YOURSAY | ‘How can someone ‘degrade’ oneself by getting Malay support?’

DAP leaders blast Liu for 'toxic, Chinese chauvinist' remarks

FairPlay: DAP central committee member Ronnie Liu has every right to express his opinion and should not be cowed by Damansara MP Tony Pua and Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh.

No one wants Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his ministers. This is unlike Yeoh, who thinks Mahathir can do no wrong. It is a fact that Mahathir brought on Pakatan Harapan’s downfall through his devious, racist and double-headed game of politics.

If Mahathir can establish a third Malay-only party, what is wrong with Liu calling a spade a spade? Mahathir destroyed the original Umno and formed Umno Baru, next Bersatu and now Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).

Do any of these parties' constitutions have a place for non-Malays? It is all about bangsa, agama and Malay supremacy. And the two are scared to speak the truth. It is no wonder the Chinese are second-class citizens. Liu is merely fighting for the equality of all Malaysians.

OrangePanther1466: FairPlay, do you seriously think Harapan on its own could have lasted until today?

The dynamic duo of Umno-PAS was bashing the DAP for everything that was wrong, even if nothing was wrong. They did a fantastic job that even the remotest of issues can attract crowds of protesters.

Even then, Mahathir was labelled a puppet of the “Chinese” DAP. The Icerd (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination) issue saw demonstrations. Even the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib became a political hot potato. The situation could easily have snowballed into another May 13.

So what can the PM do? Lock them all up under Sosma? Do you think at this day and age, that would be a viable option?

The country needed a new political paradigm to ween off the race and religion narrative in politics or at least dilute its effectiveness.

I, for one, am delighted that the Sheraton Move occurred. It marks the beginning of political realignment and the awakening of new and progressive social and political thinking.

It is currently a work-in-progress, and I pray all stakeholders, especially the younger ones, will not inherit the bad traits of the current bunch of crooks and kleptocrats.

As for the Chinese being second-class citizens, you should blame the British colonials and the Merdeka negotiating team for inserting the clauses into the Constitution. Why blame the DAP MPs?

As for Liu, he is hoping opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will give him a plump posting. DAP does not need leaders like him.

BrownCheetah9736: In fairness to Liu, he is voicing the concern of many Chinese voters who felt that DAP had become another MCA by not opposing the Jawi script move nor getting the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) recognition done.

They felt betrayed by the party’s lack of assertiveness on issues that are important to them. Their disappointment was reflected in the voting patterns of the last few by-elections.

I think DAP has to somehow find a middle ground of not alienating their traditional older vote bank and continue their efforts to attract talented Malays, which they should be congratulated on.

That is the challenge for the party as you can see Anwar subtly moving more to the right by attracting religious personalities to join PKR. In the end, DAP should be the voice of minorities.

Mazilamani: Sixty-three years have gone by, our non-Malays are yet to earn the full trust of the Malays, all because of the toxic influencing attitude of certain politicians, including some Malay political leaders.

Many politicians have forgotten the British were only prepared to offer independence to then Malaya on condition the three major races come together and ascertained equal and fair treatment and rights, with certain special privileges for the Malay community.

This is not the first time Liu has engaged in unsavoury comments. He does it whenever a general election is coming around to influence and appeal to a particular community. It is heartening to know Pua and Yeoh registering their disapproval for Liu’s remark.

The DAP leadership and other parties must be careful of their choice of candidates for the coming general election. Learn to forge unity among Malaysians for the sake of our children.

Educated rural young Malaysians are seen to be beyond race, religion and political affiliation. Many young Malaysians just want good and fair political policies and corrupt-free, committed and intelligent political leaders leading the country.

Milshah: All this while Umno said DAP was a Chinese chauvinistic party without proof, and Liu, with one speech, has given fuel to this allegation.

True, Liu may be an exception, but is he not a DAP leader who represents DAP? He must have followers and supporters for him to be a DAP leader. Therefore, there are indeed some Chinese chauvinists in the DAP rank-and-file.

