Why UMNO fears DAP

This post is based on Professor Wang Gungwu's article “Chinese Politics in Malaya” in The China Quarterly published by the University of Cambridge in 1970.

I obtained this article from Malaysia-Today, although RPK has nothing to do with Prof Wang's analysis - besides, how could RPK when it was written some 50 years ago - surely RPK is not that ancient? Wakakaka.

By the by, Prof Wang Gungwu is an authority in the field of overseas Chinese history. Many of his articles on the overseas Chinese society put forward the concept, analysis framework and observation, and are still valid.

A reminder - Prof Wang was one of the Gerakan Party's six founding fathers, together with Professor Syed Hussain Alatas, Dr. Tan Chee Khoon, Dr. J.B.A. Peter, Lim Chong Eu, and V. Veerapan.

the best political party for us but which perished in 1972 in the flames of BN 

Gerakan was formed on 24 March 1968 in time for the 1969 GE which results shook the foundation and heart, as well as shrunk the gonads of UMNO. Sadly, May 13 then occurred.

But even then, Gerakan was at that time viewed by many Malays as Malaysia's future premier party, until Tun Razak kowtim-ed nearly the entire lot including dedak-makan-ing PAS, with the sole exception being the DAP which steadfastly refused to join Barisan Nasional.

Today the Gerakan Party, like its once powerful (in Perak) PPP have lost much of its once appeal.

Gerakan's slogan is Satu Hati Gerak Bersama (Forward Together with One Heart) which was actually adopted from the previous party of the late Dr Lim Chong Eu, namely, the United Democratic Party (UDP).

Dr Lim founded the UDP in Penang (it was essentially a localised Penang party) after he resigned from MCA in disgust.

The late Tun Tan Siew Sin took over the MCA with much delight and became, much as he was very unpopular with many Chinese Malaysians, the best Finance Minister we had.

Tun Razak so admired and respected Tan that he ordered the Armed Forces to salute Tan whenever the latter was in their presence (only PM, DPM and Defence Minister were entitled to military salutes). 

Then Lim Chong Eu's UDP had the simple yet very catchy slogan of Satu Hati.

OK, enough of Unc's stories wakakaka - In the article, “Chinese Politics in Malaya” [note the term 'Malaya' and not Malaysia] and to cut the story short which includes some of kt's editing, wakakaka (for more, go over to Malaysia-Today), Prof Wang ..... pointed out that the Chinese Malayan/Malaysians, in accordance with their political orientation, could be divided into three groups, as follows:


(i) Group A - their political leaning was towards China, as they felt that they were just foreign immigrants. Naturally they cared about China politics and not politics in Malaya. At the end of the article Wang Gungwu also pointed out that following the establishment of Malaysia, the number of people in Group A would invariably shrink.

(ii) Group B - the majority of Chinese Malaysians - they gave the impression of being apolitical by focusing on their own economic and social status, and solving the relevant problems through Chinese organisations (or money).

Basically, their involvement in politics were indirect, had no long-term objective on political development; they would support the existing political power who helped them in solving their problem.

If we look at the modus operandi of the present Chinese societies around Peninsular Malaysia and their relationship with politics, we would be able to know that the modus operandi of Group B is still valid.

Kaytee opines they are not as 'good' as the overseas Jews who generously fund BOTH SIDES of politics to always be on the winning side, no matter who won, wakakaka.

(iii) Group C - Chinese Malaysians who cared about domestic politics in Malaya and participated actively in politics.

After World War II, as the number of settlers were increasing, their sense of belonging (as citizens) were also enhanced. This group expanded especially during the post independent era.

Today Group A might have lost its entire numbers to this group, whilst Group B, to a lesser extent but not too less, is also likely to experience the same, as younger Chinese Malaysians feel they are true Malaysians.

Kaytee's analysis through observations follows, wakakaka: 

Based on Prof Wang's political analysis, Group C Chinese is the puzzling and most worrying bloc for Malays, more so when they (especially UMNO) realise MCA and Gerakan have lost effective control over their political leanings.

