I find the explanation of the UMNO/BN MP for Johor Baru, Tan Sri Shahrir Samad to the latest blackmark to Malaysian democracy, the disruption of the visit of Pakatan Harapan leaders to Kampong Bakar Batu in Johor Baru on Saturday night, to be most lame, pathetic and disappointing.

Is “kampong customs” all that Shahrir can say to defend the rude and thuggish behavior of UMNO members who disrupted the Pakatan Harapan programme, which involved the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) Johor Secretary and former three-term Johore State Assemblyman for Kempas, Datuk Osman Sapian, the PKR Johor Information Chief, Akmal Nasir, AMANAH Johore Baru deputy chairman Muadz Jamaluddin, two DAP Johore State Assemblyman namely Andrew Chen Kah Eng (Stulang) and Cheo Yee How (Pengkalan Rinting) and myself?

Can Shahrir explain what are these “kampong customs” which justify rude and thuggish behavior against the peaceful and democratic political visit of Pakatan Harapan leaders?

What is even shocking is the fake news that was immediately manufactured and peddled on Whatsapp yesterday by UMNO cybertroopers who accused Andrew Chen of attacking the Kampong Bakar Batu Malays as “sangat biadap dan kurang ajar” for the incident, when Andrew Chen had never said such things.

I call on both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan leaderships to make a commitment to conduct fair, clean and honest politics, including not peddling fake news or disrupting activities of opposing political parties.

I am making this call as I am not on the Pakatan Harapan Leadership Council.

I have no doubt that the Pakatan Harapan leadership would have no problem in making such a public commitment, but I am rather dubious that the UMNO/BN would be prepared to make such a commitment.

This is because the UMNO/BN would have to run down their campaign of lies, fake news and false information against Pakatan Harapan leaders and parties, after spending quite a fortune running into tens and even hundreds of millions of ringgit recruiting quite an army of cybertroopers to concoct and dissemate lies, fake news and false information against Pakatan Harapan.

It would also mean that UMNO/BN, like Pakatan Harapan, must be prepared to withstand public scrutiny to ensure that they and their supporters cease and desist from gangster politics as well as lies, fake news and false information.

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak claimed yesterday that Barisan Nasional can’t cheat in the 14th general election, or the BN would not have lost five states in the 2008 General Election.

The fact of matter was that Barisan Nasional lost the five states despite widespread cheating in the 2008 general elections!

But if Najib is sincere in that the Barisan Nasional would not cheat in the forthcoming general election, why should Najib have problem in the Barisan Nasional making a public commitment to conduct fair, clean and honest politics, including not peddling fake news or disrupting activities of opposing political parties, in the run-up to the 14th General Election?

The Minister for Communications and Multi-media, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak recently blogged that Najib is a gentleman.

If so, can Salleh or the Prime Minister explain why Najib continues to disseminate lies, fake news and false information that DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam?

Tun Mahathir and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had admitted that these allegations which they had made against the DAP when they were in UMNO were untrue and baseless.

When will Najib face up to the truth and stop disseminating lies, fake news and false information – or would Malaysians have to wait until Najib is evicted from Putrajaya?

One of the most pernicious and iniquitous fake news is the one favoured by UMNO leaders that if UMNO is defeated in a general election, Malays will lose political power and become strangers in their own land as they will never recover such political power.

This is a double lie, for the Malays will not lose political power if UMNO is evicted from Putrajaya, so the question of the Malays recovering political power never arises.

A few UMNO leaders have realised that such fake news and threats of dire consequences to hold the Malays to ransom would not work.

The best rebuttal to the UMNO leaders’ warnings that the Malays will perish if UMNO is defeated in the forthcoming general election had come from the Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan in his speech at the opening of Hishammuddin’s Sembrong Division UMNO delegates’ conference in Kluang last August.

Mohamad said Umno must woo the Malay voters to get the support of the majority of the people so that BN wins the 14th general election.

He said Umno could no longer think that the Malays needed it but instead it was Umno that needed the Malays in order to survive.

He said: “The Malays now have many choices such as PAS, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu). We (Umno) cannot be complacent saying that the Malays need us.”

Mohamad failed to mention DAP, as the DAP is party which will defend the uphold the interests of all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli.

But Mohamad Hassan is very right.

UMNO leaders have been holding onto power by generating the fear that if UMNO is defeated in a general election, Malays will lose political power and become strangers in their own land as they will never recover from such loss of political power.

The demographic reality is the surest guarantee that the Malays will not lose political power whatever happens to Najib or to UMNO in the next general election, as the Malays in Malaysia will continue to exercise political power in Malaysia as there is no way they will lose political power.

In 1957, Malaya’s population comprised 49.8% Malays, 37.2% Chinese, 11.1% Indians and 2% Others.

In 1970 Malaysia’s population comprised 44.32% Malays, 34.34% Chinese, 8.99% Indians, 11.89% non-Malay Bumiputeras, 0.67% others.

In 2010, the percentage of Malays in the Malaysian population increased to 55.07%, Chinese reduced to 24.34%, Indians dropped to 7.35%, non-Malay Bumiputeras maintained at 11.94% and 1.3% others.

The Chief Statistician Datuk Dr. Hassan Abdul Rahman has predicted that the Chinese percentage of the population would shrink to 19.6% in 2030 and 18.9% in 2035.

Why are the UMNO leaders continue to beat the drum of the “Chinese peril” in Malaysia when Chinese population percentage have fallen from 37.2% in 1957 to 34.34% in 1970, and further down to 24.3% in 2010, and expected to fall below 20% after 2030?

(Media Statement in Gelang Patah on Monday, 12th Febrary 2018)