July 4, 2012
GE-13: It will be about Other Issues, Not Race
by Ida Lim@www,themalaysianinsider.com
Although race-based politics will still be a part of the Malaysian political landscape, analysts have said that voters are more “mature” and moving away from casting their votes based on their ethnicity.
The analysts were responding to former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent remark that race will be the main issue in the 13th general election that must called by next April.
“It won’t be racial issues, but issues like the economy, justice, alternative 
media, corruption and young voters,” said Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff (right), a political analyst from UKM, in disagreement with Dr Mahathir’s view.
Pointing out that “these are universal issues that transcend ethnic boundaries”, Agus said that “both sides are going to face an uphill task” to win support from the Malaysian electorate.
Faisal Hazis, a political scientist from UNIMAS, said “racial politics has been in Malaysia for a long time” due to the “kind of policies the ruling party has adopted”.
“But racial politics has been slowly diluted,” Faisal said, adding that “there has been an emergence of new multiracial politics” over the past decade while agreeing that people now “discuss more on issues rather than race”.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan from the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) also said, “Society is trying to make up its mind on who to vote, as they decide they will look at issues instead of ethnic identities.”
However he noted that: “It has always been about race. To me what will happen as we get closer to elections, all ethnic-based political parties will make sure all issues are turned into ethnic-based issues. Their sole existence is based on fighting for ethnic-based issues; it is in their interest to do so.”
Wan Saiful said that “there [is] rhetoric on the need for multi-racial policies” by both the ruling Barisan National (BN) coalition and federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat but they have still failed to truly carry it out “in reality”.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has pushed his “1 Malaysia” concept in a bid to change BN’s image as a coalition made up of race-based parties, with the more prominent examples being UMNO, MIC and MCA.
Najib’s administration had rolled out various plans to benefit the public regardless of race, including student vouchers and one-off RM500 handouts to low-income households under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) scheme.
The three main opposition parties — DAP, PAS and PKR — have also tried to show a multiracial stance. Wan Saiful said all political parties “should focus on policies for Malaysians as a whole rather than harping on and on about ethnic groups.”
Earlier this week, Dr Mahathir had said BN’s weakness after losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament in the March 2008 election has forced the coalition to cater to various racial demands.
“In this country, we are very racist, even more than before. The next election is going to be about race. Who gives what, who gets what based on race. When the government is weak, it caters to demands which are not going to be good for the country in the long run,” he said.
Najib’s predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had also in March said: “We are always concerned about race. Because there is a tendency for certain parties to make use of these issues, as a way of getting support for them and creating problems for us.”
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
GE 13 will be more about getting Kutty and sons incorporated flushed into anyone of the Indah Water oxidation ponds .
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No, GE-13 will be about the future of our country and the sort of leadership and government we want.–Din Merican
So, it seem like we all know the root cause of our demises, which is clearly outlined by these well educated gentlemen.
Voters have to prove BN/UMNO wrong that we are all racists. Racial politics were forced into us by the administration for their advantage to instill fear to retain power to further abusing us. Voters through their votes should prove the administration wrong that we can be pulled by our noses whenever they want. Voters must prove that they are not puppets, not wayang kulit. Voters would not be bribed by handouts. Voters are to reclaim their right to vote for the best candidate to serve them not to lord over them.
It’s time for voters to wake up and not let those who have sacrifice for clean and fair election, those who have fought for justice, for rules of the laws to be impartial to all races goes to waste. Voters should not allow the administration to decides who gets what and who gets not. With our votes we will decide for them what we need and what we want. Voters have to turn the table or we will continue to be slaved to fear the games played by the administration. Do we need to be reminded that we are Malaysian. What is 1Malaysia? There is no where in the world that there is a 2Malaysia. These 1Malaysia is bullshit. It’s a plaything of our administration.
We are human beings. Human beings are not racists in nature. We are racists because of policies set by the administration to segregate us for their own personal agendas. Human beings are made out of feeling, love, compassion with heart and soul for one another. We don’t need the administration and their ill policies to tell us how to live our lives together.
Humans are created as worshiping beings. Either you worship the worldly things or associate with a certain religion, which is purely a personal matter and never to be imposed on others. But, many administrations hijack it to segregate and instill fear to stay in power. So, do we want to be used as prawns by the administration to achieve their goals to continue slaving the us?
