25 Apr 2024, 17:18 Kuching
25 Apr 2024, 10:18 London
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has claimed today that it is “God’s will” that his party has now allied itself with two other Malay-dominant parties, Umno and PAS — both previously its political enemies.
In his policy speech for the third Bersatu Annual General Meeting peppered with verses of Quran and Arabic phrases, Muhyiddin who is also Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman, said divine will has caused the three parties to band together for the sake of the Malay-Muslim community’s unity.
“This is a test from Allah to us. I believe that there is underlying wisdom in this test that brings together Umno, Bersatu and PAS in one ‘saf’,” he said, using the Arabic term that refers to line or alignment, but usually to describe rows of Muslims united in congregational prayers.
“This cooperation will unite the Malay Muslim in our country who has been divided politically for so long.
“We need to see the bigger ‘maslahah’, the larger good. Wouldn’t it be good that all Malay-Muslim leaders can come together in a larger, stronger ‘jamaah’ than divided into weaker ‘kabilah’?” he asked…
Muhyiddin also promised that PN will fight to return “moderate” Sunni Muslim teachings, which form the basis of the brand of Islam solely recognised by Putrajaya, and to “fight secularism and liberalism”.
Who needs voters when you have God on your side and PAS has taken over your party?
Just as populism looks to be going out of style Mad Moo (as one must now call him) has come gunning in with messages of tribalism and religious intolerance to “fight” non Malays in Malaysia.
Non-Malay Malaysians are thus spurned for their contributions (which have been many) to the comfortable and ever-privileged life of Malays over the past decades. Amongst these oil and other rich resources from East Malaysia. Also the high levels of hard work, educational achievement and professional expertise that are a characteristic gift that minority populations contribute to their wider communities around the world.
How strange that this backdoor PM did not advertise these aggressive sentiments when he stepped together with so many minorities who welcomed him onto the winning platform at GE14, where tolerance and reform were the vote-catching slogans that achieved a landslide.
Having re-joined the losing side, now dominated by the once marginal PAS extremists, he has taken up their toxic and backwards mantra and started claiming to be the divinely imposed emissary of a medieval sounding God (he certainly wasn’t elected after all).
He should note how voters responded to a not too dissimilar pitch this month by the present (but for not long) incumbent in the White House. Hate may excite loyalty and provoke pride, but it also disturbs the peace and destroys neighbourliness, which level headed citizens rightly treasure.
Malaysia was founded on the principles of unity between nations and communities. Instead, Mad Moo has adopted the aggressive tribalism of the Middle East and everyone knows the consequences over there. This style of unity for Malays against others means the end of the unity that created Malaysia and all that came with it.
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