by P Ramakrishnan
Aliran

Was there an agreement before the general election? Did Chinese Malaysians actually promise the BN their votes ahead of time, asks P Ramakrishnan.

Discredited politicians are trying to denigrate the Chinese by accusing them of betrayal. What betrayal are they talking about? Do they indeed know what they are talking about?

When you talk of betrayal, it means going back on one’s word. It means dishonouring a solemn pledge.

For this to take place there must have been a clear understanding and undertaking between two parties. In this case it would be the Barisan Nasional and the Chinese community reaching an understanding and pledging to vote in a mutually acceptable manner with regard to GE13.

Was there such an understanding and undertaking on the part of the Chinese community to vote for the BN? Who brokered this undertaking?

The entire Chinese community does not belong to any political party aligned to the BN to be beholden to it. Even if they were, they were not obliged to vote only for the BN. In the 2008 general election, even Umno members deserted the BN and voted for the opposition. Nobody then accused the Malay community of betrayal.

Why then are the Umno president and those in cahoots with him beating the war drum against the Chinese community and accusing them of betrayal?

As far as Malaysian voters are concerned, there was no report of any undertaking by Chinese Malaysians to vote for the BN. How then can the BN accuse the Chinese community of betrayal?

Half-baked politicians who know nothing about elections and democracy are talking nonsense when they accuse the Chinese community of betrayal. Why should anyone – especially the vast majority who had not taken up membership with MCA/Gerakan – even come to this arrangement when the elections are touted to be free and fair? They are in no way obliged to go the way of the BN.

When elections are conducted, the voters have the fundamental freedom of choice to elect whomever they choose to support. When that choice is denied, it is no more a democratic election. It becomes a farce which is mockingly peddled as free and fair elections.

Chinese Malaysians were even accused by Tun Dr Mahathir of rejecting the hand of friendship extended by the Malays to the Chinese. Mahathir is surely fishing in troubled waters!

Tun, when was this hand of friendship extended in exchange for voting BN? When was this conditional hand of friendship extended to the Chinese community before the GE13? Who was brokering for the Malays? And brokering for which Malays? You must surely realise that there are other Malays who do not belong to Umno and who are not whining!

What about the Malays in Pas and Keadilan? They are not complaining of any such betrayal!

It is only certain Umno members – in fact only a minority of them – who are making this scandalous claim to sour our peace and harmony. For selfish reasons and for self-preservation, these unscrupulous Umno members are making the ChineseMalaysians the scapegoat for Umno’s dismal performance in the GE13.

Umno, the writing is on the wall for you. The sooner you take note of this the better it will be for you – otherwise it will be bye-bye for you!