The ball is in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s court, whether the Deputy Agriculture Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman’s racist lies and provocations in the Kuala Besut by-election campaign yesterday is in line with his call for “national reconciliation” and his “Global Movement of the Moderates” initiative.
It was only yesterday that it was reported that the Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman had completed a seven-day three-nation European tour to promote Malaysia’s “Global Movement of the Moderates” initiative, covering Poland, Latvia and Russia.
But on the very same day, Tajuddin was doing his worst in spouting the most irresponsible and reckless form of extremism in the Kuala Besut by-election with his racist lies and provocations, making a total mockery of the pledge by the contestants that the by-election will be a model of “Ramadan politics” of restraint and morality to show respect to the holy month.
In fact, it would be difficult to find so many reckless and irresponsible racist lies and provocations packed into one speech as that delivered by Tajuddin in Kuala Besut yesterday where without a shred of evidence, he alleged that the DAP is out to abolish the system of constitutional monarchy and the Sultanate so as to establish a republic, and that the DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam.
In December 2011, I had challenged the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to substantiate his insinuation in his speech at the UMNO Wanita, Youth and Puteri Wings’ annual general assemblies that DAP wanted to abolish the system of Malay sultantates and set up a republic or he should apologise for the lie.
But Muhyiddin did neither – showing the hollow commitment of the No. 2 leader in the Umno/BN government to truth, morality and integrity.
The very fact that in the Kuala Besut by-election in the holy month of Ramadan in a constituency which is regarded as an UMNO stronghold with UMNO boasting that it would increase its 13GE majority 2,434 votes to 4,000 votes in the by-election, UMNO leaders have to resort to such despicable, inflammatory and seditous racist lies and provocations is an indication of the increasing desperation of certain UMNO leaders who feel that they their irresponsible and reckless politics of race is fighting a losing battle with a more informed, intelligent and discerning electorate throughout the country.
Najib has often said that UMNO must change or UMNO will be changed. Is Najib capable of leading UMNO to bring about this change, starting by taking a stand against Tajuddin’s reckless and irresponsible racist lies and provocations in Kuala Besut yesterday, or will be continue to keep his silence despite such monstrous lies and falsehoods which completely discredit his “national reconciliation” and “Global Movement of the Moderates” initiatives?