A Defining Moment for DAP: Stand Up to The Bullies in Bersatu –
Malay or Not - Or Cave in to the Aweful Pressure of Mahathir's Autocratic Persona & Become MCA 2.0
(This piece of article is a translation version by The Malaysian Chronicle, of the original one published in The Malaysian Insight (in chinese) )
AFTER being part of the ruling pact for 18 months, DAP is struggling to
address political issues and put out fires.
The party and its leadership, which used to be known for its vocal
stand on various issues, are now silent on recent controversies,
seemingly avoiding taking a stand on any issue.
Analysts and commentators told The Malaysian Insight keeping silent
on controversial issues gives the party leadership room to breathe but
is not a viable long-term strategy and will eventually worsen the
situation.
The recent controversies related to DAP are no coincidence, especially
issues which allow fellow Pakatan Harapan component party Bersatu,
to attack the latter.
These include introducing khat in vernacular schools, alleged
involvement of two DAP assemblymen with the defunct militant group
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, distribution of pro-China comic books
on the Belt and Road Initiative in schools and criticism against Prime
Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad by state lawmaker Ronnie Liu. All these
issues directly or indirectly point to DAP.
Dr Lim Chee Han, policy researcher and co-founder of Agora Society
Malaysia told The Malaysian Insight these issues are testing DAP’s
position and forcing it to make difficult choices in response.
“DAP is being targeted as it’s a non-Malay political force. After the
Malay Dignity Congress, Malay parties are looking to unite and they
need a common enemy, and the target is DAP,” he said.
Besieged party
Political analyst Koh Kok Wee agreed with the assessment, saying
Umno and certain quarters within Bersatu are now attacking DAP in
unison. This is because both parties are competing for the Malay vote
bank, and DAP is being made scapegoat.
“Things are not looking good for DAP even if the worst is yet to come.
“When Dr Mahathir attended the Malay Dignity Congress, he and his
Bersatu party deviated from PH’s collective stand, but DAP stood by the
prime minister,” Koh said.
But the party is now paying the price, he said, as the grassroots
members are beginning to question or criticise Dr Mahathir’s actions.
Even then, the leadership has remained largely silent in order to
protect Dr Mahathir’s government for the greater good.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad attending the Malay Dignity Congress earlier
this month. Dr Mahathir’s party, Bersatu, is finding it hard to win over Malay
support and is now taking the approach of attacking its component party, DAP, to
retain Malay votes.
The policy of being friendly to all may not gain the approval of the
Malays, Koh said, while failing to appease its own grassroots either.
“The more important question now is, after the recent string of
incidents, has DAP realised that the party is being targeted by Bersatu?
“In the khat issue, DAP could not appease both the Chinese and
Malays. With the LTTE issue, DAP is already treading on thin ice.
“With the Belt and Road comic, it was Umno who provoked the outcry
but it was Bersatu who took up the bait to attack. And now both
Bersatu and Umno seem to cooperating on this issue, which begs the
question of who is DAP’s friend and enemy?”
MCA 2.0 or go alone
Lim said this could prove to be a defining moment for DAP’s future in
politics and the party is now stuck between the choice of caving in to
Dr Mahathir’s pressure to become “MCA 2.0” and stand its ground.
“Dr Mahathir wants DAP to submit because the party has 42 seats in
Parliament and could prove to be a stabilising force. So now DAP has to
find a balance between standing its ground on issues and toeing the
line.
“According to current political realities, DAP is not far from being MCA
2.0. If the party wants to stick to its principles, it may have to be part
of the opposition again but this will at least regain the respect of its
supporters.”
DAP will have to make its stand clear instead of remaining ambiguous
on issues as it will compound the party’s problems, Lim said.
The analyst recommends that DAP bite the bullet and speak up so that
the people know where the party stands. He said if the party remains
silent, then it will soon lose its right to speak out.
DAP’s current predicament and its way out can both be found in
Barisan Nasional’s history, Koh said.
“Looking back at the 1999 general election, the Malay vote was split at
that time as well and Umno had to rely on MCA to get the Chinese
votes to stay in government and the Chinese party received
overwhelming support.
