Demonising Lim reflects Malaysia's ugly racial politics

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 8 years ago · Published on 17 Dec 2017 8:21PM · 10 Comments

MCA president Liow Tiong Lai should have looked in the mirror before accusing DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang of sowing racial discord. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 17, 2017.

IF you know that something is impossible but still go ahead and spin a yarn about it, what does that make you?

If you know that something is an untruth but still try and make political capital from it, what does that make you?

These are questions that Malaysian voters need to ponder and answer following the latest statement by MCA president Liow Tiong Lai. Today he said that the country would be in peril if DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang became the prime minister.

He said that Lim was an unprincipled politician who was good at sowing racial discord.

We should not be too concerned with Liow’s attempt to take down Lim. Politicians with mightier heft and definitely more brainpower have tried doing so through the ages. Lim has survived detention without trial. He will survive some name calling by the junior partner in the Barisan Nasional coalition.

What we should notice is Liow’s willingness to jump onto the Abdul Hadi Awang bandwagon and support the PAS president’s wild allegation that Lim wants to become prime minister of Malaysia.

There is no chance of any non-Muslim/non-Malay becoming the prime minister of Malaysia. It is the reality of politics in Malaysia and any political novice knows this fact of life.

The DAP knows and accepts this fact and that’s why it has not pushed for the senior most positions in Pakatan Harapan (PH) despite having the most settled political machinery of all the opposition parties.

Even the MCA knows and accepts this fact. That’s why it has not pushed Umno for more seats or more senior representations in government.

But Umno and PAS believe that if you push the idea of a DAP politician becoming the prime minister of Malaysia, then malay voters will not give their votes to the opposition.

So Umno politicians and their comrade in arms Hadi have been pushing the idea that Lim is interested in becoming the prime minister. If you have not noticed, Hadi dances to the Umno tune these days.

Now it seems that Liow is singing from the same script. In doing so, they have become collaborators in a lie.

But worse yet, he is happily taking part in a scheme that paints a Malaysian Chinese politician as a bogeyman of Malaysian politicians.

Because essentially that is what Umno and Hadi are saying when they attack DAP as a Chinese party and attempt to stoke fears by saying that Lim Kit Siang could become the prime minister of Malaysia.

They are playing to the Malay gallery and demonising a Malaysian Chinese for political gain.

Liow Tiong Lai is happily aiding them.

What does that make him? – December 17, 2017.

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Comments

  • On the other hand, the prospect of Hadi Awang be PM is real if PH beats UMNO/BN but not UMNO + PAS. To those on the far left or young voters do not care enough or Sabah Sarawak who think PAST rule is not a threat to them.

    Posted 8 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

    • What a load of rubbish, how can Hadi become PM if PH beats UMNO????

      Posted 8 years ago by Azad RAZACK · Reply

  • Ok, i am not sure whether you can say that Lim kit siang will DELIBERATELY attempt to create racial discord - but i do think that somehow, perhaps because of the way they are, a character like lim kit siang might bring about racial discord where there is no racial discord, , make worse a racial discord where there is already racial discord, and to make a racial discord that is already bad, to not become better ....

    I think Lim Kit siang is just one of those guys , who if is he a member of your house, you can trust him with your life and property, but if you have to send someone from your house to somebody elses house, he might not be the best choice, because the way he will behave and speak and do things and just genarally, is might just somehow offend other people and cause problems that shouldn't arise to arise, and make solutions that are easy to find difficult to find.

    And i dont think that many people actually believe that lim kit siang wants to be the next malaysian PM if the opposition wins the next election. I think most people are just concerned that lim kit siang is going to be the power behind the throne if opposition wins the next election.

    It is not an outrageous concern, to my opinion. The man has been heading DAP regardless of whether DAP is doing well or doing badly for decades. If you sit at the top regardless of whether your team wins or loses , you can't say that that person is not at least a little addicted to power. His son is the next in line in DAP - when your son is the next in line to power, don't tell me you cant at least be thought of as being very attracted to power.

    I honestly think that if lim kit siang takes a back seat right now, the supporters of pakatan won't leave pakatan, and many of the people who oppose pakatan will stop opposing pakatan, and even start supporting pakatan.

    Mathematically, i would go so far as to say that if lim kit siang takes a back seat, the opposition's chanves of winning the next election would go from even to very likely.

    What is it that lim kit siang wants to do for the country when the opposition wins that no one else can do but him ?

    I really don't understand why he doesn't take a step back when taking a step back will have so much advantage for his team and the country.

    Posted 8 years ago by Nehru Sathiamoorthy · Reply

    • What a long-winded, yet nonsensical reply!

      Posted 8 years ago by Insightful Malaysian · Reply

    • You sound like one that does not have any asset. Even if you have one, you do not appreciate its value.

      Posted 8 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • "Something that is impossible but u still go ahead"some people call this hallucination while the chinese call this japanese army death squad team doing the daredevil stunt

    Posted 8 years ago by Leslie Chan · Reply

  • Liow Tiong Lai is a bloody liar and is playing the racial card. It only shows that he can’t be trusted??

    Posted 8 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • Liow has shown himself over and over again to be UMNO's lapdog. Now he is willing to be labelled PAS' lapdog too. Such is the unscrupulous nature of MCA politicians which is why the Chinese no longer support MCA once they realised that MCA has clearly betrayed them for over 50 years. However, the fact that MCA politicians continue to lie about DAP or Kit Siang shows not only how unscrupulous MCA politicians have become, but it also shows how fearful they are of the DAP or Kit Siang that they have to attack DAP or Kit Siang using blatant lies if the real truths are too inconvenient for them. MCA will soon be confined to the dustbins of history if Liow continues to bark to his master's call without rhyme or reason.

    Posted 8 years ago by Insightful Malaysian · Reply

  • Well Liew is only doing what he's told to do....both Gerakan and MCA are doing this to save their skin..oops Seats! It has become to this stage where a Chinese is attacking another Chinese per the instructions of the bosses in Bolehland. Lost of ideas and plots- I think they are losing it after 50+ years!!!!!

    Posted 8 years ago by Crishan Veera · Reply

  • Thank God he lost. That makes him a loser.

    Posted 7 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply