In the pre-general election meeting with Barisan Nasional co-ordinators yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he wants the Barisan Nasional to achieve a two-thirds majority in Parliament in the forthcoming 14th General Election.
The choice for Malaysians in the 14th General Election is a very clear-cut and obvious one – for UMNO/BN to win big and even recapture two-thirds parliamentary majority or to defeat the UMNO/BN coalition to have a new Pakatan Harapan Federal Government in Putrajaya to re-set nation-building policies to save Malaysia and clear and cleanse the country of the international infamy and ignominy of a “global kleptocracy”.
In his speech, Najib told Barisan Nasional component parties to stop questioning the existence of Chinese and Tamil primary schools as it was agreed upon before Independence, and urged Barisan Nasional component parties to reinforce the qualities of tolerance, inclusiveness and open-mindedness among themselves for Barisan Nasional to regain its two-thirds majority in parliament.
This is in fact Najib’s greatest admission of failure not only of leadership as Prime Minister of Malaysia, but the failure of Barisan Nasional nation building policies and directions in the past six decades, for in the past few years, the country has moved further away from the principles of tolerance, inclusiveness and open-mindedness to the extent that we are witnessing the worst racial and religious polarisation in the nation’s history.
We are not only seeing the disturbing phenomena of UMNO/BN cybertroopers blatantly threatening another May 13 racial riots, but even a racial “civil war” unseen in the nation’s history, if UMNO is defeated in the next general election.
We must ask Najib what is the use of the Prime Minister or some of the Ministers now and then talking about tolerance, inclusiveness and open-mindedness, when they allow their UMNO cybertroopers to breathe “fire and brimstone” threatening not just another May 13 riots, but a full-scale racial civil war, if UMNO is defeated in the next general election?
Is Najib prepared to renounce these irresponsible UMNO cybertroopers and declare that whatever the outcome of the next general elections, he as Prime Minister would accept and accept the verdict of the electorate and would not allow anyone to create trouble in the post-general election scenario?
(Speech at the DAP kopitiam dialogue in Kulai on Sunday, 22nd October 2017 at 9 am)