“After the polls, Dr Mahathir, who was also prime minister at the time,
turned against MCA and the party subsequently became the punching
bag of the Chinese community.
“After that, Dr Mahathir also declared that Malaysia is an Islamic nation,
which was a huge blow to MCA that led to a huge loss of support.”
Many Chinese parents are opposed to the teaching of khat to primary four pupils
next year and the issue has become a headache for the Chinese-dominated DAP.
Umno under Dr Mahathir’s leadership had taken control of the
narrative, weakened the support of a fellow component party to
consolidate its position. This led to the fragmentation of MCA and
caused the party to become subservient to Umno.
“DAP in the PH government has not reached MCA’s level yet. This is
because DAP has more seats in Parliament than Bersatu. But the DAP
leadership does not seem to have the courage to resist.
“Although silence gives the leadership room to manoeuvre, it is only
going to make the situation worse in the long run,” Koh said.
One for the team
International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) political lecturer Dr
Lau Zhe Wei said from a realistic standpoint, DAP is in a state of crisis
due to the fact that it has a strong sense of identity, including its role
to protect Chinese interests, which is making it difficult for Bersatu to
attract Malay voters.
“In the country’s political environment, whether PH can continue to
govern largely depends on Bersatu’s ability to get the Malay vote and
consolidate its position,” Lau said.
By politically compromising DAP, the coalition loses Chinese votes but
this can be offset by the potential gains in Malay votes, he said.
“So, the question now is whether DAP is willing to sacrifice itself for
PH’s victory? This should be considered by the party. It’s not going to
be easy and this will raise questions from their own members. But the
reality is if you win as a party but your coalition partner loses, you
won’t be able to continue governing.”
Lau said DAP should soften its stance as the current political situation
requires stability. The party should help its coalition partner Bersatu
gain Malay support even if it may cause loss of Chinese support.
“On the internal side, DAP leaders should appease party members by
being personally involved and cultivating relationships.”
Lau, however, said this does not necessarily mean DAP has to
compromise on its own principles to gain support.
“It is possible for DAP to help Bersatu without compromising itself. The
political reality is that no matter what you do, there will be losses, so
what needs to be done is to strike a balance.”
– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/
Malay or Not - Or Cave in to the Aweful Pressure of Mahathir's Autocratic Persona & Become MCA 2.0
(This piece of article is a translation version by The Malaysian Chronicle, of the original one published in The Malaysian Insight (in chinese) )
AFTER being part of the ruling pact for 18 months, DAP is struggling to
address political issues and put out fires.
The party and its leadership, which used to be known for its vocal
stand on various issues, are now silent on recent controversies,
seemingly avoiding taking a stand on any issue.
Analysts and commentators told The Malaysian Insight keeping silent
on controversial issues gives the party leadership room to breathe but
is not a viable long-term strategy and will eventually worsen the
situation.
The recent controversies related to DAP are no coincidence, especially
issues which allow fellow Pakatan Harapan component party Bersatu,
to attack the latter.
These include introducing khat in vernacular schools, alleged
involvement of two DAP assemblymen with the defunct militant group
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, distribution of pro-China comic books
on the Belt and Road Initiative in schools and criticism against Prime
Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad by state lawmaker Ronnie Liu. All these
issues directly or indirectly point to DAP.
Dr Lim Chee Han, policy researcher and co-founder of Agora Society
Malaysia told The Malaysian Insight these issues are testing DAP’s
position and forcing it to make difficult choices in response.
“DAP is being targeted as it’s a non-Malay political force. After the
Malay Dignity Congress, Malay parties are looking to unite and they
need a common enemy, and the target is DAP,” he said.
Besieged party
Political analyst Koh Kok Wee agreed with the assessment, saying
Umno and certain quarters within Bersatu are now attacking DAP in
unison. This is because both parties are competing for the Malay vote
bank, and DAP is being made scapegoat.
“Things are not looking good for DAP even if the worst is yet to come.
“When Dr Mahathir attended the Malay Dignity Congress, he and his
Bersatu party deviated from PH’s collective stand, but DAP stood by the
prime minister,” Koh said.
But the party is now paying the price, he said, as the grassroots
members are beginning to question or criticise Dr Mahathir’s actions.
