YOURSAY | ‘The strongest counter-weapon for Harapan is, of course, the economy.’
Malaysia's dangerous racial, religious trajectory
Anak JB: Writer Amy Chew, thanks for the well-written article which reflects the sentiment on the ground.
This ethno-religious combination is a formidable political force and their narratives will be to put the Malays and Muslims under a siege mentality to feel they have lost control of Tanah Melayu.
They will also be convinced that the evil non-Malays and non-Muslims forces, like DAP and NGOs, are calling the shots and are the power behind Pakatan Harapan.
I do worry for Malaysia as many of my non-Muslim friends are looking to emigrate. They believe that there is no hope in Malaysia and that the country is going into a narrow and dangerous path by pitting race and religion against each other.
A large segment of the Malays is easy to sway and one does wonder how they can accept kleptocratic and corrupt leaders regardless of their tainted past as long as they are Muslims and from their own race.
Anonymous_1536078333: If the economy blooms, hatred and suspicion will dissipate.
Yet, given the state of provocation, the disregard of political elites for the potential of racial riots - with some expressing that it will never happen while others simply do not care - is mind-boggling.
In the worst-case scenario, everyone will suffer as the fire does not distinguish race or religion. There will be no winners, only the ashes of the power-hungry.
The Analyser: What I have noticed is that the total inability of the Harapan government to do anything to stimulate the economy. All they do is talk about it.
As far as I know, burying your head in the sand is not a widely acknowledged economic strategy. Nor is chasing frivolous and largely outdated wildcat ideas.
Anonymous_cdb4fb5d: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is busy dishing out mega projects to his cronies by direct negotiations and without calling for tender which was promised by Harapan before GE14.
The police and the Home Ministry are not taking any action against those giving racial and religious hate speeches.
In the upcoming Tanjong Piah by-election, PAS and Umno will be making hate speeches 24 hours a day to spook the Malays and cheat them of their votes.
Enlighten: If you are a Malay politician, you would be labelled foolish if you do not play on racial and religious issues as the Malays are the majority and 80 percent of them are conservative.
It has been so for the past 60 years and it is not going to change until the country runs out of natural resources.
AnotherKomentar: Wealth disparity in Malaysia is contributed by failing educational policy and skewed affirmative economic policies.
Umno is seen as the ultimate economic provider and guarantor of Malays who built all these political narratives that divide Malaysians into racial-religious-economic characterisations that reinforce the prejudice, victimhood, and fear of one another.
Malaysia's outdated politics of race and religious hegemony is indeed at the tipping point. Others in BN, including MCA and MIC, played their parts as the protector of their respective race.
The Wakandan: Yes, a well-written article. It had been said but the writer summarised it very well nevertheless. Since we are at it, beating a dead horse perhaps is permissible here.
On paper, the PAS-Umno alliance is a formidable political entity - the Malay race who are Muslims are the largest ethnic and religious group in our country.
Once they merge, there is nothing but race and religion that they will bank on. The Mahathir faction in Harapan knows this as they had been there doing that.
No matter the brickbats we throw at him, Mahathir knows how the Malays behave and react, their mentality and inclination.
Race and religion have no rival among the Malays. So what Mahathir is doing right now to counter the growing influence of the combined PAS and Umno alliance is to desperately nullify them.
We are the minority voice in Malaysiakini here, bear that in mind.
To stubbornly go ahead with the Harapan policy of open and equal multi-racial democracy would further alienate the Malays and that falls into the hand of PAS-Umno combination.
Mahathir is trying to tell the Malays, “Harapan is not to your disadvantage.” He is right, of course, but given their preference, they would not listen to him.
DAP is the demon and Malays are the minority in Harapan. The majority of the Malays are to be found in PAS and Umno. They cannot be ignored and do that it will be on your peril.
So Chew is saying it as it is here. The strongest counter-weapon for Harapan is, of course, the economy. Improve on it and the Malays will come to your side.
Just a Malaysian: Maybe only a serious economic crash like in Venezuela, Mexico or Mozambique will wake us all up to the folly of internal bickering and hate.
It will require a painful readjustment that needs the effort of all able-bodied Malaysians, irrespective of race. It will bring the realisation that the future of Malaysia requires the utmost effort of all its people.
This may be very painful but in the long term we may end up smarter.
Kawak: Malaysia is already regressing compared to Thailand and Vietnam. Economically, we were far ahead of these countries years ago.
Our politicians from PAS and Umno are totally obsessed with gaining power to rule the nation at all cost.
Their indulgence in provoking racial and religious sentiments to fish for Malay voters is totally irresponsible, treacherous and unpatriotic.
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