By T K Chua
Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the DAP is not a multiracial party, arguing that the party is largely Chinese dominated with a support base that is not reflective of Malaysia’s different ethnic groups.
I believe parochialism in Malaysia is still very much alive and race and religion will continue to be used and abused by politicians to garner support. That is why race and religious based parties have continued to exist and thrive.
By and large, many Malaysians are being pigeonholed into racial and religious groupings due to political expediency. Most politicians probably know multiracialism is the way forward, but are unwilling to do so due to selfish ambition and short-term objectives. Hence, they disdain racialism but at the same time embrace it to the hilt.
It is therefore natural for Salleh Said Keruak to remark that DAP is a Chinese-dominated party when he himself has come from a party based on race.
But more importantly, how do we evaluate whether a political party in Malaysia is truly multiracial? Salleh Said Keruak has explicitly inferred that the party must have multiracial leadership with a support base that reflects the country’s racial composition.
Is this a good definition? We can draw so many inferences from here. First, only leaders from our own race or religion are able to formulate polices and take care of our interests. Second, Malaysians are racialist: we only support politicians based on race and religion, not based on competence, ability, ideas and character. Third, Malaysians are forever dogmatic and parochial; no amount of education and inculcation can ever change that.
I think each political party should be judged by its track record, and its policies and efforts made towards multiracialism. It does not matter if the leadership is dominated by people of one race or the party is supported by one community so long as the party has consistently pursued inclusiveness and multiracialism.
We should all look at each political party in substance and not in form. I will not label Umno a racial party if, together with other coalition partners, it is able to provide leadership and hope for all Malaysians. I will not label PAS a parochial party if it is able to demonstrate its inclusiveness and tolerance towards others.
Similarly, I will not label DAP a parochial party simply because it is dominated and supported by Malaysian Chinese at this juncture. Surely we must look at their track records, their proclaimed policies and their attempts made in encouraging other communities to join the party.
It is almost a cliché now to say this: bad policies and poor governance will affect everyone, regardless of race or religion.
Politicians and political parties from our own race or religion can’t ipso facto put food on the tables or shelter on our heads. Eventually, it is ideas, competence, integrity and adherence to good governance that will decide. These are colour blind issues propelled “not by the colour of our skin, but by the content of our character” (in the words of Martin Luther King).
READ MORE: Kit Siang to Umno: Dare to accept non-Malays?
Salleh: A few Malays don’t make DAP multi-racial
To fight anti-Malay image, DAP seeks acceptance by all
T K Chua is an FMT reader
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