The new political party led by Muhyiddin Yassin, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, has announced that its membership is limited to bumiputeras. The Malaysian Internet’s response has been swift, condemning it for its exclusionary politics. Those who defend it, however, say that such a party is necessary in order to wrest the Malay vote away from Umno.

And my question is, why?

Is it true that only a Malay-only party can win the support of Malays? Why is this true? And why should we accept such a state of affairs? Why can’t we change it?

I’m reminded of activist Fahmi Reza’s survey that revealed a majority of Malays still feel that only a Malay Muslim can become prime minister.

I also recall a public forum organised by the leaders of the Deklarasi Rakyat petition that I attended. Civil leaders such as Lim Kit Siang, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Maria Chin Abdullah, Hishamuddin Rais and Khairuddin Abu Hassan talked about the need to form an alliance with Dr Mahathir Mohamad - due to Bersih 2.0’s inability to deliver their message of electoral reform to the rural Malays.

I questioned the panellists about this, and Hishamuddin himself answered me. His answer? That’s just the way it is.

Again I ask, why is this so? More importantly, why have we simply shrugged our shoulders and accepted that that’s just the way it is?

I have a suggestion for all Malaysian politicians.

I would like all Chinese and Indian politicians to hold ceramah roadshows deep into the Malay heartland. Don’t wait till GE14 because that’ll be far too late. Do it now, in order to persuade the Malay population that non-Malays can be trusted to be national leaders, that a non-Malay can represent their interests as well as (if not better than) a Malay, that their votes can and should go to a non-Malay candidate even if he or she is running against a Malay one.

And I would like all Malay politicians to do the same in the Chinese-majority areas.

Of course, I am under no illusions that Barisan politicians will do anything of the sort. Therefore it is Pakatan who needs to do so - but I can already guess why they wouldn’t.

And they need to know that it is their own fault if they’re afraid to. If they hold a ceramah and no Malays turn up, it’s their fault. If they’re jeered and booed and heckled, it’s their fault. If the whole thing is an utter and embarrassing failure, it’s their fault.

If they have failed to convince the Malays - the single largest segment of the nation’s population - that they deserve their trust, then they can no longer blame Barisan’s racially divisive policies. DAP, PKR, even the ex-PAS leaders of the fledgling Parti Amanah Negara have been in politics for decades. They should well know by now that they are playing Umno’s game, by Umno’s rules.

When will it get through to their heads that they need to change the game?