Malaysia was reborn on 9th May 2018.
History was made on that day, but the rebirth of Malaysia is only at the beginning.
There is a formidable catalogue of work that must be done to ensure that a New Malaysia is born, that we continue to make history and do not become history!
During the eleven days of the 14th General Election, we can feel the energy, spirit, hope and dream that is the very essence of being a Malaysian – where we forgot our differences, whether racial, religious, regional or socio-economic and worked for the common goal for the fulfilment of the Malaysian Dream where Malaysia will be a better country and all Malaysians can feel proud as a Malaysian.
For those memorable eleven days, Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or socio-economic position, never felt so Malaysian. But this exhilarating experience of never felt so Malaysian must not be limited to the 11 days of the 14th General Election, but should be the everyday experience of our lives!
It is no exaggeration to say that never before in previous thirteen general elections since 1959 had the country seen such intensity and viciousness in the politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion as in the 14th General Election.
Despite all these poison in the election campaign and the other insuperable and undemocratic odds, the historic watershed results of the 14th General Elections bringing about for the first time a peaceful and democratic transition in Malaysia gives hope that the future of Malaysia is not dark and gloomy, which is why many Malaysians dare again to dream big, and the Malaysian Dream which many have given up, is back on the Malaysian National Agenda.
When the country achieved Merdeka in 1957, Bapa Malaysia and the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman called on all citizens to dedicate themselves to the service of the new nation and “to work and strive with hand and brain to create a new nation, inspired by the ideals of justice and liberty – a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”.
Let this behest of Tunku Abdul Rahman 61 years ago be the motto of all Pakatan Harapan Federal and State Governments.
In the 14th General Election, Pakatan Harapan secured 48.3% of the popular vote, while Barisan Nasional secured 33.9% and PAS 16.6% of the popular vote.
However, I do not believe that 33.9% of the popular vote which supported Barisan Nasional, in particular UMNO, candidates would have done so if they fully understood that their vote would be regarded as a vote for Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy and the slew of abuses and excesses of power under the Najib premiership.
Similarly, I do not believe that there would be 16.6% of popular votes for PAS if these voters had realised that this popular vote would be used to prop up Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister and Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy scorned and humiliated by the world.
The next five year will be challenging ones for it will afford an opportunity to Pakatan Harapan both at the federal and state levels to reach out to the 50.5% of popular vote who did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in the 14GE for they did not realise that their votes would be used to support or prop up a kleptocratic Malaysia – making Malaysia to continue as the laughing stock of the world.
(Speech at the retreat for DAP Johore MPs, State Excos and State Assembly members at Le Grandeur, Palm Resort Johor on Saturday, 2nd June 2018 at 10 am)
#1 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 2 June 2018 - 8:27 pm
Lets think about this. While PH have significant number of non-Malay top leaders, fact of the matter both PH and now opposition UMNO-PAS are Malay led and look below the top position, they leaders are mostly Malay too.
BUT only 30% of the Malays voted for PH, 70% voted UMNO or PAS. In other words, the vision of Tunku is shared by only 30% of the Malays.
The encouraging number is that PH got more Malay votes than Hadi’s PAS did. Most Malay may not support PH BUT more do not support Hadi’s PAS either.
Right now, you see UMNO struggling to come to terms with its own future – there is a part that leans closer to PH but its quite clear most of UMNO leans to Hadi’s PAS. If UMNO split, most Malays would not support PH BUT PH would still govern Putrajaya and most states.
This Malay Vs Malay debate is not only far from over, fact is its going to be a long conversation. This is a Malay Vs Malay debate – one of Tunku’s Vision and the other, well not.
What is most important, paramount is to set the rule of debate, as long as PH make sure before the next GE that this nation will forever debate civilly, peacefully, openly backed by strong institutions and laws, then Tunku’s vision may take a long time to achieve but it will happen.