YOURSAY | ‘You are making insincere statements at the Gerakan assembly.’

Chinese not 'pendatang', Najib tells Gerakan

CQ Muar: Those 1,618 Gerakan delegates who were at the party conference on Sunday forgot they were listening to a smooth and skillful orator like PM Najib Razak, who could even fool dignitaries from different countries whenever he took over the podium at international summits.

Aware of their weaknesses, Najib again enthralled the Gerakan delegates with superlative frills, much to their delight.

Thus, such are the likes of this party, endowed with high hopes to win the hearts and minds of voters, especially the Chinese. Regrettably, this is not to be, as voters are more enlightened and wise unlike in the past.

In no time, and sooner than expected, its existence will disintegrate with party members seeking refuge elsewhere.

Citizen No.26: PM, people are accusing you of making insincere statements at the Gerakan assembly.

To show your sincerity and that you are not a hypocrite, please issue a directive to all the right-wing Malay groups and your own Umno ministers to immediately stop their racial rhetoric against Chinese Malaysians, and arrest Ali Tinju, Jamal Md Yunos and Ali Rustam for their racist provocations against a defenceless minority group.

Otherwise, the people will only see you are as a two-face hypocrite.

FellowMalaysian: In front of a predominantly Chinese crowd, Najib hailed their contributions and declared that they are not ‘pendatangs’ but ‘sons of Malaysia’.

What Najib claimed is far too disingenuous for the community to place faith in, especially on matters concerning the rights and dignity of the minority races.

Najib may be an excellent actor behaving like a true demagogue complete with the trimmings of a chameleon, but the Chinese are too shrewd to fall for his antics.

At a time when the polls showed that his approval ratings from even the Malays has dwindled to a record low , I strongly urge Najib stop his pretence and show more sincerity in what he say.

Ratbatblue: I am asking a few questions as the No 155 commenter in Malaysiakini - without taking a look at all the preceding 154 comments:

1. Could Najib make that specific statement, "Chinese are sons of Malaysia" at the Umno general assembly?

2. Did former Gerakan chief Koh Tsu Koon and his comrades really believe what the PM said?

3. How come the PM omitted these "lyrics" at the National Silat Merdeka Gathering (two days after the red shirt rally) and was, instead openly exhibiting an overly defiant ‘defend Malay pride’ stance?

4. How can one talk one thing at one gathering and a completely contradictory one at another?

5. How long more will it take these race-based component parties of BN to realise that they are history, as far as the political ambitions of the Umno-led coalition are concerned?

6. When red-shirt mobs were paid to shout obscenities like "Cina babi" and "pendatang", where was Najib?

Ferdtan: Najib, words are cheap. Speaking mainly to the Chinese audience, you say they are not ‘pendatang’ but when you were with the Umno crowd you crowed differently.

Remember, didn’t you blame the worsening result for BN in the last GE on the “Chinese tsunami?

You however did echo how we feel: "That is why you (the Chinese) are not 'pendatang'. You are the sons of Malaysia. You are born here, grew up here, and when the time comes, when you die, you will be buried here.”

Yes, for us, there is no other home. Malaysia is our only home. No ‘red shirts’ racists can take that away.

GE14NOW!: If Najib was really sincere about the Chinese, he would had rebuked Jamal and put an end to the racist red shirt rallies. Instead he chose to praise and support them.

The reason for his behaviour then was that he was under the impression that the Malays were still with him and he did not need the Chinese.

Having now seen that the Malays are also no longer backing him he has to try and win over the Chinese once again.

Oh Ya?: The MCA and Gerakan ‘pendatang’ better not ‘syiok sendiri’ too soon. The ‘social contract’ is the caveat emptor which Najib kept harping on.

It is actually no more than an unwritten quid pro quo trade-off among Malaya's founding fathers pertaining to the granting of citizenship to the non-bumiputera and the Malay special rights and privileges.

But in Umnoputra dictionary, it means the non-Malays are indebted to the Malays for citizenship and the principle of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ forever.

Anonymous 560221439180274: It is not enough the PM says that the Chinese are sons of the soil, the entire Malay leadership, especially those from Umno, must confirm in unison that this is the truth and a fact.

Whenever a Umno leader speaks out of tune, the question commonly asked is "does the PM have control over his party". The fact that these leaders get away with their divisive remarks can only hurt and earn the distrust of non-Malays.

This should not be happening after almost 60 years of independence. Small-minded leaders, from whatever the party - government or opposition - must be treated with disdain.

No leader should argue that he was provoked into making such a remark. We do not need emotional leaders who are no better than drunkards.

Anonymous_1372741039: Sir, national harmony, unity and cohesion must begin with the government of the day and it must be consistently articulated, not when one finds an opportune time to express it and at other times vilify the minorities.

It must be uttered with utmost sincerity because the rakyat is more divided now resulting from insensitivities carelessly voiced by those in office, including NGOs and religious bodies.

The government must discourage such discourses as all Malaysians will suffer regardless of ethnicity. Like it or not, we are all Malaysians.

SRMan: A 'pendatang' (immigrant) is a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. Therefore, Malaysians including the Malays, Chinese and Indians who were born in this country are not ‘pandatang’.

Needless to say, the same cannot be said of their forefathers who came to settle here many years ago from other countries. Yes, Najib, you are also not a ‘pendatang’.

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