In another development, Lim says he has accepted the invitation to debate with MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek.
(Free Malaysia Today) - The move by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to debate with MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek is a strong enough indication for Umno to declare that DAP continues to be seen as Chinese chauvinist party.
Penang Umno Youth head Shaik Mydin Hussein said Lim, as secretary-general of DAP, should be debating in a multi-racial context and not solely about the future of the Malaysian Chinese politics.
Responding to news reports that both Chua and Lim have agreed to a debate in Mandarin and English over the future of the Chinese political voice, Shaik Mydin said Lim has betrayed the trust of his Malay and Indian comrades as well as others in DAP by choosing to participate in a forum held solely on issues afflicting the Chinese.
“We, in Umno can understand if MCA debates about the plight of the Chinese as it is a Chinese-based party but what about DAP?” he asked.
Is DAP not championing to become a multi-racial party, based on its socialism constitution and isn’t the party’s chairman- a Punjabi, he added.
The debate is expected to be moderated by the Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute (Asli) and MCA’s think-tank group- Insap.
According to Shaik Mydin, the event and its moderation should be held on the basis of a multi-racial background if DAP chooses to be involved.
He said the debate should proceed but if Lim wants to participate, he should touch on issues affecting the multi-racial environment as a whole, not just Chinese.
He added that with the general election looming, DAP has now chosen to embark on some “window dressing” effort to resemble a multi-racial party by luring Malay politicians and personalities, who are disgruntled with Umno.
“Every political party has their own frustrated leaders. We, cannot appease everybody. DAP is just fishing for frustrated Umno members. If one is a party hopper, one’s reputation is no longer flawless,” he said.
‘Malays don’t trust DAP’
However, despite the recruitment of Malay personalities, notably Zairil Khir Johari, the son of former Umno secretary-general, the late Mohd Khir Johari, he said that Malays generally do not trust DAP, notably Penang Malays who are a minority here.
Its leaders are frankly instilled with a sense of arrogance or chauvinism, perhaps inherited from their historical links with Singapore’s dominant party- PAP, Shaik Mydin said.
This is why since 2008 when DAP become the dominant-party in Penang, many of the projects announced were allegedly tailored to meet the needs of the upper income group without due consideration to the poorer Malays and Indians, he claimed.
Only developers seemed to be benefitting from grandeur projects such as the mega infrastructure ones here, he claimed.
