Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is right and spot-on. Recent statements from UMNO leaders about the Opposition parties at the UMNO General Assembly are both regrettable and worrying.
They portend dangerous trends in the nation’s politics as they make nonsense of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia call, New Economic Model and his proposal for a “Global Movement of Moderates”.
Has Najib decided to cancel his initiative to launch “the Global Movement of the Moderates” in Kuala Lumpur with an inaugural International Conference of the Global Movement of Moderates from Jan 17 to 19 as his speeches and those of UMNO leaders at the UMNO General Assembly are completely antithetical to any acceptable definition or concept of “moderates” or “moderation”.
I challenge Najib to conduct a public opinion poll whether he is perceived by Malaysians as speaking for 1Malaysia and for all Malaysians, as well as whether he is speaking as a “moderate”, in his UMNO Presidential Address, or just for UMNO and in particular UMNOputras?
Or have an opinion poll whether Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin had not come across as an out-and-out extremist and racist in his speech to the joint general assemblies of UMNO Wanita, Pemuda and Putri – not only to Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and Ibrans or but also to thinking and enlightened Malays.
If the race-baiting and incitement of religious hatred and tensions by UMNO leaders and delegates at the UMNO General Assembly had taken place at Opposition conferences, the police and special branch would have already hauled up Opposition leaders and delegates for committing crimes of sedition and other offences. Why the immunity and impunity for UMNO leaders and delegates?
UMNO leaders, especially Najib and Muhyiddin, are guilty of the height of irresponsibility when they led other UMNO leaders in playing the 3R cards of race, religion and Malay rulers, for instance, falsely accusing the DAP of being anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay rulers.
Thinking and patriotic Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans are concerned when UMNO leaders upped the ante after the UMNO General Assembly in escalating the exploitation of the 3R cards – as illustrated by Najib’s speech at the Perkida general assembly on Monday.
Are there no UMNO national leaders who are prepared to put nation before party and self and dare to step forward to draw the line to declare like Zaid Ibrahim that there should be an end to the irresponsible politics of playing the 3R cards of race, religion and Malay Rulers, especially when based on lies and falsehoods?
#1 by monsterball on Wednesday, 7 December 2011 - 4:22 pm
I am glad Zaid has the level of decency to fight racists and corrupted crooks….when he sees them.
Politics can be very dirty…and when the dirt has reach a level…that threaten innocent lives…to protect themselves…it must be exposed from the start….their evil intentions.
Najib’s style of winning trusts and votes…will not work…for the style is looking for idiots….not smart Malaysians….and focusing on his own race more than anything else.
His challenge to PAS…asking PAS to disassociate with DAP and keDAILan…is like a suggestion from a one screw loose man.
#2 by monsterball on Wednesday, 7 December 2011 - 4:25 pm
I am glad Zaid has the level of decency to put aside politics and reject Najib’s racists comments and challenges.
To respond immediately…like what PR politicians are doing and what Zaid is also doing….will put out the fire ……Najib is trying to build.
#3 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 7 December 2011 - 4:39 pm
I believe the message that has got to be sent out to the rural areas in particular, by PR is not such concept by a very simple message. Given the NFC scandal, the defense contracts abuse, the Isa Samad appt in Felda – what PR must tell voter is IF YOU VOTE FOR UMNO/BN don’t complain about corruption and abuse of power. For that matter don’t complain about anyone racial harmony, people lying or cheating or being unIslamic.
Vote for UMNO/BN, you lose your right to complain just about most things in this country..
#4 by k1980 on Thursday, 8 December 2011 - 2:24 am
There must never be any 3-cornered contests in the coming 13GE. Any 3rd party candidate is more likely to be a spoilt sport paid for and entered by umno to split the PR votes. Zaid has come to his senses, but there are still lots of opportunists willing to be used by umno because of the millions that await them should they contest, win and then come ‘bn-friendly’ such as those frogs from PR which hopped over to BN in Perak
#5 by dagen on Thursday, 8 December 2011 - 9:35 am
Remember this “W” folks – the forked tongue of jibby the jib jib jib.
Anyway. Whatever. But really what else do we expect umno to speak on? That it has done a marvelous job? Umno’s report card contains nothing but “F”s across all the pages. Actually, umno has nothing good about itself to speak of. So umno has no choice but to kick up two -by now completely worn out, expired and irrelevant arguments – (1) opposition is not capable and the country could end up worse than it is today; and (2) opposition, esp DAP, will be like a monster to the malays.
Penang, selangor, kelantan and kedah did not capsize and sink. In fact these states esp penang and selangor, are doing well. Actually much much better than when umno was running it (btw mca, gerakan, mic etc etc they are all umno-controlled bodies). And more than umno, dap upholds the constitutional monarchy and is serious about addressing the problems of the poor the majority of whom are malays.
Umno should realise one important pointer. Look at utusan. Look at the paper’s dwindling circulation despite the fierce and mindless and idiotic and unethical and irresponsible and illegal fanning of racial and religious sentiments. The audience who tunes in to umno’s message is shrinking precisely because of the lies and untruths umno spreads. They are clearly ridiculous and unbelievable; and are oh so so boring. And worse than that. Those lies and untruths are of no use or help at all for they do not lighten the financial burdens of poor malays.
#6 by Peter on Thursday, 8 December 2011 - 11:39 am
Well at least Zaid makes sense again when he critizied UMNO esp that “NATO” big mouth PM. This so called 1 this 1 that PeeeeM only talk and talk just to play games with the rakyat in order to get their votes. I believe the rakyat is not that naive anymore.
My Dear Yamsumtharp, the opposition not only supports cutting the worlds most bloated, unproductive, expensive and useless civil service they want to go further than cutting a mere 29,000 jobs. It is Mein Fuhrer Najib who attacked the opposition using the most vile racist slurs last week who said the oppositions proposal to cut the civil service was an attack in Malays and we’re merely high lighting what a flip flop, useless and cunning civil servant he is and in his case the cuts haven’t gone far enough.
Do you not wonder how a man who has been a civil servant his entire adult life is so wealthy? It’s corruption and that’s why the opposition attacks.