Come March 8, PKR candidate Zuraidah Kamaruddin is hoping that the majority of Malay voters in the Ampang parliamentary constituency would get divorced.

Not from their spouses, but rather Umno.

rembau nomination khairy 240208 pkr The PKR Women’s wing chief said while the Chinese and Indians were ready to vote for the opposition, it is the Malays who were still holding back.

"Why do some people still love Umno?" she asked the predominantly Malay audience at a ceramah in Taman Kosas last night.

"It is understandable,"she proceeded to answer. "When Umno was set up, Umno struggled for the Malays and their rights and protected them during the time of its great leaders like (former premiers) Onn Jaafar, Abdul Razak Hussein and Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"They went all out to ensure that the Malays got their independence and ensure their place in this country," she said.

Still in love with the ex

Comparing the Malays’ love for the old Umno to the attachment of a divorcee to an unfaithful former spouse, Zuraida said it is time to face up to the nightmare that of the former lover’s infidelity.

"It is mostly the older generations who are still in love with Umno. Ask them to divorce, they do not want to divorce. Some have divorced but are still in love with their ex. We have to make them understand: ‘there is nothing wrong to divorce your first wife’," she said.

umno 2007 opening day 081107 flag raising Listing a litany of allegedly disastrous policies, abuses and scandals that have plagued one Umno leader after another, she sought to drive home the point that the present party was nothing like the early movement born in 1946.

From the withdrawal of governmental assistance to community religious schools (SAR) to the shift to English in the teaching of math and science, Umno leaders’ ‘superficial’ understanding of educational issues is to blame for the dismal performance of Malay students, she argued.

Other instances, Zuraida said, illustrated how the party leaders had become morally bankrupt: the destruction of decades-old Malay settlements such as Kampung Berembang and the immunity of Umno leaders despite scandals such as the palatial residence of Klang politician Zakaria Mat Deros.

"There is nothing to hope for in these new Umno Malay leaders! They should be brought down from power, because they are robbers, snatchers and plunderers. This is the difference between the old Umno and the new Umno!" she said.

According to Zuraida, Umno could also be likened to an ‘abusive’ spouse who kept the other in constant fear.

"If I can stand at a traffic light at 7am to openly distribute leaflets to voters, it means I am not scared. It also means that if I sit in Parliament, I am brave to struggle for your rights. Do not fear," she said.

No room for opposition

Contacted today, Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Azman Wahid brushed off PKR’s ability not only to attract Malay voters in Ampang - considered an Umno stronghold - but to swing the Chinese and Indian votes.

bn umno posters in kota bharu 240208 01 "Ampang people have never accepted PKR. Zuraida has never come down to see the people except in these few months as the general election neared. She doesn’t know the issues here," said Azman, who won the Bukit Antarabangsa state seat in 2004.

"I am convinced people here, especially the Malays, reject opposition parties such as PKR. The Chinese here are also for BN, while Indian voters have not been affected by Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf)," he added.

Azman also took a swipe at Zuraida - who was born in Singapore - for being "ungrateful" towards the government which granted her citizenship after she revoked her Singaporean nationality 25 years ago.

Responding to this, Zuraida explained that her parents were Malaysian and it was, therefore, her right to become a citizen and not a gift endowed upon her.