the Malaysian Chinese.”
14. What about other Malaysians? Don’t they count? Aren’t they deserving of a share in the power and the wealth of this multiracial nation?
15. In everything written about Kit Siang, there will always be reference to Chinese racial issues. Malay issues such as their poverty, their need to be more involved in the economy of the country, merit no analysis and support from Kit Siang.
16. That is why I called him a racist. I will not be intimidated by his threat to sue me. I know it is cheap for him. When Anwar lost in his RM100 million suit against me, he had only to pay cost of RM70,000. Had I lost I may be bankrupted.
17. Karpal knows this very well and knows about delays in court proceedings. The prospect of silencing me must look very attractive and politically smart. But I will not be silenced. If politicians fear being painted in their true colour, then take up some less challenging jobs.
No comments:
Post a Comment