At 50: The Continuing Conspiracy to Divide and Rule Malaysia
No, it isn’t coming from the British, the Americans or even the Zionists.
If you look carefully at the subtle machinations of our BN government, there is a clear and disturbing trend as Malaysia turns 50, to perpetuate forever a divided society – just like our colonial masters once did.
Malaysia’s beautiful diversity unfortunately makes it easy prey for those who wish to inflame divisive sentiments. The most common fault lines are of course race and religion.
A closer look at these latest trends however, reveals subversive and malicious undercurrents that are invariably more political than anything else.
Feeding the Flames of Hate
Let’s start with Barisan Nasional.
Half a century later, Umno still feels that the best way to appeal to its base is to demonise the Chinese.
In Jerlun, Khairy talked of how the (evil) Chinese will take advantage of the Malays unless they unite under a strong Umno.
At no less than two general assemblies in a row, Hishammuddin waved his keris in a manner as threatening as it was childish, mimicking Najib who once threatened to drown his in Chinese blood.
On a less immediately violent, but with intentions no less insidious, Najib and now Abdullah have declared Malaysia an Islamic state.
Then there’s the ferocity with which Umno went after Namewee, going so far as to reject his apology and begin calling for punitive action to be taken against the young man.
Even Zam can’t restrict himself to calling theSun too supportive of DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia – he has to smear and accuse Gerakan’s Lim Keng Yaik in the same breath too.
These examples and more will no doubt easily lose MCA and Gerakan a few more seats.
The question is, does Umno care?
For all his lack of vision, Ong Ka Ting did say something interesting recently: “If you vote for the Opposition, you will only be putting the Malays in government on one side, and the Chinese in the Opposition on the other.”
In most MCA/Gerakan vs. DAP scenarios, Ong is actually not too far off from the truth.
Perhaps he also realises that this is in fact would delight Umno no end. It is after all harder to demonise the Chinese with MCA hanging around.
Having most of the Chinese in the Opposition just makes things easier for them to bash non-Malays and promote Malay supremacy.
And how do we relegate the non-Malays in the Opposition? Wave your kerises and declare Malaysia and Islamic State of course. All part of the master plan.
What they haven’t figured into their calculations however, is a moderate, multi-ethnic, Malay-led party that is rising on the horizon.
Labels vs. Replacing the Constitution
Inane declarations about the nature of the Malaysian state are actually relatively harmless.
What is not so harmless is declarations by Chief Justice Tun Fairuz that the Common Law system should be abolished.
More alert individuals – including those who have seen an increasing Islamist trend in civil court judgments – were alarmed as such an abolishment would create a vacuum that would require filling up.
A candidate for filling up said vacuum would of course be the Syariah.
Even though the Chief Justice himself may not have himself mentioned the Syariah, how could someone as learned as his good self not realise the unease and subsequent polarisation it would cause?
The flurry surrounding the Islamic state is also clearly intended to put PAS in a difficult position.
By attempting to out-Islamisize PAS – despite being a government that has failed completely to uphold such basic sacred Muslim values such as integrity, honesty and compassion for the masses – Umno is looking to drive cleavages into ever-growing Opposition unity and focus on neutralising any Malay-led Opposition party they can.
Inciting and Dividing ‘the Rest’
The government seems to be taking every opportunity to play one community against another, not just those related to Islam or Malayness.
In the Makkal Osai incident, a regrettable action was decried, an apology tendered, and said apology accepted.
Despite this, the government suspends the paper – a move that gives the incident more weight than it’s due, which makes the Indian press appear hyper-insensitive, while making the Christians look vindictive and out to get the Indians.
We cannot possibly overlook either the fact that Makkal Osai has been an outspoken critic against the establishment – reporting scathingly, as a free media should, on the gross mismanagement of Maika holdings and the highly suspicious murder K Sujatha.
It must have been a windfall for the BN to have an excuse to take anti-Samy Vellu, Subraminam-aligned Makkal Osai out and punish them for functioning like a true fourth estate.
Understanding Why the Government Wants Us to Hate Each Other
Why divide Malaysia? Isn’t a government supposed to be tending to its people and encouraging unity?
Once again, we must examine the core principle the major BN parties is built around: race.
Without significant racial divisions, race-based parties will cease to be relevant, and soon fade into oblivion – as is morally proper, and as has happened in many other developed countries.
Had our politicians been principled and mature, they would have accepted this natural evolution gracefully and reinvented themselves.
Instead, in their desperate attempt to maintain the same type of brutal control over Malaysians that the colonials enjoyed, they are seeking to ensure their political relevance and survival by perpetuating archaic divisions within Malaysian society.
To this end, Umno (the only player that truly matters in BN) is working tirelessly to swing hard to the right, and frighten the Malays into believing that every other Malaysian is out to steal their piece of the pie.
To further embellish their Malay ‘credentials,’ they continue to bash everyone who doesn’t fit into the Umno mould, pouncing around like a bully trying to impress the girls in a schoolyard by picking fights.
I have always maintained that these are desperate tactics, and the kind of tactics that would only be employed by those bent on exploitation and perpetual overlordship.
Free Malaysia!
With the advent of truly alternative, progressive Malay-led parties, Umno is now more scared than ever.
While the other BN component party languish in their cowardice and lack of vision, party members and the rakyat at large need to seize this rare opportunity to unseat the corruption and racism that has infected every level of Umno-led BN.
50 years of independence is worth nothing, if for the next 50 years we remain chained subjects of racial division, economic plundering and a government utterly devoid of principle.
Save Malaysia, register to vote – 50 years after ‘independence,’ we still hunger for true liberation.
Tags-Ethnicity, Malaysian Politics
