COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
May 26, 2014
Does Umno and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expect the Chinese to vote for Datuk Mah Siew Keong just because the Umno vice-president said they are ungrateful if the Gerakan president does not win this Saturday?
Is this a show of tough love or just the same kind of vile and disgusting mindset of politicians who have been in power too long and now expect people to show their gratitude instead of the other way round?
The absurd thing is this – Zahid made the remarks on the same day he was seen having his arms around Mah – the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate facing DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.
And yet Mah and Gerakan and the MCA have the cheek to share the same stage with Umno in the Teluk Intan campaign.
Here’s what Zahid said today: “I would feel sad if DAP won again in Teluk Intan. The Malays would be sad. The Indians would be even sadder.
“But the Chinese would be fine, because they have all sorts of businesses. But if it weren’t for the Malays or Indians who buy goods from them, they wouldn’t have any business.
“It is the Malays and the Indians who help Chinese businessmen. And when they vote, they choose DAP.
“They are ungrateful,” Zahid told about 100 Malays in Durian Sebatang, Teluk Intan today.
Zahid probably has some Chinese associates, including those on stage with him, but just for a few votes and headlines, the Umno vice-president is willing to slag off an important group of Malaysians who form the biggest bloc of votes in Teluk Intan.
How despicable or stupid can a politician be? Insult people and expect to still get their support.
For the record, Teluk Intan has 60,349 eligible voters comprising 23,301 Malay voters (38.3%), 25,310 Chinese voters (41.9%) and 11,468 Indian voters (19%).
Would they all be ungrateful if they voted for Dyana Sofya? Or only the Chinese because they form the majority?
Is racial politics still the way to go for Umno and its allies? Or just plain old insults and bullying tactics to force voters to support BN?
It is time for Malaysians to tell politicians that it is the politicians who have to be grateful for the opportunity to represent the electorate and run the government of the day. Not the other way round.
Politicians such as Zahid and the politicians who share the stage with him should be put in their right and proper place. In the rubbish heap of history. – May 26, 2014.