Much have been said and much have been revealed. How much more are needed to convince voters that it’s time to turn the table. Changes are good for progress. And if we failed to learn how to change a non-performing administration we will never progress only digress. The progress of Malaysia in this competitive world is not through religion, or being racist but good governance who believe in providing good education.
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As humans, God gave us the capacity to think (akal) and willpower (self control), and religious values to guide us in our relations with our kind, animals and the environment. Greed is confined to evil forces which seek to tempt us away from God. Don’t blame religion but its practice by those religious functionaries who seek to subjugate us to their ideology. So blame ourselves for the state of our country, not our religions.–Din Merican
We Malaysian people have the capacity to think and we formed parties such as democratic action party(democratic base), justice party (justice base) and Islamic party (feeling, love, compassion and welfare base in the name of ALLAH for all) proven our non racial stand. The ruling party, however, consisting of key racial base parties such as UMNO (Malay racist), MCA (Chinese racist) , MIC (Indian racist) etc..We don’t need the Government and their hidden agenda that confined to evil forces which seek to tempt us how to live our lives together by instilling fear for stay in power and hijack by abusing us. We must not allow this to happen and must prove that we are not puppets. We voters must not be bribed by handouts. We voters are to reclaim our rights to vote for the best candidate to serve all Malaysians not to play games and abuses.
For me, the next election is about consolidating the present two-party-system in M’sia for check and balance purposes. Political parties, like any other associations, consist of people and like a Chinese saying that I used to hear, in this world there’s not a tree that is straight and in this world, there’s not a single straight ( totally honest ) person. The only way we can reduce the severity of those in power from being corrupted is to have an opposing, equivalent power constantly keeping an eye on them like a hawk. Money is the root of all evil.
What other issues? As far as UMNO is concerned its a racial issue, supposedly championing the rights of the Malays.
If they start touching or talking about other issues they will drown with charges of misgoverning, misappropriation of funds, corruption and abuse of power. Pick one any one and we can debate at length.
Will race and issues related to race will NOT be brought up or discussed during the campaign for the coming election by political leaders?
I agree with Tun Dr. Mahathir. Issues related with race, ethnicity and religions will be made an issue by political leaders during this coming GE. Even recently race issues have been brought up and twisted by DAP and of all places in Parliament.
Remember when on June 26 an UMNO MP from Johore whilst supporting the PM’s and BN argument that the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally for free and fair elections was an attempt to topple the Najib administration the UMNO MP asked for be taken action and called for Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to be hanged for the “treasonous” act.
Sri Gading MP Datuk Mohamad Aziz compared the Bersih chief to leaders of the Al-Ma’unah militants who tried to overthrow the government in 2000 and were eventually sentenced to death by hanging for “waging war against the King,” the first people to be convicted of the offence.
“Shouldn’t we also hang Ambiga for treason towards the Agong? Traitors should be punished as harshly as possible,” the four-term federal lawmaker told Parliament when debating the supplementary supply bill.
The Dewan Rakyat hansard had shown that Mohamad had said on Tuesday: “Apakah Ambiga tidak boleh kita anggap penderhaka kepada Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan hukum gantung kepada dia?” (Can we consider Ambiga as a traitor to the Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong and punish her by hanging?).
BUT how did the DAP MP from Penang Lim Guan Eng react? The lawmakers pointed out today that an MP’s parliamentary immunity is still limited according to provisions in the Federal Constitution, adding that the Sri Gading MP could still be investigated by the police for his remarks.
At a press conference, later, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said he would direct all elected representatives from the party to lodge simultaneous reports against Mohamad for the latter’s “samseng-like”, “seditious”, “racist”, “repulsive”, “repugnant” and “derogatory” remark against Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who is the co-chair of election watchdog Bersih.
“Clearly these remarks are inflammatory, designed to stir disaffection, extremism and racism… it was directed against her because she’s a woman, Hindu and Indian,” the Bagan MP said.
Wasn’t Lim Guan Eng from DAP trying to stir racial and religious sentiments of the Indian and Hindu community politically using the above issue?
Coming this 13th General Election more issues related to race, ethnicity and religions will be mentioned by the opposition and BN politicians – issues regarding education, scholarship, Chinese and Tamil schools, licence and permit, quotas in the public services, housing, housing loans, tenders and contracts and even the collection of rubbish by the Local governments.