Malaysians must put to rest once and for all the spectre and threat of May 13 racial riots in the 14th General Election by demonstrating that Malaysia is a normal democratic country where voters can peacefully and democratically through the ballot box elect a new government coalition in Putrajaya to look after the interests of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

Political desperadoes are trying to create a hot-house atmosphere by the irresponsible politics of lies, hate and fear to banish reason and common sense and stampede Malaysian voters into believing that the next general elections is great battle of race vs race and religion vs religion.

This is completely untrue, for the 14GE is not any battle of race vs race or religion vs religion, but a battle between democracy vs kleptocracy – whether Malaysia can be saved from the trajectory of a failed and rogue state.

The 14GE is not a battle between Malays vs non-Malays or Muslim vs non-Muslims but a battle among Malaysians, regardless of race or religion on both sides, between those who on the one hand want Malaysia to reset nation-building directions and policies up save democracy and on the other hand, those who want Malaysia to continue on the road to kleptocracy, a failed and a rogue state.

UMNO/BN leaders are fully aware that they have lost the confidence and support of the majority of Malaysians, both Malays and non-Malays.

The Prime Minister and UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers are trying to reverse the tide of public opinion, not by government, political and economic reforms which put the interests of the rakyat above those of the political leaders in power, but by the politics of lies, fear and hate, inciting primordial emotions and fear that if UMNO loses the general elections, the Malays will lose political power and that the Chinese in Malaysia will rule the country.

Reason and common sense can easily debunk such politics of lies, hate and fear – which is why UMNO strategists and propagandists do not want the public to spend time to reason and analyse the truth or otherwise of such politics of lies, hate and fear.

Will the three and a half million UMNO members and million PAS members see through such politics of lies, hate and fear? This will be a great test in the 14GE.

The political situation is getting clearer by the day, as for instance, the resolutions and the decisions the recent PAS Muktamar and the PAS Dewan Syura.

New questions will arise in the political arena awaiting for answers. One such question is whether UMNO will concede to PAS the 40 parliamentary seats and five state governments which PAS leaders declare as their objectives in 14GE.

The months ahead will be challenging ones for Malaysians, as it will culminate in the 14GE decision whether Malaysia can be saved from kleptocracy and for Malaysia to reset nation-building directions and policies after six decades to restore our capability to compete with the rest of the world instead of divisive Malaysian infighting because of growing inter-racial and inter-religious distrust, hatred, animosities and fear created by those solely for the sake of political power.

(Speech at the joint DAP Gelang Patah Branches’ Annual General Meetings in Skudai on Saturday, 13th May 2017 at 9 pm)