GEORGE TOWN: A vote for MCA at the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election will only encourage Umno and PAS to propagate their divisive politics of race and religion, said a DAP strategist.
Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong (pix) today said if Barisan Nasional (BN) wins through MCA, it and PAS would view it as the voters’ approval of their use of race and religion to dislodge Pakatan Harapan (PH) government half-way into its term.
“I shudder to think that a coalition of parties with corrupt leaders and no clear reform agenda but merely race politics will be in power, again,“ Liew, who is also the deputy defence minister, said in a statement.
He said polemics would eventually led to the politics of hatred, which would be counter-productive when growing the economy and fighting climate change are important agendas.
Liew pointed out that this is the first by-electon since the official formation of the Muafakat Nasional, a coalition of former political foes Umno and PAS.
“The battle of Tanjung Piai is of national consequence. It will determine our not-too-distant future,“ Liew said.
By resorting to racial extremism, with the intention of breaking up PH with ethnic divisions, it would pave way for the return of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to power, he added.
Both former top leaders are facing multiple corruption charges in courts. If power is given back to them, there is zero hope for reforms, said Liew.
“The Opposition of BN is not interested to play the role of check and balance. Umno merely wants power now to save their top leaders.”
Ahmad Zahid, who is the Umno president, had just warned that moves are being made to oust PH state government in Perak.
“In Zahid’s mind and in Umno’s and PAS’s playbook, it is all about sowing the seed of divide to reap the fruits of hatred.”
