Analysts: Trumping up race card ‘usual’ ahead of Umno polls

(The Star) – Temperatures rise whenever one defends his race and religion publicly, especially in the run up to party elections.

In trying to win the hearts and minds of delegates, candidates become more vocal than other times in appearing to be fighting for the rights of their race.

This happens in every Umno election, as in other race-based parties.

And this time around as the polls draw closer, Umno candidates have resorted to not only championing the cause of the Malays, but also taking a hard-line stance on issues affecting them.

It is not surprising for them to do that, said Umno experts, as this approach has been used by candidates in the past party elections to shore up support that would eventually translate to votes for them.

“They have to do it, otherwise they will be accused of deviating from the Malay cause,” said History, Heritage and Socio-culture Cluster of the National Professors Council head Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling.

He said history had taught the candidates a lesson, when former law minister and Umno division chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was booted out from the party for being “liberal”.

“And look at where he is now, his views have cost him his position in Umno,” he said.

Zainal also explained that these candidates usually capitalised on the interest of the Malays to keep the momentum among the grassroots alive.

“This is because the top leaders, such as the president and deputy president, can no longer appear to be seen as hardliners as they already hold the highest positions in leading the country.

“So someone else has to take over the role from them,” he added.

The same stunt, he said, has been around since the party’s inception but it was never blown out of proportions until the emergence of the most powerful tool of information – the Internet and social media.

“Everything has been exaggerated just to influence the minds of the people, especially the youths,” said Zainal.

Meanwhile, Universiti Perlis Malaysia Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said it was unfair to brand these Umno leaders as racists as they were merely speaking up for the Malay cause.

She was referring to incidents of incumbent vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein waving and kissing a keris when he was the party’s Youth chief during the party’s general assembly in 2007.

The same applies to the recent controversial statements by vice-presidential candidates Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Ali Rustam, who also haven’t escaped from public criticism.

“They are making these statements in an Umno context, and not on the national platform. When Hishammuddin kissed the keris, he just wanted to lift up the spirits of the Malay people.

“It is a tradition and a symbol of Malay leadership,” she said, adding the other races should not feel threatened by such actions.

She also believed that trumping up the race card would not affect the 1Malaysia unity concept initiated by the Prime Minister.

“They are speaking strictly on the Umno platform. They are fighting for the Malays and it is definitely unfair if they are called racists,” she said.

Former Padang Besar Umno MP Tan Sri Azmi Khalid agreed, saying that other race-based parties also tended to play with similar sentiments.

“They are not against other races, they are just defending the interests of the Malays, especially in the wake of the previous general election when they lost the non-Malay votes to the Opposition,” he said when contacted.

He added it was not uncommon for party leaders to make such statements in order to gain support from members.