The interview given by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Mingguan Malaysia yesterday “Kuasa penentu Melayu hilang jika terus berpecah” may be appropriate coming from the Umno Deputy President but clearly unsuitable, most shocking and even offensive coming from the Deputy Prime Minister of a plural Malaysia after more than half-a-century of nation-building and national unity efforts.

The following Q & A is one good example:

Q. Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?

MUHYIDDIN: Ya, kadang-kadang kita berasa terpedaya juga kerana zahirnya nampak macam ‘ok’, sambutan dengan tepukan gemuruh tetapi mungkin sudah ada tertanam dalam hati iaitu sesuatu tidak mudah hendak berubah, pokoknya masalah isu Perak terutamanya di kalangan masyarakat Cina yang mungkin telah dipengaruhi dengan sentimen simpati kepada Datuk Seri Ir.Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, kononnya dia ‘dijatuhkan’, lepas itu kononnya dasar memberi pegangan tanah selama 99 tahun dilihat dasar yang menguntungkan.

Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi. Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.

Oleh itu kita kena kaji psikologi apa yang menyebabkan masyarakat Cina tidak bersedia untuk berubah, pada zaman dahulu tidak begitu.

Persoalannya apakah mereka melihat dalam konteks senario politik baru ini, selepas kerajaan BN tumbang di lima buah negeri, mereka sudah menjadi kuasa penentu? Orang Cina rasa sekarang, walaupun mereka kumpulan minoriti, merekalah menentukan kerana kelompok masyarakat Melayu sudah berpecah tiga kumpulan. Masyarakat Cina tidak berpecah mereka bersatu, setidak-tidaknya dari segi semangat apabila bersama-sama membuat sesuatu keputusan.

Dalam keadaan ini, mereka boleh menentukan keputusan sesuatu pilihan raya dan apabila kesan itu dapat dilihat dalam pilihan raya umum lalu dan beberapa pilihan raya kecil, mereka fikir sekarang mereka lebih ada kuasa penentu, bukan sahaja Cina malah masyarakat India pun begitu, apa tah lagi apabila mendapat kedudukan dalam kerajaan yang ditubuhkan pakatan pembangkang dengan menjadi Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Speaker dan exco kerajaan negeri, jadi ini bagi mereka seolah-olah tawaran yang diberikan oleh pihak sana lebih baik daripada kita pernah tawarkan dalam konteks BN, jadi ini kita harus teliti.

Muhyiddin’s interview has been carried in the Chinese newspapers today, with headlines like “Muhyiddin – Chinese ungrateful to BN” (Sin Chew); “Chinese fooled Barisan Nasional. Muhyiddin – Get benefits but do not vote in support” (Nanyang); “BN feels tricked. Muhyiddin – Satisfy Chinese demands still no support” (China Press)

It is most shocking that 52 years after national independence, the No. 2 in the federal government of a multi-racial nation could come out with such retrogressive and most unacceptable views about Malaysian democracy and nation building.

Firstly, Muhyiddin has confirmed that the Barisan Nasional is guilty of money politics in elections, using public funds especially in the form of development projects as baits to get support from the voters.

This explains Muhyiddin’s complaint about the Chinese being “ungrateful” and the BN being “duped” by the Chinese in getting various “benefits” without reciprocating by giving votes to the Barisan Nasional in the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections.

The simple response to such a reactionary view is that the voters are only getting what belong to them as of right as Malaysian citizens when Barisan Nasional went around to distribute “instant noodle” development projects, and there is no question of the voters having to feel “grateful” to the Barisan Nasional as the monies do not come from the private pockets of the Barisan Nasional leaders but the public coffers of the government.

The voters of Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau did not “dupe” the Barisan Nasional; if any, it is the Umno and Barisan Nasional which had duped the voters for 52 years!

Secondly, Muhyiddin was being very mischievous in claiming that the Chinese and even Indians in Malaysia want to be “kingmakers” in Malaysia at the expense of the Malays in the new political landscape.

Is this what Najib meant by his “1Malaysia” slogan?

Are the views propounded by Muhyiddin represent the position of Senator Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, who has been appointed the Minister not only for KPIs (key performance index) for Ministers but also for Najib’s slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now”? What are the position of the MCA,MIC and non-Umno Ministers in the new Najib Cabinet?

The Chinese and Indians are not and do not want to be the political kingmakers in Malaysia. Such a concept is most irresponsible and even dangerous and should not be encouraged.

What we want to see is the full, free and fair functioning of the system of parliamentary democracy in Malaysia where the kingmakers will be the Malaysian voters – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli and all other Malaysians.

Thirdly, it is clear from Muhyiddin’s interview that he is still propounding the concept of Ketuanan Melayu (a camouflage for Ketuanan Umnoputras) when after 52 years since Merdeka, the time has come for Ketuanan rakyat Malaysia!

It is also clear that the Umno leadership has not learnt the lessons from the March 8 political tsunami last year as well as the four by-elections of Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections in the past eight months that Umno and Barisan Nasional have become politically irrelevant and that Malaysians, regardless of race or religion want to be kingmakers to effect a major political change in the next general elections.

Muhyiddin’s retrogressive interview has raised the question as to what is the real meaning of Najib’s “1Malaysia”.

If it rejects DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia, Gerakan’s Malaysian Malaysia, even the Bangsa Malysia concept of Vision 2020, what does Najib’s “1Malaysia” really mean?

The first task of the Najib Cabinet at its first meeting on Wednesday is to define clearly the meaning of the Najib’s “1Malaysia” slogan to ensure that it is a motto of unity and not of division.

The first task of Tsu Koon as the Minister for “1Malaysia” is to ask Muhyiddin to make a public apology for a most divisive interview which has given “1Malaysia” a bad name!