Focus on winning polls instead, urges Nur Jazlan

comments     Koh Jun Lin     Published     Updated

INTERVIEW Penang Umno should focus on winning elections instead of resorting to scare tactics, such as raising the spectre of the May 13 riots, says Pulai MP Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

He said such tactics have been used before, but Umno’s electoral performance in the state still declined during the general election.

“Better be like (Chief Minister) Abdul Taib Mahmud in Sarawak. Many things have been said about him, but when election comes, his results are excellent. (His party) Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) contested in 35 state seats and they won all 35.

“Here, we tell all sort stories, say all sort of things, shout here and there, threaten here and there, but when people go to the polls they still give their vote to the opposition. It’s not even that the opposition is strong,” he said during an interview in his office yesterday.

He said this when asked to comment on the rally by Umno and several NGOs on Jan 18 to express disgust at a kangkung-themed flash mob   organised by Machang Bubuk assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon.

Among others, banners carried at the rally alleged that Lee’s stunt on Jan 15 insulted the prime minister, which in turn is tantamount to insulting the Malays. Another banner warned of a repeat of the May 13, 1969 racial riots.

Nur Jazlan said that unlike in 1969, Malaysians today across the racial divide are wealthier than before, especially in urban areas. They also realise that they have more to lose in the event of a riot.

As an example, he said when the opposition-backed Black 505 rallies were called last year to protest against alleged fraud in the 13th general election, people initially supported the rally and then backed off.

“When people get richer - pardon me for saying this - they also become more selfish because they don’t want anything to happen that would affect security and they wealth that they have...

“The people came out (when the Black 505 rally was called). For the first time, people came. For the second time, the people say, ‘Enough, wait another five years. Five more years and we will go to the polls again.’

“Therefore, the culture of demonstrations is not effective in Malaysia because urban dwellers know that they have much to lose if they take part in street rallies,” said the Umno MP for Pulai, Johor.

‘Better change quick, before we are changed’

He added that the mindset of many Umno leaders are still fixated on issue of race and religion, but queries, “Are these two kinds of thinking still accepted by the rakyat? Better change quick, before we are changed by the rakyat.”

Nur Jazlan was also critical of Lee’s antics when10 kilograms of kangkung, also known as water spinach, were stuffed into an effigy of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He said political satire is normal, and he had enjoyed the songs and videos on the Internet poking fun at Najib’s statement where he used the vegetable as an example to illustrate the principles of supply and demand.

However, he argued that Lee had crossed the line because as an elected representative, he should set an example to the people and present intellectual arguments instead, not “become like the people we are leading”.

“When you mock like that with a cheap stunt, it only reflects back on you as a person who does not have intellectual arguments.

“The question is, nowadays if you want to gain political support, you must have the intellectual arguments to convince people to follow your line of thinking, not by mocking people or threatening people.

“That is not the political maturity that the people of Malaysia are educated for. The government spends hundreds of billions to educate the people. If this is the result, we must also review our education policy,” said the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chief.

This interview was jointly conducted by Radzi Razak and Koh Jun Lin.



Malaysiakini
news and views that matter


Sign In