1. Every time I mention DAP’s racism, the hackneyed rebuttal is that UMNO is a racial party, more than DAP.
2. UMNO, MCA and MIC are racial parties but they contest elections not under their own party names but as the Alliance or BN coalition. As a member of a multi-racial coalition they cannot promote only Malay, Chinese or Indian interests. They have coalesced into one political entity and their struggle is for all the races in that entity. The race based parties working together in the interest of members of all races lose their racial character.
3. The DAP, like the PAP, claims to be multi-racial but everyone knows the overwhelming majority of their members, supporters and their leaders are Chinese. And their struggle is principally against anything Malay and for what they claim to be Chinese rights. Their disguise that they are for Malaysians is exactly that – it is a disguise. No one is taken in by their claim to be multiracial.
4. The slogan Malaysian Malaysia clearly reflects that in their minds Malaysia is presently not for all races, that it is for Malays only. That the Alliance and the BN have representation from all races is ignored. That the parties share power in the Government is also ignored. That for 50 years the coalition has brought prosperity to all races, with the Chinese getting the biggest share because of their skills and ability is deliberately disregarded.
5. Before independence, the races were deeply divided. They were antagonistic towards each other. Because of this they formed race-based parties. Multi-racial parties just could not get the support of all races. Invariably they would be dominated and supported by one race or another. In elections they all lost.
6. But Tunku Abdul Rahman, the President of UMNO, together with Tan Siew Sin and V. T. Sambanthan decided that the races could cooperate more effectively if they form a coalition of racial parties. In a coalition the identities of the races would be retained and they can ensure that their interest and concerns would be heard and given serious consideration by the other racial parties. They felt more secure even if they made up a minority. In fact they were given equal representation in the High Council of the Coalition.
7. Assured that none would be side-lined, the race-based parties were willing to work together. There can be no doubt that this formula has resulted in Malaysia avoiding the kind of racial violence that are seen in other multi-racial or multi-religious countries. With the ensuing stability, Malaysia was able to develop and prosper. Can anyone deny that?
8. Only the blind and the bigoted would fail to see the success of the coalition of racial parties and the power-sharing Governments that they form in Malaysia. In fact the opposition parties have realised this and are trying to form a coalition. But so far they can only co-operate during elections. They now don’t contest against each other. But each party is still racist, concerned only with its own race once the election is over.
9. Maybe one day everyone will forget their racial origins and regard themselves only as Malaysians. But that day has not arrived yet. Until then only the BN coalition can represent all the races in Malaysia.
