As the battle lines are being drawn and the 13th general election looms large on the horizon, several quarters are clamouring to represent the Malays, who they claim are marginalised by the DAP-led Penang government.

Currently, there are several voices, including NGOs, which have made themselves prominent in raising Malay issues in the state, most of which have sprouted since March 2008, when Pakatan Rakyat took over Penang.

Most noticeable are Suara Anak-anak Malaysia led by outspoken Komtar trader Mohamed Ghani Abdul Jiman and the Penang Malay Congress (PMC), led by a former High Court staff member, Rahmad Isahak.

NONE While Ghani ( left ) leads his protests on the streets, especially after Friday prayers, Rahmad usually holds press conferences and issues statements touching on the various concerns of the community.

The contrast is glaring, and while Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his office in Komtar have refused to meet with Ghani, PMC delegates have been granted an audience on the 28th floor to submit their memorandum.

Ghani made it crystal clear that he was totally against the state government led by Lim, and has no qualms about castigating the DAP secretary-general on the streets.

“Whoever protests against the wrongs of the state government, I will follow. I am an NGO, I don’t care if it is Umno, MCA or MIC (who protest),” he told reporters when met yesterday.

“Even if PKR protests against the state government, I will be there,” vowed the Komtar Traders Association vice-president.

PMC a stooge of DAP?

Umno has oftentimes distanced itself from several demonstrations organised by Ghani, but it has not directly condemned the latter’s approach.

Some if its members, most notably its deputy Youth chief Norman Dahlan, are often seen in the protests - all of them condeming Lim as a “racist” out to marginalise the Malay community.

On the other hand, Umno has strongly voiced its concerns against PMC, describing it as a “stooge” ( tali barut ) of the DAP. The NGO has vehemently denied the label.

State opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim has in the past accused the NGO of being a “DAP agent” for suggesting that the party fields at least 15 Malay candidates against Umno in the coming polls.

NONE Recently, state Umno Youth chief Shaik Hussein Mydin ( right ) ticked off PMC for suggesting that the party leads Penang into the coming general election, instead of Gerakan.

Shaik Hussein dismissed the PMC, mostly comprising intellectuals and professionals, as having no right to speak for Umno as the NGO merely has “10 members”.

“Umno remains the biggest party to represent the Malays in this country, and it does not need any quarter to speak for it,” Shaik Hussein said in an Utusan Malaysia report last week.

“This is nothing more than a DAP political sandiwara . DAP foresaw that there would be a change of leadership in BN,” he added, responding to Malaysiakini reports on the matter.

'PMC wants to split BN'

Shaik Hussein is adamant that PMC’s proposal for Umno to take over the state BN chief’s post when Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon surrenders it, is meant to split the coalition.

NONE State Umno information chief Hilmi Yahya ( left ) put it more mildly, saying the BN would not change its formula that has been in place since Merdeka, and would accept Gerakan as its leading partner when the time comes.

The PMC is obviously peeved with the accusations of Shaik Hussein.

Rahmad said as true Penangites, the NGO was “sincere” in raising the issue to defend the political and social economic situation of the Malays in the state.

“What is disappointing is that whenever we raise the issue, there would be criticisms from Umno, accusing us of theatrics with DAP to destroy BN in Penang,” he told Malaysiakini .

“No one is qualified to teach us how to do our job to protect the rights and the dignity of the Malays here,” Rahmad said.

“Who is DAP to interfere in the matters of the PMC? Perhaps it is Umno that feels threatened by our presence in Penang.”

'Penang Malays not united'

Rahmad said the PMC was determined to carry on with its mission, especially in instances where the dignity of the Malays was compromised and purposely used to push the interests of certain politicians.

The NGO is not speaking for Umno, but rather for the 640,000 Malays in Penang.

He criticised Shaik Hussein’s comment that the NGO was linked to the DAP as “blind accusations”, saying that Shaik Hussein had failed to properly evaluate the situation of the Malays in Penang.

rahmat isahak 220811 left “The Malays here are already split. Umno should not claim that it is the biggest Malay party in the country. This claim can only be verified after the polls,” said Rahmad ( left in photo ).

“The Malay political scenario is undergoing a change. In the past, even a liability can be put forward as a choice but now, candidates of quality are desired,” he added.