IN our highly-racialised society, some people think that the only way they can win elections or maintain political power is by spewing out racial and religious hatred against minority groups. One of the main targets of this dirty politics is the DAP, the secular Chinese-majority, social democratic party.

The concerted smear campaign ranging from Cabinet ministers to racist groups maintains he same premise: that the DAP, by being Chinese, is a grave threat to the Malay Muslim majority.

While some of these race peddlers argued that they are not against the Chinese community per se, all their talk and actions have pointed exactly towards that direction. Case in point being the repeated allegations that the DAP would want Malaysia to have a Chinese Prime Minister.

These false news are spreading around in the social media, especially in the Malay language, despite denial and explanation from the DAP leaders. Its parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang had said that he never had any ambition to become the PM.

Even though it is allowed under the Federal Constitution, senior DAP leaders understand the political reality.

Kit Siang’s former political enemy-turned-ally, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, wrote in his blog that such talk was only meant to frighten the Malays because Prime Minister Najib Razak believed such a tale would convince the Malays to continue supporting UMNO-BN.

To ensure the Malays continue to fear and hate DAP, its detractors relentlessly use the straw man fallacy to the fullest. According to the online version of Merriam-Webster dictionary, straw man is “a weak or imaginary opposition (such as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted”.

This means when the DAP calls for equal opportunity, the racists would deliberately misinterpret DAP’s position by creating a lie that equal opportunity means abolishing the special position of the Malays.

This also means when the DAP calls for the rights of other religions to practice their faith and celebrate their cultural festivals openly, this would be construed as questioning the position of Islam.

And when any DAP leader mentions anything about Islam, no matter in offering a view or merely posing a question, it will be framed as insulting Islam.

Yet, in the DAP’s Shah Alam Declaration 0f 2012, the party reaffirmed its commitments to defend the Federal Constitution and to protect Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the Head of State.

DAP is committed to preserve the special position of the Malays and Bumiputeras while protecting the rights of other races; and to safeguard the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation while simultaneously championing the freedom of other religions to be practised in peace and harmony.

DAP also reiterated its stand to dignify Bahasa Melayu as the National Language as enshrined in Article 152 of the Federal Constitution, while encouraging the use and study of other mother tongues in order to create a society that excels through language diversity.

Yet, the straw man fallacy will continue to haunt Malaysia. The DAP is not their only target. Other groups such as the liberals, the secularists, the LGBTs, and many more have been attacked as well.

The attackers know that their victims will focus more time on fighting the straw man instead of exposing the attackers and their lies, or to explain the actual truth.

They also know that many people are prone to believe in fake facts, as long as presented in convincing form.

Perhaps many of us who enjoy browsing the social media or listening to gossip should be more discerning in our choice of “facts”. Believing in mass lies without checking will only bring us more misery; like having to live under a kleptoractic regime that will continue to curb our freedom and insult our intelligence. – October 20, 2017.

* Wan Hamidi Hamid is a veteran journalist with a deep love and knowledge of rock music

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.