Wise and Sensible Comments

Following are my comments to Malaysiakini article “Rafizi urges rivals in PKR polls to unveil their plans for the party” (https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/617834):

“I agree with the general trend of the comments by commentor “I AM A MALAYSIAN”. To be specific, Harapan could not have won GE14 without the partnership of Mahathir and his party Bersatu, which filled the void created by the withdrawal of PAS.

Similarly, the void created by Bersatu’s withdrawal is also the main reason for the drastic drop of Malay support, which contributed to Harapan’s defeat in Melaka and Johor.

Do not underestimate the deeply rooted racial mindset of the Malays which is a result of generations of indoctrination by Umno. To the Malays, race (which is intertwined with Islam) comes first, and Umno (to a certain extent, Malay- centric Bersatu) is looked upon by many as guardian and protector of the Malays.

However, If not for the near monolithic support of the Chinese electorate, Harapan also couldn’t have won the last election – even with Bersatu’s support. But many Chinese have refrained from voting now due to their sense of betrayal of Harapan’s brief rule, as exemplified by the drop of its turn out rate from 85% to 41% in the Johor election.

My advice to Rafizi is to be realistic and pragmatic. There is more than one road to reach Rome. If you can’t reach the destination through the main road, it’s ok to take a little detour – provided that your fundamental principle is preserved.”

Kim Quek.