'DAP's secular ideology not suitable for Malaysia'

If the opposition pact wins the 14th general election (GE14) and get the people's mandate to form a government, it will definitely be dominated by DAP, regardless of who becomes the Prime Minister.

This, according to several UMNO leaders, is because DAP is the strongest party in the opposition pact and that it does not require much help and support from other parties to win a seat in any elections, as compared to its allies, PKR and Amanah, which can hardly win without DAP.

If UMNO is strong in Malay-dominant areas, DAP is simply strong in Chinese-dominant constituencies, according to the UMNO leaders.

The 12th general election (GE12) in 2008 and the 13th general election (GE13) in 2013 each witnessed a very tough competition between UMNO and DAP.

In the GE12 UMNO won 78 parliamentary seats, while DAP took 28, while in the GE13, UMNO secured 88 seats and DAP 38. This has made DAP the second biggest political party in Malaysia after UMNO.

Johor Bahru UMNO division chief Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said the fight between UMNO and DAP in the next general election would not be because of racial factor, but more because of DAP's secular ideology was not suitable for Malaysia.

UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his policy speech at the recently concluded UMNO General Assembly 2016 stressed that the GE14 would be the determiner whether the Umno-led government would remain in power or people would choose a new government led by DAP.

He said Malaysians, especially the Malays and Bumiputera, were now at the most critical crossroads in the history of politics in the country.

Shahrir said what was worrying was the definition of the Federal Constitution, including the special rights of the Malays, would depend on those who were elected to rule the country.

"If they don't revoke the provisions in the Federal Constitution, they can make up their own definition or reduce the emphasis or anything," he said.

Shahrir said under its administration, the UMNO-led BN government had managed to uphold the status of Islam as the official religion of Malaysia as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, without denying the freedom to practise other religions.

"If we look at the non-Muslims communities in Malaysia, the Chinese for example, we can see that they are still free to practise their religious customs, rituals and traditions, as compared to the Chinese in Singapore or Taiwan who were not so free to practice their religious duties. In fact, some of the religious practices had been eradicated," he said.

Meanwhile, UMNO Supreme Council member Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Shah Abu Shah said the people would have no choice but to continue giving their mandate to BN if they want peace and harmony to be preserved in the country.

In fact, he said the Malays should look at DAP from a wider perspective, especially when the causes fought by the party would not, in any way, benefit the Malays.

Another UMNO Supreme Council member, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, on the other hand, said there would be a major change in the country's model of politics if DAP managed to take over power from UMNO.

Describing it as a major threat, Mustapa said it had also strengthened UMNO's commitment and determination to win the hearts of the voters, especially the non-UMNO members.

"As such, the organising of programmes that could lure the people's support to UMNO must be intensified, be it through face-to-face campaigns or on social media," he added.

Puteri UMNO vice-chief Datuk Zahida Zarikh Khan also reminded the Malays and non-Malays alike that "there is no other parties that has been fighting for the rights of the Malays and other races like UMNO and BN".

"We don't want the struggles of our ancestors...to vanish. So think wisely...this is not the time for trial and error, this is for the future of the Malays," she said. -- BERNAMA