In about a fortnight, Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be celebrating his first full year as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

In the past year, the slogan of 1Malaysia has dominated the media, the airwaves and the television channels while the 1Malaysia logo in different shapes and sizes had littered the national landscape.

Paradoxically, however, Najib is fighting a losing battle for his 1Malaysia slogan and concept and the most disturbing recent example of such failure was when early this month, a rational and level-headed Umno leader like the Second Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanadzlah could make a racist remark when egged on by anti-1Malaysia elements when he came under the influence of Penang Umno.

Husni has yet to apologise for his racist remark at a dinner organized by the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce, where he said: “Kalau orang Cina di Pulau Pinang buli kita, kita lawan balik orang Cina” and what Husni said had been caught on tape.

I am very surprised as DAP MPs have always found Husni as a very rational, level-headed and reasonable Deputy Minister and since Najib’s elevation as Prime Minister last April, as Second Finance Minister, and we find it most shocking that he could have uttered such a racially-laden statement, which runs counter to what Najib’s 1Malaysia represents.

The question all Malaysians must ponder is why a usually rational, level-headed and reasonable Umno leader who is very moderate in his views could make such a racist remark completely out of his character?

The only explanation is that when Husni went to Penang, he was influenced by the sustained hate campaign of UMNO Penang exploiting the “race and religion” card falsely accusing Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Pakatan Rakyat Penang State Government as anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

As a moderate Umno leader, Husni should be exercising restraint and check on the irresponsible and seditious campaign by Penang Umno, recklessly exploiting the “race and religion” card in cahoots with Umno-controlled media like Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, making a total mockery of Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign – and not to succumb to the Penang Umno virus as to condone and even to aid and abet such an irresponsible and seditious campaign of hate and racism.

When moderate UMNO leaders like Husni could lose their moderate bearings when in the Penang Umno milieu of hate politics, what hope and future is there for Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan and concept?

Has the Prime Minister got his entire Cabinet, including the Deputy Prime Minister, with him on the same page on what 1Malaysia means?

[Speech (Part 1) by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Ipoh Timor Lim Kit Siang in Dewan Rakyat on the Royal Address on Thursday, 18th March 2010]