Unless some action or show cause is taken, I feel DAP's public image is severely damaged by Liu's speech, especially among the Malays electorate. How can someone “degrade” oneself by getting Malay support?

Liu commented that DAP should not belittle or degrade itself just to gain Malay support shall always be remembered by Malays like me.

AnotherKomentar: Liu is patently wrong. DAP has won the overwhelming majority of Chinese votes during the last three elections because it was a party that fought against corruption, misrule and racism.

DAP has been maliciously demonised as “Chinese chauvinist” and even “communists” by its political opponents, precisely because it is a party that actually subscribes to the Malaysian democratic system, constitutional framework and political realities that value the rights of minorities.

Liu represents the old Chinese vernaculars with their historical baggage. Most bilinguals and Chinese educated Malaysian no longer see politics from Liu’s lens. Liu and his cohorts should move on as DAP has moved on.

LimeSinga1592: One of the first things that you can do to show outwardly that you are no longer a Chinese party is to avoid using Chinese translations on your banners or notices like those you used during party elections.

First, as a non-Chinese, I can’t help but wonder if you are at the core a Chinese party and as an afterthought to lend credence to your advertising as a party for all races, including some Indians and Malays.

Second, I feel odd that after 60 years of independence, there is a need to use Chinese as one of the mediums of communication - if by now one cannot understand BM and/or English you are implying something very negative about our education system.

However, I have great hope for some of your younger leaders and I wish you the best to help bring this nation to greater heights.

IndigoTrout2522: I have great respect for Pua and Yeoh. Certainly, they represent the progressive wing of DAP and the upcoming generation for leadership of the party and government.

Liu represents the other side of the conservative wing which is changing, though slowly. His words are certainly strong and could be misconstrued. Chauvinism does not belong to this generation regardless of race or party but no one can deny that there are still many in all races and parties, especially the older generation, who feel that way but knew it would not be politically correct to say it openly.

I wonder why there were not more condemnation from DAP leaders, including Pua and Yeoh, when Mahathir painted DAP, along with MCA, as a radical party, which it is not?

Pakatan Harapan just released a Port Dickson Resolution of a big tent. Isn’t a big tent mean embracing different opinions on the right or left, conservative or liberal, various races, cultures and religions?

I think it is more important for DAP to prove that it is truly a progressive party with real action. A large majority of its members are still Chinese, a large majority of its party leaders and executive committees are Chinese, a substantial number of its MPs and state legislators are Chinese, and so forth.

The non-Chinese represents only a small faction in the party. That is why the perception among the rakyat, especially the Malays, see DAP as a Chinese party and not a multi-racial party. Unfortunately and unfairly, perception is more powerful than what is real.

DAP has to do a lot more to move out of the Chinese perception, even if it means having to appoint more non-Chinese into its leadership offices and committees and to run for legislative elections. It is only through real and meaningful actions that such perception can be dispelled.

DAP leaders must push back Mahathir as he is the one who had demonised Chinese and DAP in all those years.

Leg Before Wicket: It is indeed good to see a healthy debate between the various schools of thought taking place within the DAP.

For decades national leaders of the DAP have shown unwavering conviction to fight for a Malaysia for all Malaysians. Its leader Lim Guan Eng has even been thrown into prison for defending the right of a Malay girl.

Though a lot of promises were not fulfilled by Harapan during the 22-month period in government, leaders from the DAP together with other component Harapan parties had indeed made a good start in implementing reforms in some areas such as abolishing the toxic and divisive BTN (Biro Tatanegara) course and lowering the voting age to 18. In comparison with MCA and other BN component parties, the DAP in government was 100 times better.

I think an important message that emanates from Liu's comment is that national leaders of the DAP must not bend their knees for political expediency. To all leaders from DAP, learn from the past mistakes and stand firm on what you believe in, you will continue to receive support.

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