PAS-DAP cooperation is only benefitting DAP: Najib

Prime Minister Najib Razak today urged PAS to leave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition as only DAP is reaping benefits from three-member opposition coalition.

He said that the PAS-DAP cooperation is only benefitting the DAP and this could be clearly seen in the just-concluded Sarawak state election where PAS worked very hard but it was the DAP which won.

"In Terangganu, we see posters captioned "PAS ganti UMNO" (PAS replaces Umno) but in reality it's "DAP ganti PAS" (DAP replaces PAS)," he said.

According to Najib, PAS should get out of Pakatan and shift its attention elsewhere.

“It did not matter if the party (PAS) did not want to join the BN,” he said.

Najib said DAP was the dominant force in Pakatan and its two other partners - PAS and PKR - were playing second fiddle to it.

"We see in a number of issues DAP will object if they do not fit into their ideology. So if they were to form the government, they might not be able to agree on major issues," he said.

The prime minister said if PAS wanted to champion Islam, DAP was not the right partner to do this.

“What I want to say is that in the Pakatan coalition now, only the DAP is benefitting."

World Bank Report wanted a change of Prime Minister: Dr Mahathir

The former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir said the World Bank report was politically motivated as it wanted a change of prime minister.

He described the World Bank as “useless”, saying today that it was politically motivated for putting out a report that pro-Bumiputera policies are stunting the country’s economy.

“We have been critical of the World Bank since my time. We said that they were useless. They dislike us and want to have their good friend become prime minister”, seemingly referring to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a former chairman of its development committee.

The World Bank said on Thursday that more than one million Malaysians live abroad as policies favoring the Malays are holding back the economy, causing a brain drain and limiting foreign investment.

World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens was quoted as saying that foreign investment could be five times the current levels if the country had Singapore’s talent base.

He said Malaysian migration was increasingly becoming a skill migration with one-third of the one million-strong Malaysian diaspora now consisting of the tertiary educated and expected the trend to continue.

Malaysian Malaysia reflected DAP belief Malaysia is just for Malays - Dr M

Tun Dr Mahathir rubbished DAP’s “Malaysian Malaysia” concept, claiming it reflected the party’s belief that Malaysia is presently just for the Malays.

The former prime minister said the Alliance and the BN have representation from all races is ignored and the parties share power in the Government is also ignored.

Even the opposition was trying to go the way of BN by forming its own pact. But so far they can only co-operate during elections. They now don’t contest against each other. But each party is still racist; concerned only with its own race once the election is over.

He casts aspersions on DAP’s claim to be a multiracial party, pointing out that the overwhelming majority if its members, supporters and leaders are Chinese. Their struggle is principally against anything Malay and for what they claim to be Chinese rights.

“Their disguise that they are for Malaysians is exactly that — it is a disguise. No one is taken in by their claim to be multiracial,” he chided.

He said for 50 years Barisan Nasional coalition has brought prosperity to all races, with the Chinese getting the biggest share because of their skills and ability is deliberately disregarded.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad insisted today that Malaysians are not yet ready to discard their ethnic origins by identifying themselves with only their nationality instead of their race. That day has not arrived yet. Until then, only the BN coalition can represent all races in Malaysia.

He said this was why Barisan Nasional as a coalition comprising various race-based parties like Umno, MCA and MIC, was still relevant in the country’s political landscape.

He claimed it was likely that the BN formula of combining race-based parties was responsible for bringing Malaysia years of peace while other nations with the same racial diversity languished with numerous racial and religious clashes.

“With the ensuing stability, Malaysia was able to develop and prosper. Can anyone deny that?” he said.

Blame Pakatan Rakyat if Sarawak's Pribumi community denies all their demands: Sarawak Perkasa

The Sarawak Perkasa told BN to brush aside the demands of the Chinese and focus instead on “reinstating” the rights and privileges of the bumiputeras in the state.

Sarawak Perkasa chief Abang Abdul Nasser Abang Hadari said the Chinese have betrayed the ruling coalition by “membalas susu dengan tuba” (repaying milk with poison)."

“Ever since Perkasa was launched in Sarawak, it has never questioned any claims by the Chinese, as a sign of respect for the 1Malaysia concept.

“The Chinese community should blame Pakatan Rakyat, and even more so DAP, if Sarawak's pribumi community denies all their demands.”

Abang Abdul implied support for Utusan's views, calling on the federal and Sarawak governments to realise the special rights for pribumis in Sabah and Sarawak by, among others, replacing the New Economic Policy with an affirmative action policy tailored for them.

His other demands include:
i. Realising non-Muslim bumiputeras' rights to practise their religion, while respecting Islam as the nation's official religion
ii. Ensuring all pribumis enjoy access to basic infrastructure such as electricity, water and clinics
iii. Automatic scholarships for bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak who achieve the minimum requirements to enter college and universities
iv. Special leeway for bumiputera students in public universities for all critical courses
v. Ensure that projects and contracts for bumiputera contractors and companies are issued transparently and effectively to allow ease of monitoring

“Perkasa congratulates Sarawak's pribumis and the BN government under the leadership of Abdul Taib Mahmud and his elected representatives for winning their respective constituencies,” he added.

“BN must retain its fixed deposit in Sarawak, and not allow anyone to disturb or challenge it.”

Utusan calls for 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement

Utusan Malaysia called on its owners Umno to spearhead a 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement involving all Malay parties — claiming DAP was intent on toppling the country’s Malay leadership.

