PETALING JAYA – DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party does not need to drop its “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan merely to reap support from other ethnic groups.
This is because there is already an understanding achieved between parties in the coalition even before forming the unity government.
“DAP gave its commitment to support the principle of Islam as the official religion of the federation, to respect the sanctity of the Malay language, and to uphold Article 153 of the federal constitution and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was satisfied with this.
“This was before Barisan Nasional (BN) joined Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form the unity government.
“What is important today is that we are working together and are upholding and defending the federal constitution,” he told reporters at Wisma DAP Muar, Taman Sakeh Baru, Johor last night.
He was responding to Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who said the Malays were hesitant to fully support DAP because of its secular state agenda, which “contradicts Islamic and Malay principles”.
He claimed that Malay voters in Selangor and Johor told him that they could not accept DAP’s political stance as they were made in the interest of the Chinese community.
MCA also urged DAP to drop the “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan from its constitution to gain support from Malay voters.
“You may have won over most Chinese and Indian voters, but sadly, the elephant is still in the room. You are still rejected by the Malays, who are the dominant race in the country.
“You (DAP) have also openly admitted that there is a ‘green wave’, where the Malays, including a majority of the civil servants, are running scared of DAP.
“This is despite assurances from DAP and PH leaders that it (Pakatan Harapan) is a party for all races,” said MCA vice-president Senator Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker.
“Instead of focusing on such issues, it would be better for the parties in the unity government to work on how to increase its support from Malay voters.
“Each party has their own views on their respective struggles. This does not become a problem when we work together in a political coalition, especially to form a unity government,” said Loke.
He said people will not make judgements based on the party’s ideologies but on their work and service track record in the area. – The Vibes, September 2, 2023
