vox populi small thumbnail 'Why are the Chinese deserting the regime? The answer is so obvious that to mention it again tends to waste precious space in this forum.'

'1Melayu 1Bumi a reaction to rising Chinese power'

Cala: Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is practising selective memory. If one looks at history, Chinese too had once given their support to this BN regime (see the 1999 general election, a point agreed to by Mahathir in one of the reports that appeared in Malaysiakini ).

The issue is: Why are they deserting the regime? The answer is so obvious that to mention it again tends to waste precious space in this forum. Indeed armed with the support of mosquito-component parties within BN, Umno leadership have grown swollen headed that their actions, they thought, no longer are subjected to public scrutiny.

Take the case of a highway built in Khir Toyo's constituency for example (as highlighted once by Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim). It was built at a cost of hundreds of millions of ringgit but heavily underused. This type of recklessness in governance is typical of Umno-led BN leadership, and rightly so despised by rakyat. To blame Chinese for their change of hearts is foolhardy. Blame yourself, Khir Toyo.

Let me share with you a story I learned from a toastmasters club meeting over the weekend. One speaker told the audience that he had nightmares to pacify his three growing sons who were constantly at loggerheads with each other. One fine day, peace returned to the household when he introduced an outside "enemy" to his children by telling them how much each would stand to lose if unity amongst them was impossible.

In the same way, Khir Toyo is trying to play old colonial trick of making enemies out of Chinese, so that Malays may be united.

DontPlayGod : From the way Malay NGOs like Perkasa are reacting, it bodes ill for the country. Things have begun to take a turn for the worse since that 22-year PM allowed racism to rear its head. Umno, through its various organs and bodies under their control, like BTN (Biro Tatanegara), Utusan Malaysia , and now Perkasa, have successfully turned the Malays into out and out racists.

And Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has the cheek to say that the rights of the Malays are being threatened. I wonder how. How can the Malays be threatened when almost 99% of PDRM and the armed forces are Malays, when all political decisions in Parliament are made by the Malays, when 95% of Malays dominate government departments?

How can Malays lose political power when gerrymandering on a massive scale has taken place for the past four decades? The non-Malays can never win even a simple majority in Parliament, no matter what happens. It is only the minds of the simple Malays that can easily be fooled by these racists.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: How can the Chinese who only make up 26% of the population pose a threat to the Malays and their special position under the federal constitution?

Even if the DAP wins all the Chinese-majority seats including those currently held by the MCA (which are mostly Malay majority), they cannot form the government on their own unless PKR and PAS delivers the Malay and Indian votes.

Article 153 of the federal constitution - just like the provisions that deal with Islam, the Malay rulers and Bahasa Malaysia - is an entrenched provision that cannot be repealed or amended without a two-thirds majority in Parliament and the express consent of the Conference of Rulers. So what rubbish is Khir Toyo is talking about?

Just because the Chinese do not support the BN they are now a supposed threat? So for Umno/Perkasa, democracy means that only one party can stay in power forever? As for the economy, it is Umno that needs to explain to the Malays why they are still inferior to the Chinese despite 50 over years of Malay privileges and benefits under its rule.

Sandakan: Corrupt politicians like Khir Toyo are bent on misleading the rakyat. There is no such thing as Chinese political power.

The informed rakyat only wants an end to corruption. The Chinese are well-informed, unlike the poor and illiterate Iban from the longhouses who were cheated of their democratic right to vote freely by the BN, and with the Election Commission looking the other way.

Abil: Khir Toyo, get your facts correct. The Chinese and very many bumiputeras too voted for opposition, and will continue doing so for the simple reason that the government failed to take action on all the corrupt practices of yours and other cronies. People today want accountability and honest people to run the country.

Tailek: What power have the Chinese in Malaysia? True, we have economic power to a certain extent, but I bet all the hidden riches of just the senior Umnoputras will probably dwarf the wealth of all the Chinese tycoons put together.

The power in this country is concentrated in the hands of the PM, DPM, Umno, ministries, civil services, army, police, MACC, judiciary and all the other security and enforcement agencies, all of which as everyone knows is controlled by the Malays.

So what is DPM Muhyiddin Yassin and Khir Toyo talking about when they say the Malays feel threatened? The Malays by and large do not feel threatened. It is only Umno which feels threatened and afraid of losing power. So as usual, they are using the tried-and-tested racial rhetoric to put fear into the Malay populace to vote for them.

Terus: The Chinese Malaysians can never be a threat to the Malays. With the Malaysian Chinese making up less than 20 percent of the electorate, how can they? With most Chinese concentrated in urban areas where there are 200,000 voters to one MP, while in rural areas there are 25,000 voters to one MP, how?

All this talk about the Chinese threat to Malays is pure nonsense and made for the sole purpose of ensuring the few privileged ‘Melayu' stay in power.

The Penquin: What does Khir Toyo mean by 'rising Chinese power'? I believe that the majority of Chinese do not mind being governed by the Malays. Many even supported PAS.

The main reasons for reducing support by the Chinese for BN is not because of Umno, but mainly because they feel that corruption is still rampant. The economy, though painted colourfully by the government, is actually not tuned to benefit the middle and lower income groups.

Mega-projects announced do not seem to raise their income but has indirectly brought about inflation. Concepts don't really matter, policies do.

Geronimo: I thought it was the other way round. The Chinese is reacting to the rising corrupt power of Umno. Look at MCA and Gerakan, you call that power? DAP is a small party compared to Umno and you call it power? It is amazing how these small minds work and become irrational.

 

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