Najib must withdraw threat to Malaysian Chinese voters

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has by his own words finally proven that his much promoted 1Malaysia concept is little more than an opportunistic sham. On 30.4.2011, Najib threatened Malaysian Chinese voters that unless they vote for MCA, they will be left out of the federal government. Najib has shown that he has no respect for the right of Malaysians to vote freely for the political party of their choice. Unable to win over Chinese voters by persuasive argument or by just policies, he now resorts to open threats and intimidation. Najib displays the traditional BN reliance on unfair and underhand methods when faced with defeat or loss of public support.

Najib’s statement is evidence of racial politicking of the worst kind. It is proof positive that the biggest obstacle to national unity in Malaysia is the Barisan Nasional and its parochial policies. Surely the federal government must be for the benefit of everyone, irrespective of whom any group or section of society voted for in the general elections. To hold otherwise is to go against the very basic principles of our democracy. This type of politics of electoral punishment has no place in any country that dares to call itself a democracy.

It is noteworthy that MCA President Chua Soi Lek remains silent in the face of Najib’s outrageous threat to our democratic values.. This is precisely why Chinese voters have no regard for the MCA. MCA and its leaders simply have no courage or moral backbone. Tested time and time again, they have invariably fallen beneath the level of events.

We call upon the Prime Minister and the government:

i) to withdraw immediately the threat made on 30.4.2011 to Malaysian Chinese voters, which undermines and subverts our system of parliamentary democracy.

N SURENDRAN

VICE PRESIDENT

KEADILAN