DAP does not want Chinese “sand” or English “sand” as we want Malaysian “sand”
Poet W.B. Yeats in “The Second Coming” wrote:
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
“Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
“The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
“The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
“Are full of passionate intensity.”
DAP believes in holding the centre of Malaysia to prevent the plural country from being torn apart by extremism and intolerance or sliding down to kleptcracy, kakistocracy and a failed state.
It has been said that a fierce battle is going on for the soul of DAP, labelled as “Hua Sha” (Chinese chauvinism) vs “English chauvinism” (In Sha),or “Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean” strategy.
This is news to me, but I want to stress that that we do not want Chinese “sand” (Sha) or English “sand” (Sha), as we want Malaysian “sand” (Sha), which had been the DAP’s stand from the very beginning in 1966 – that we stand for a Malaysia for all Malaysians, regardless of race or identity, as we do not want a Malay Malaysia, Chinese Malaysia, Indian Malaysia, Kadazan Malaysia, Iban Malaysia or a Orang Asli Malaysia – but a Malaysian Malaysia.
This is why I said at the Theatrer Impian more than two weeks ago that the DAP does not advocate any de-Chinese, de-Malay, de-Indian, de-Kadazan, de-Iban or de-Orang Asli policy, but the very opposite – to accept that Malaysians will have multiple identities but first and foremost, they have a common and overriding identity as Malaysians.
The Party is undergoing party elections at state and national levels, and we welcome a healthy debate on the future of DAP and the nation.
But we must be aware of hostile external forces which are trying to split and destroy DAP.
On 19th April, 2021, I said:
“This movement sounds the call of ‘Chinese unite’ to respond to the ‘Malays unite’ political call, advocating that in the 15th General Election, the Chinese voters should vote for good Chinese candidates regardless of political party.
“The inspiration of this surreptitious movement is from the MCA and Gerakan, which hopes to join forces with DAP members who agree with this approach.”
This statement was distorted into my making an allegation that there is movement inside the DAP responding to the “Malays unite” call with a “Chinese unite” call and joining forces with MCA and Gerakan in the 15th General Election.
I never made such an allegation. All I said was that there were MCA and Gerakan sources who are pushing the “Chinese unite” theme and who are hoped “to join forces with DAP members”.
I am sure that loyal and dedicated DAP cadres will not fall into such a MCA and Gerakan trap to join forces with them under the “Chinese unity” banner, for such a “Chinese unity” movement had been tried and failed in the past.
DAP cadres are very different from MCA and Gerakan members. DAP cadres all over the country take their responsibility whether as ketua kampongs or ahli majlis very seriously, even spending their own money and resources to serve the people, while MCA and Gerakan members mostly take the opportunity of their appointment as ketua kampong or ahli majlis to see what they can personally gain from it, including getting land with or without titles.
DAP’s opponents are hoping that DAP is facing its last days, but they are going to be disappointed.
Half a century ago, a top UMNO leader said that the DAP was “neither dead nor alive” and in the early seventies, DAP nearly died when the Alliance and subsequently the Barisan Nasional abused its resources and money power to intimidate or buy over DAP Members of Parliament and State Assembly members.
But DAP went on in the last 50 years to scale new political heights, while also suffering new political nadirs, but UMNO today is no more the political hegemon in the 70s, 80s and even 90s - struggling to prove its relevance while split between the “court cluster” and the “frog cluster”. When will UMNO have a “Malaysian Dream” cluster?
While I welcome a honest and in-depth debate of the future of DAP and Malaysia, we must always be aware of external forces which are trying to split and destroy the DAP.
For instance, while I had debunked the lies, falsehoods, half-truths and fake news about my having said that one must know Jawi to be a Malaysian and that DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng had declared he was not a Chinese when appointed as Finance Minister, there are Whatsapps repeating these lies and falsehoods to this very day.
This is why I made a special call in Pekan Nenas to DAP cadres at all levels and throughout the country to unite and rally behind the party for Pakatan Harapan to achieve a new high point in the 15th General Election as well as to safeguard the party against external forces which are trying to split and destroy it.
We welcome honest views and criticisms as to how the DAP can better achieve the Malaysian Dream, and advance forward to achieve new political breakthroughs for the interests of the nation and people.
All DAP leaders, cadres and members have one task and challenge – how to re-inspire, re-motivate, re-energise Malaysians in the pursuit of the Malaysian Dream to be an united world-class great nation and to win in the 15th General Election to implement the promises that we have not been able to fulfil after the 14th General Election.