The flawless wasatiyah?
The poison is being stirred in the minds of the grassroots, that if the DAP is allowed to hold power with Pakatan, the Malays will lose all. The most interesting part of this campaign is that the Malays have already lost to the ‘Chinese businesses’ and are struggling to survive.
Amir Ali, Free Malaysia Today
An unchallenged BN has resulted in the coalition to be complacent, allowing the creeping of all forms of extremism within its ranks.
A quick look at the ruling Barisan National’s ‘moderate’ call shows how flawed it is, with a definite failure at home.
Moderation is the name, says the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who has joined in the creation of an international alliance of the moderates, to prove his commitment.
Yet, with his flight to Gaza and his outright support for the Hamas, has it not exposed the flaws at the international level? By no means, is the Hamas a moderate movement.
It has been said, in the past, that the BN government has one major flaw. Complacency is the name.
The fact of being unchallenged for decades has led the BN to be complacent, allowing the creeping of all forms of extremism within its ranks.
Pressed by the rising opposition forces, BN has acquired yet another major weakness. The ruling coalition, pushed in a corner, does not know how to deal with this forceful and powerful opposition.
Hence, we saw the cats coming out of the bag of extremism. While the central powers within the BN claim they are in favor of moderation, their partners and supporters do not seem to agree with them.
Many among the supporters of the ruling coalition reject the ’1Malaysia’ concept, insisting on the pursuing the ethnic divide.
To them, Malay rule is sacred, but what is more important is the denial of others’ rights.
Nevertheless, the BN is pushing a silent campaign against the opposition. Among the Malays, there are fears that the ‘Chinese will rule’ if the Pakatan Rakyat comes to power.
Many still believe, in the very heartlands of the Pakatan’s power bases, that the Malays must go back to the Umno. When asked why? They would reply that the Malays owes a lot to the Umno, or that they cannot afford the Chinese to take over.
The fact that Malay political rule is a salient point in the Umno-BN campaign is indicative of the failure of the ‘wasatiyah’. It also shows a lack of control of the PM on his troops, and of the Umno grassroots.
It simply does not make sense that a party leader promoting moderation, allows his grassroots to campaign solidly on ‘Malay power’.
Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/12/the-flawless-wasatiyah/
