BN biggest "ethnic prison" - why Najib Cabinet failed 1st KPI over Utusan's communal/inflammatory "Bangkitlah Melayu" headline

Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 16^th April 2009:

Barisan Nasional the biggest ï¿½ethnic prisonï¿½ in the country, which is why first meeting of Najib Cabinet dared not act or even discuss Utusan Malaysiaï¿½s communal and inflammatory ï¿½Bangkitlah Melayuï¿½ headline

Nobody doubts that if the Chinese and Tamil press had yesterday published on their front page the headlines ï¿½Chinese Ariseï¿½ and ï¿½Indians Ariseï¿½ respectively like Utusan Malaysiaï¿½s front-page headline ï¿½Bangkitlah Melayuï¿½, followed by a report calling for greater unity among the race to face the other races, this will be a major and instant agenda in yesterdayï¿½s first meeting of the Najib Cabinet meeting followed by dire consequences for the Chinese and Tamil newspapers concerned.

No Minister will raise any objection that stern and immediate action be taken against the Chinese and Tamil papers for publishing such inflammatory and racist material, especially as it would be making a complete mockery of the overarching philosophy of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced only 12 days earlier.

Why then the double standards by the Najib Cabinet as the chauvinistic and inflammatory Utusan Malaysia front-page headline and report were not raised at all at yesterdayï¿½s meeting?

After the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Najib called on Malaysians to break away from being in an ï¿½ethnic prisonï¿½ and to think as one.

Unfortunately, the biggest ï¿½ethnic prisonï¿½ in the country is none other than the Barisan Nasional, and this is why the Najib Cabinet could not break out from the four walls of the ï¿½ethnic prisonï¿½ yesterday to act boldly and decisively to stop Utusan Malaysia from purveying communal poison which can only destroy all public credibility for Najibï¿½s 1Malaysia concept.

Malaysians are entitled to ask why the ï¿½Monitor Ministerï¿½, ï¿½Super-Ministerï¿½ Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon had held his silence when the Najib Cabinet failed its first KPI (key performance index) test ï¿½ allowing Najibï¿½s overarching philosophy of 1Malaysia to suffer a major blow when nothing was done with regard to Utusan Malaysiaï¿½s communal and inflammatory ï¿½Bangkitlah Melayuï¿½ front-page headline and story.

Who now are being incarcerated in the ï¿½ethnic prisonï¿½ of Barisan Nasional?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor