This year is the 60th National Day Anniversary celebration to mark the nation’s independence on August 31, 1957.
Unfortunately, instead of a more united, harmonious, progressive and prosperous Malaysia, we see Malaysia falling behind more and more countries in various fields of human endeavor in the past six decades, and what is worse, there are people who are trying to put back the clock of Malaysian nation-building by sowing distrust, hatred and animosity and instead of greater tolerance, harmony and unity in multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia.
The countdown for the 14th General Elections has started, and there are irresponsible mischief makers who want to create chaos in the country by falsely framing the forthcoming 14th General Election as a battle between Malays and Chinese as well as between Islam and enemies of Islam.
The forthcoming 14th General Election is not a battle between Malays and Chinese, nor is it a battle between Islam and the enemies of Islam.
The 14th General Election is a battle between Malaysians to want to save Malaysia from a kleptocracy ending up as a failed and rogue state and Malaysians who do not care whether Malaysia has become an international laughing-stock because we have become a global kleptocracy as a result of the multi-billion dollar international 1MDB money laundering scandal.
The question of race and religion does not apply here, as there are Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, on both sides of the equation. Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, deserve support if they stand up for a democratic Malaysia which upholds the principles of accountability and good governance; while Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, should be rejected if they stand for or defend Malaysia as a kleptocracy.
There are those who are trying to prevent the 14th General Election from producing the results of a national change of Federal Government in Putrajaya by the politics of lies, fear and hatred and falsely framing the next general election as a battle between the Malays and Chinese as well as between Islam and the enemies of Islam.
This is most irresponsible and dangerous, and if unchecked, could spark off chaos and conflagration in Malaysia.
One reason for my “Jelajah Desa” visits is to find out first hand on the ground whether racial and religious relations on the ground have become so fragile and brittle that the next general elections could easily be transformed into a battle between the Malays and the Chinese as well as between Islam and the enemies of Islam.
In Penang, the “Jelajah Desa” programme has taken me to rural areas both on the Penang island and the Penang mainland, and I am convinced from the “Jelajah Desa” visits that ordinary Malays like ordinary non-Malays want unity, peace, harmony, progress and prosperity for the country and not racial or religious polarization to divide the country and cause tensions.
This ground reality is very different from the incessant irresponsible politicking and communalization in the past few years of worsening ethnic and religious relations in the country, and in Penang, creating a false picture that the DAP-led Penang State Government is anti-Malay and anti-Islam when in fact, the DAP-led Penang State Government’s nine-year record to help the Malays and Islam is better than the previous Barisan Nasional government.
Those who are falsely framing the 14GE as a battle between Malays and Chinese and between Islam and the enemies of Islam are saboteurs of a peaceful, harmonious an and democratic Malaysia.
They must not be allowed to carry out their nefarious designs which is why I call on all patriotic and right-thinking Malaysians to condemn and smack down the mischief makers who are falsely framing the 14GE as a battle between Malays and the Chinese as well as Islam and the enemies of Islam.
(Speech at the 51st DAP anniversary dinner organized by Nibong Tebal DAP in Nibong Tebal on Saturday, 20th May 2017 at 10 pm)