“What Umno needs to do now, in this pressing time, is to launch a wave of racial unity - 1Melayu, 1Bumi. Launch 1Melayu, 1Bumi immediately with other Malay parties,” assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in the Malay daily today.

He said that DAP’s slogans in the recently concluded Sarawak state election called for Chinese voters to change the Malay-led government, adding that they already controlled everything and was now aiming for political power.

“Only absolute political power has not been controlled by the Chinese, everything else has been taken. Now DAP bringing great slogans among them, Undi Untuk Ubah (Vote for Change), Enough is Enough and Selamatkan Malaysia (Save Malaysia).

“In truth, those slogans are aimed at no one else but specifically the Chinese. It is displayed proudly on the chests of DAP candidates and supporters in the Sarawak election so that the Malay leadership of Malaysia is changed,” he added.

In his column, he said that the Chinese community was a united force whose “brotherhood” was unmatched by any other race in the country. He said that despite their different political stands, Chinese voters would unite when the time came to decide the fate of their community.

Zaini also said that the Chinese community helped each other economically and stood together unwaveringly to protect their culture, language and vernacular education.

“The Chinese language is a high priority and it is said that even Chinese who cannot read Chinese will still buy Chinese newspapers.

“In short, the Chinese are actually very fortunate to be in Malaysia. They have controlled everything. The top ten Chinese are Malaysian billionaires,” he wrote.

However, he provided no facts to substantiate the claim that the Chinese community was such a united force. Zaini said that while DAP has united the Chinese politically, Malays have so far done nothing in response.

“They are a race that is quite comfortable, complacent and apathetic. In fact, their thoughts are quite disorganised,” he wrote.

Zaini said that if PAS refused to participate in the 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement, Umno could join hands with the dozens of Malay NGOs who were established because they were “thirsting to fight for the interests of the race that is increasingly being left behind.” He added that Chinese component parties in Barisan Nasional (BN) would not be upset with such a move to unite Malays as Chinese were already united.

Dr M accused DAP destroying the Sarawak BN power-sharing formula

The former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused DAP of destroying the power-sharing formula that Barisan Nasional had implemented for half a century.

He wrote in his blog that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism after being infected by the virus of Chinese racism that he said is the guiding principle of the DAP.

He also suggested that any DAP administration would only be ostensibly Malaysian.

“I congratulate the DAP for bringing its racist politics to Sarawak. Before this all races co-operated well with each other for the good of Sarawak. Now we see clearly that the Chinese community in Sarawak has rejected multiracialism.”

“They have become infected by the virus of Chinese racism that is the guiding principle of the DAP. If the same pattern was seen in the next general election that is expected to be held in a year, it would split the country.

Malaysia faces a grave danger of being divided by two parties — one Malay dominated by default and the other Chinese by choice. This will not be good for Malaysia. But this is what the DAP is striving for. A two-party system based on race will not contribute to stability much less national unity.

“Those Chinese who reject the DAP seem to be considered as non-Chinese by the DAP. The presence of a few Malays in the DAP is just window dressing,” he said.

He again accused the DAP of emulating Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in sidelining the Malays.

“It is the same as in Singapore where the PAP government sidelined their Malay supporters completely. The Malays make up 15 per cent of the island’s population but their share of political power and wealth of this very prosperous nation is about one per cent.

“Of course, Singapore is ruled by Singaporeans. The same would happen in Malaysia should the DAP rule this country. It would be ostensibly being Malaysian”

Utusan tells BN to ignore Chinese vote after Sarawak polls

Utusan Malaysia has told Barisan Nasional (BN) to ignore the Chinese community for not supporting the ruling coalition during yesterday’s Sarawak elections.

BN’s Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) lost more than two-thirds of the 19 seats it contested in a snub by the tiny but vociferous China commuity.

In its weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia, columnist Awang Selamat stressed that re-elected Sarawak chief minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud’s new cabinet will reflect the “reality of the ballot box.”

“The average Chinese voters have rejected BN and supported DAP. Therefore the BN state government can no longer be too generous to give place to representatives from the community. Sarawak cabinet must be reflective of the decisions and attitude of the voters.

“Clear message must be sent. Taib must show gratitude to those that supported him and BN government,” said Awang in his article “New Reality.” The columnist, whose pseudonym is used by Utusan editors, said that BN leaders must learn from the state election when preparing for the national polls.

“Once again, the attitude of the Chinese voters is clear in rejecting BN. Awang believes that sentiment of Chinese voters in the peninsular is also the same. The reality is that after dominating the economy for so long, the Chinese community wants to have greater influence and become a dominant political force.

“The campaign to change the state government seems to only be accepted by a majority of the Chinese voters. The Bumiputera community still remains strong with BN,” Awang added.

He said that BN must formulate a new strategy without depending on the support of the Chinese voters. Awang said the ruling coalition must not fall into a trap of granting every demands of the community if they continue to vote for DAP.

“Let the support come naturally. If the Chinese voters continue to reject BN then we should not worry as there will be a way out,” Awang said. The columnist also said that BN can still win in the general election without the support of the Chinese community.

“What is important is to empower the voters that are already loyal supporters. We should not pursue what we cannot get. The potential for BN to win is still huge with the growing support of the Bumiputeras, Malays, Indian and other ethnic communities.

“If there is additional support from a small percentage of Chinese voters then that is a bonus. All parties must be ready with the new reality,” said Awang.