The Malaysian Insider
May 21, 2011

MAY 21 — Many people have ridiculed former Biro Tatanegara chief (BTN) Tan Sri Nordin Kardi for suggesting that the Democratic Action Party (DAP) is a good fit for Barisan Nasional (BN).

According to the one-time advisor to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Lim Kit Siang and company should join BN because their aspirations for a “Malaysian Malaysia” can be achieved under the prime minister’s 1 Malaysia.

That is a mixture of hyperbole and rubbish by the man who, as head of BTN, nurtured the chauvinism we witness in Umno today.

On the face of it, DAP joining BN is like the US Democrats teaming up with the Tea Party or the new reformers in Egypt joining up with Hosni Mobarak’s gang — an idea best kept in the category of impossible dreams.

But truth be told, elements of the Najib administration have been talking about bringing DAP into the fold for more than a year, ever since they realised that MCA and Gerakan have lost their pull with the Chinese.

These elements include corporate figures close to Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Presumably, they have offered to bankroll this endeavour.

Under this plan, the main approach would be made to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Those in Najib’s circle believe that the carrot would be that Guan Eng could remain as the chief minister and would get the full financial backing of the federal government to develop Penang.

Senior positions in the Cabinet would also be offered to Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh to break down any resistance they have to joining up with their sworn enemies in BN.

A key principle of this plan — and its weakest — is the belief the old guard of DAP want to taste being in government before their passing and that Guan Eng will want to stitch up his political career before his father leaves the scene.

Underlying this “let’s get DAP in plan” is also the grudging respect for the party’s dynamism and the philosophy of Najib’s father that to make BN stronger, space must be made for more political players — even adversaries.

In recent months, some Najib insiders have again raised the value of getting DAP to join BN and have touched base with possible individuals who can broach the subject with the DAP leadership. Once again, the imperative seems to be to snag the Chinese vote and kill off Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Malaysia’s nascent two coalition system.

On the surface, this plan does not have the broad support of Umno or BN component parties, especially the MCA and Gerakan. In fact, both these parties hinted at their animosity towards Lim Guan Eng’s government in Penang by trying to block several infrastructure projects signed during Chinese Premier’s Wen Jiaobao’s visit here.

In all likelihood, it is a plan hatched by some of Najib’s insiders and corporate players, who feel it will be a major boost for Najib if he manages to bring DAP into the fold and destroy PR in one fell swoop.

The PM appears aware of this idea, grand to some and utterly ridiculous to others.

Ridiculous because the DNA of DAP and BN is as dissimilar as can be. One is a political party which wants to abolish the ISA, OSA and a slew of restrictive legislation, while the other is a coalition which believes that its hold on power is synonymous with the continued existence of these laws.

Ridiculous because the DAP champions meritocracy and the dismantling of the architecture which creates second-class citizenship, while many elements in Umno believe inclusiveness begins and ends with a 1 Malaysia badge.

Ridiculous because the likes of Kit Siang and Karpal would prefer to be remembered as politicians who fought on principles and paid heavily for it rather than political opportunists looking for one last stab at fame and power.

But such is the low estimation at which MCA and Gerakan are held in Umno that some in Najib’s circle are willing to entertain the fantasy of getting DAP to join the BN.

That is why some, like Nordin Kardi, are willing to say that DAP’s much derided “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan is very much like 1 Malaysia.

It may very well be that. But that doesn’t mean DAP wants to join BN.