BN's money won't buy hearts and minds, says DAP's Liew

Bede Hong Bede Hong Updated 8 years ago · Published on 16 Mar 2018 6:00PM · 2 Comments

DAP's Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong says BN will not be able to buy the hearts and minds of people with money after BN announced a slew of cash handouts in the run-up to the 14th general election. – The Malaysian Insight pic, March 16, 2018.

MONEY will not be able to buy the hearts and minds of voters despite the recent shower of election goodies for civil servants and volunteers, said DAP’s Liew Chin Tong.

Over the past week, Prime Minister Najib Razak had announced higher allowances for Rela (People’s Volunteer Corps) volunteers.

In the same period, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also announced an increase in allowances for Civil Defence Force members.

Liew, who released a video on the topic on Wednesday, said handouts and promises of bonuses would not wash away “rising public anger” over the high cost of living and lack of job opportunities.

“Generally, people are not happy with the government. They’re not happy with the economy,” the Kluang MP said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.

Liew, who is DAP’s national political education director, said voters could no longer be swayed by the “cash is king” thinking.

“Some live in constituencies next to the highway. So what does anyone who aspire to a better life do? The moment they finish school, they hit the highway and work somewhere else. And that is the situation, not just among the Chinese or Indians, but also among the Malays.

“Many are working away from their hometowns and they’re not happy,” he said.

Liew, who is Johor DAP chief, said other than offering close to RM1.6 billion in cash handouts and debt waivers to key Felda voters and more cash assistance to pensioners, the prime minister had not given any substantive policies to stimulate a lagging economy.

“The trouble with Najib is that he doesn’t recognise that we have a problem with the economy. That is Najib’s fundamental problem.

“At the moment, Najib sings praises about the economy. But imagine those people who have to work three jobs a day. Imagine what they feel.

“Whatever he talks about has nothing to do with them,” he said.

“They suffer, and they know that they suffer more now compared to five years ago. People know they are economically less prosperous and more disadvantaged than five years ago. And there is a very strong sense of this among the people,” he added.

In the video, titled “David versus Goliath”, Liew said: “Money cannot buy love. Money cannot buy the hearts and minds of the people. We, the people have pride, aspirations, and a sense of integrity.”

He said it was possible for an electoral upset to happen, pointing to the surprise 2008 general election results, in which the opposition won control of five state governments.

He also said when a political tsunami happened, even Barisan Nasional (BN) canvassers would campaign for the opposition, claiming that disaffected MIC grassroots leaders had helped DAP secure victory 10 years ago.

“Never assume hardcore BN supporters will stay with BN forever. When the tsunami happens, Umno will not be able to tell who among their ranks will support the opposition, just like the MIC grassroots leaders did in 2008,” he said in the video.

Liew called on the public to volunteer as polling agents through a “massive peer-to-peer people’s campaign” not driven by political parties. – March 16, 2018.

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Comments

  • Like his wife shopping, Najib spends too much for too little. He knows it. But the handouts contribute to slows the tide of outright revolt. To

    Posted 8 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • I used to hate going to my company's annual dinners - I will try not to think about the annual dinner day until the day of the annual dinner comes,at which point i will contact some of my colleagues and conspire with them on whether we can all be absent together .

    If the conspiracy fails, when the time to go to my company's annual dinner arrives, my feet will feel like lead and the dumbest thing i will be doing, like watching arnab goswami shouting at somebody on youtube will become terribly interesting.

    My mind will constantly shift between imagining whether the excuse i have concocted will be enough to convince the the people at work, who i will have to face the day after and every day later, that the reason i couldn't make it to the annual dinner is NOT because the idea of spending an evening with them on my offday was just not appealing to me,

    or whether i should just suck it up, attend the damn dinner, pretend i am enjoying the evening for a couple of hours and get it over with.

    In the end you know what - i will always go. You know why ? Because that is the effect of taking money from someone you see regularly on an average person's heart and mind.

    You might hate your boss, hate your colleague, hate your workplace, but since you have to see them frequently, and since you actually take money from them regularly, the thought that you actually want to do something that is going to leave them high and dry, on a day that is important to them, will so fill you with guilt , that you will do things like attend the damn annual dinner, although both your heart and mind hates the idea of going.

    You will just go, numb your heart and mind, and just centre all your attention on what is in store at the buffet line, and go through the entire thing.

    Just like it is with me and my company and its annual dinner, it will also be with a voter and their government and their election.

    At the end of the day, our psychology is as such that we will support the people who have given us money or the people who we will have to see often, even if we can't stand their sight.

    So yeah, i think this DAP's politician opinion that money can't buy hearts and mind is erroneous - it can, it does and it will.

    Posted 8 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply