Wong Choon Mei, Harakahdaily

Pakatan Rakyat and civil society leaders have expressed concern at the formation of the rightist Malay NGO Consultative Council or MPM, predicting that greater polarization and civil unrest may lie ahead as a weakened Prime Minister Najib Razak resorted to sinister and dangerous means to cling to power.

“Of course, MPM is the brainchild of Umno. The party cannot go beyond a certain line or the BN will lose the non-Malay votes," Mujahid Yusof Rawa, head of PAS's national unity committee, told Harakahdaily.

"It also does not want to be seen as an ultra party, so Najib and (former premier) Mahathir Mohamad are using the Malay NGOs to ply racist issues and get the community behind them. It is a last-ditch effort to salvage the political ground they lost from blunders like the Perak crisis, Anwar's trial and oil royalty issues in Kelantan and Terengganu."

Two-faced hypocrisy

Indeed, moderate Malaysians have been alarmed at the recent mushrooming of Malay rights groups, spouting aggressive and racist rhetoric that top Umno leaders have rushed to embrace rather than condemn.

Nor has there been any squeak of protest from the traditionally docile MCA, MIC and Gerakan – the main non-Malay components in the Umno-dominated BN. In fact, the MCA and MIC have already voiced support for the BN to open its doors to these ultra groups. Their rationale: anything goes as long as the BN retains the federal government in the next general election!

“It is sad to see not just Umno but also the MCA, MIC and Gerakan fall to such depths. How can they ever build a better future for Malaysia? How can they protect their respective communities when their leaders are more concerned about preserving their own jobs,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Harakahdaily.

“This is another two-faced move by Najib and his cohorts. He wants to show he is a multi-racial PM in line with his 1Malaysia slogan. Yet at the same time, he wants to be seen as a hero to the Malays. But most Malays are not that racist, they will see through this ruse,” said Mujahid.

Dangerous consequences

On Saturday, 76 Malay NGOs joined forces to form a consultative council to act as a shield against those who tried to question Malay rights and privileges, the position of Islam and the institution of the Malay rulers.

Their spokesman Ibrahim Ali also warned the MPM would hold a round-table forum on March 7 to “discuss” the economic direction of the Malays ahead of Najib’s announcement of a new economic model for the nation.

“Firstly, Pakatan respects the right of anyone that wishes to group together so long as it is within the law. But the thing with MPM and Ibrahim Ali is, what exactly do they mean by protecting Malay rights?” asked Mujahid.

“Is it Malay rights at the expense of the other communities? Is it the protection of Malay rights at the expense of national peace and unity? Is it dividing the races even further?”

True colors revealed

Indeed, sadly for Malaysia, Mujahid and Tian may have hit the nail on the head.

During its 52-year rule, Umno has not hesitated to play the racial card, even though it cost the MCA, MIC and Gerakan the non-Malay votes. For Umno to now give way to extremist groups like Perkasa and MPM underscore the tough new battle lines it is willing to draw just to keep the Pakatan at bay.

“Malaysians must stay clear-headed. Don’t be confused or be frightened by all the threats of violent racial reaction from these hot-heads," said Mujahid.

"Umno and their partners MCA, MIC and Gerakan have now shown their true colors. Remember, we must reject anything that is harmful for the nation. Support only those who can take the country forward and be in sync with the rest of the developed world."

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