I believe that the questions uppermost in many Malay minds (including some of those in Primbumi, PKR and Amanah) today must be:

(a) How dare the Chinese interfere (or are so aggressive) in Malaysian politics.

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no beer - not our Malay culture 

Many conservative Malays still consider Chinese Malaysians as either 'permanent residents' or at best, '2nd class citizens', or both, or in Prof Wang's classifications, as Group B business opportunists with fleeting emotional attachments for Malaysia.

We frequently hear that in exchange for citizenship in this country, Chinese Malaysians must keep their end of the fabled bargain (fabled by ketuanan people, wakakaka) and must not question 'Malays' rights and privileges'.

But that's not in the Constitution other than the 'special position' of the Malay Rulers and their prerogatives in safeguarding and ensuring Malays do not get trampled upon. 

Yes, I wonder, for example, where in the Constitution the 7% discount in purchase of housing for Malays come from, which BTW would be probably recovered by the developer from the Nons - in other words, Nons have been in all likelihood made by developers as subsidisers of Malay (even Midas-rich types) purchasers of houses from their housing estates.

[quickie calculation, wakakaka - 7% per house x 30% of reserved-for-Malays housing estate = 210% divided by the rest (70% Nons) = 3%, thus in simple terms, a non pays 103% while a Malay pays 93% of the developers 'real' price]

But in short, many Malays believe the Chinese, despite being not treated as full citizens of Malaysia, are still getting a good 'bargain' and should not be 'ungrateful' which brings us to (b),

(b) How ungrateful are the Chinese, like the proverbial 'Arab and his camel' - haven't heard of this fable? Ask RPK, wakakaka.

The conservative Malay Heartland still see Chinese Malaysians as belonging to Group B, commercial-business 'animals', yes 'business-animals' as once the aggressive-trading Japanese were seen as when they even traded with White Supremacist South Afrika.

For trade and access/purchases of vital goods, the latter cunningly classified the Japs as 'honorary Whites' (but still considered Chinese as 'coloured', wakakaka).

In reality the Japanese, one of the most supremacist bigoted races in the world, must have cringed at the very act of being considered as equal to the crass gross untermenschen 'White Trash' of South Afrika, wakakaka.

(c) How biadap are the Chinese?


See reason above in subpara (a) - conservative Malays, in the times of Tun Razak and even today, have never really accepted Chinese Malaysians as 'equals'.

The best they could accord the Chinese was/is the Group B label of aggressive economic-creatures whose chief trait was in 'cheating the innocent easy-going Malays' - I think 'someone' had written of this ethnic dichotomy, wakakaka.

BTB, I have a Malaysian racist story but which I won't tell - it's about the old Volkswagen car involving a Chinese and a Malay, wakakaka - both received the short end of that bigotry.

But at least they have dropped the more seditious label of Group A for the Cinapeks, where Group A Chinese were nationalistically, spiritually and emotionally never Malaysians but rather Middle-Kingdom expatriates, wakakaka.

OK, so that's why today a successful DAP (post 2008 and 2013), deriving most of its support from the 'Nons' are frightening the Malays, especially UMNO.

And that is why today UMNO, which had hitherto, at least until 2008, considered the DAP as just a kutu-pest for the MCA to deal with, now has a special 'program' to crush DAP, especially more so when young Malay sweeties like Dyana, Syerlana, etc, and hairy-chested Ariff Sabri, Dr Bari, loose cannon Zaid, Senator Ariffin, Tengku Zulpuri Shah, Khir Johari and more, have joined the DAP.

Besides, the MCA, which had derived most of its support from Group B Chinese Malaysians, has lost of its power-base as the Group B Chinese migrated over to Group C, influenced perhaps by their younger family members and children of friends or encouraged by the increasing power of the DAP. Thus UMNO cannot depend on the MCA (or Gerakan) to handle the DAP.

To UMNO today, the DAP is becoming less of a Group C Chinese-based party but more of a Malaysian political party equal to UMNO and PAS, and even more significant than single-issue Pribumi. Forget about MCA, Gerakan, and also-single-issue PKR (same DNA as Pribumi).