Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
News
Umno a thing of the past, make new history, Zaid tells Johor Malays
Published:  Feb 14, 2018 1:49 PM
Updated: 6:48 AM

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has called on Malay voters in Johor, the birthplace of Umno, to vote for Pakatan Harapan in the coming general election.

“To Johor Malays, I say this: make a new history instead of defending the promise that Umno made in 1946. Umno has changed beyond recognition. Only a clean government with good systems in place, coupled with honest leaders, will truly defend and protect the interests of Malays and Johor.

“Umno today is just a thing of the past and is bereft of substance. You can start afresh by forging a new government for the country, where the people are the ones who really matter,” he said in a blog post.

Zaid, a former Umno lawmaker who is now a DAP member, is confident that the southern state, which is regarded as an Umno bastion, would fall in the election.

According to him, the most compelling reason for this is Bersatu president and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin (photo).

“He is a quintessential Johorean Malay. He is knowledgeable and articulate but he is not a show-off. He is a religious man who cares about Islam, like most Johor Malays, but he and other Johor Malays will not countenance converting Malaysia into the kind of Taliban-style Islamic state that is favoured by PAS and Jakim operatives.

“Muhyiddin is serious in his demeanour and strong in character. Although he can be aloof at times, he is someone who cares about the people of Johor. He has the respect of many Johor Malays and will be the principal reason why Johor will fall to Harapan,” Zaid added.

Commenting on the incident where a ceramah featuring Harapan leaders such as DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang was called off when a group of locals protested, Zaid said he was not surprised.

“Some people are trying to create a cultural and racial divide in this election, and this is Umno's political narrative in Johor.

“Umno said that DAP didn’t understand 'village culture', which is rubbish. There are no villages in JB to start with, but more importantly, DAP has become more and more acceptable to Malays everywhere.

“Umno then said Umno and Malays were inseparable, and that the opposition with DAP in the team would betray Malays and the interests of Johor,” he added.

Zaid pointed out that such scare-mongering and demonisation were not new tactics.

“Umno made extensive use of it in 2013 and yet (Harapan's predecessor) Pakatan (Rakyat) gained many seats. There is no reason to believe that a repeat of the same song will bring additional support to Umno in Johor this time,” he said.

ADS