Even then, the leadership has remained largely silent in order to
protect Dr Mahathir’s government for the greater good.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad attending the Malay Dignity Congress earlier
this month. Dr Mahathir’s party, Bersatu, is finding it hard to win over Malay
support and is now taking the approach of attacking its component party, DAP, to
retain Malay votes.
The policy of being friendly to all may not gain the approval of the
Malays, Koh said, while failing to appease its own grassroots either.
“The more important question now is, after the recent string of
incidents, has DAP realised that the party is being targeted by Bersatu?
“In the khat issue, DAP could not appease both the Chinese and
Malays. With the LTTE issue, DAP is already treading on thin ice.
“With the Belt and Road comic, it was Umno who provoked the outcry
but it was Bersatu who took up the bait to attack. And now both
Bersatu and Umno seem to cooperating on this issue, which begs the
question of who is DAP’s friend and enemy?”
MCA 2.0 or go alone
Lim said this could prove to be a defining moment for DAP’s future in
politics and the party is now stuck between the choice of caving in to
Dr Mahathir’s pressure to become “MCA 2.0” and stand its ground.
“Dr Mahathir wants DAP to submit because the party has 42 seats in
Parliament and could prove to be a stabilising force. So now DAP has to
find a balance between standing its ground on issues and toeing the
line.
“According to current political realities, DAP is not far from being MCA
2.0. If the party wants to stick to its principles, it may have to be part
of the opposition again but this will at least regain the respect of its
supporters.”
DAP will have to make its stand clear instead of remaining ambiguous
on issues as it will compound the party’s problems, Lim said.
The analyst recommends that DAP bite the bullet and speak up so that
the people know where the party stands. He said if the party remains
silent, then it will soon lose its right to speak out.
DAP’s current predicament and its way out can both be found in
Barisan Nasional’s history, Koh said.
“Looking back at the 1999 general election, the Malay vote was split at
that time as well and Umno had to rely on MCA to get the Chinese
votes to stay in government and the Chinese party received
overwhelming support.
“After the polls, Dr Mahathir, who was also prime minister at the time,
turned against MCA and the party subsequently became the punching
bag of the Chinese community.
“After that, Dr Mahathir also declared that Malaysia is an Islamic nation,
which was a huge blow to MCA that led to a huge loss of support.”
Many Chinese parents are opposed to the teaching of khat to primary four pupils
next year and the issue has become a headache for the Chinese-dominated DAP.
Umno under Dr Mahathir’s leadership had taken control of the
narrative, weakened the support of a fellow component party to
consolidate its position. This led to the fragmentation of MCA and
caused the party to become subservient to Umno.
“DAP in the PH government has not reached MCA’s level yet. This is
because DAP has more seats in Parliament than Bersatu. But the DAP
leadership does not seem to have the courage to resist.
“Although silence gives the leadership room to manoeuvre, it is only
going to make the situation worse in the long run,” Koh said.
One for the team
International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) political lecturer Dr
Lau Zhe Wei said from a realistic standpoint, DAP is in a state of crisis
due to the fact that it has a strong sense of identity, including its role
to protect Chinese interests, which is making it difficult for Bersatu to
attract Malay voters.
“In the country’s political environment, whether PH can continue to
govern largely depends on Bersatu’s ability to get the Malay vote and
consolidate its position,” Lau said.
By politically compromising DAP, the coalition loses Chinese votes but
this can be offset by the potential gains in Malay votes, he said.
“So, the question now is whether DAP is willing to sacrifice itself for
PH’s victory? This should be considered by the party. It’s not going to
be easy and this will raise questions from their own members. But the
reality is if you win as a party but your coalition partner loses, you
won’t be able to continue governing.”
Lau said DAP should soften its stance as the current political situation
requires stability. The party should help its coalition partner Bersatu
gain Malay support even if it may cause loss of Chinese support.
“On the internal side, DAP leaders should appease party members by
being personally involved and cultivating relationships.”
Lau, however, said this does not necessarily mean DAP has to
compromise on its own principles to gain support.
“It is possible for DAP to help Bersatu without compromising itself. The
political reality is that no matter what you do, there will be losses, so
what needs to be done is to strike a balance.”
– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/
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