YOURSAY | Wooing voters is why parties must use race, religion

YOURSAY | Wooing voters is why parties must use race, religion


YOURSAY | ‘No party today is exclusively based on ideals alone.’

COMMENT | Wish Hadi was right about DAP’s secularism


Man on the Silver Mountain: Politics has morphed into a vehicle to attract the biggest number of voters. In the process, certain ideology has to be dispensed with to achieve the more important goal.

This is understandable, as voters are key to winning elections and thus, to the government. That is what it is all about.

PAS has been transformed from a bigoted political party based on Islam to include racism for Malay exclusivity.

DAP has changed to an exclusively Malaysian Malaysia party to accommodate some form of racialism in their endeavour to be more acceptable to the Malay majority.

What is clear, politics cannot depend on ideals alone but needs to adapt to the preferences of voters.

In this way, no political party today is therefore exclusively based on ideals alone. You would not get far with that. It is foolhardy to do so.

The transformation of a political party can be bad or good. PAS was bad when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang decided for the party to be exclusively religious and racial. It seemed a practical way for them. They know the Malay psyche.

DAP, on the other hand, has softened its purely Malaysian Malaysia paradigm, and that is good but only to placate Malay nationalism.

Ultimately, no parties can solely survive in exclusivity, be it racial or religious. PAS can get the majority of Malays, but without the support of other races, they cannot become the government.

BOBBYO: All this talk is not in favour of the nation and its people. Manipulating religion will not uplift the lives of the people. So much time spent on religion is not going to feed hungry souls.

Hadi is wasting his time by not doing things for the betterment of the people. He will go to any end to get what he wants, including using Islam to its hilt. He uses religion to suit his agenda, like preacher Zakir Naik.

DAP, on the other hand, will compromise its stand concerning Islam, as long as the nation progresses.

The answer to people’s woes lies in improving people’s quality of life as well as their financial position.

Compare Afghanistan and Pakistan with the United Arab Emirates. Look at the condition of the people and how their leaders view living on earth as well as the afterlife in improving the economic position of the people.

Hadi is more concerned about his political and economic position. If he were concerned about his followers, he would work for their betterment.

Milshah: Malaysiakini columnist S Thayaparan, you seem not too happy with DAP/Pakatan Harapan leaning towards the Malays.

How about this? Let’s cut the charade. Can DAP go out alone with guns blazing, leaving PKR and Amanah?

DAP then can say we don’t need the Malay votes, and we are secular. Would DAP win?

The maximum DAP could get was 40 seats out of the 222 seats in GE15. Not even a simple majority of 112.

You have to accept the fact, commander, that DAP needs to be in a coalition and DAP needs Malay votes. That is why DAP is trying very hard to change its Chinese party image to a Malaysian party.

Even the current federal government, if Harapan goes it alone, with only 82 seats, is not enough to be the government.

You have to accept the fact that in Malaysia, Malay votes are important. They are the majority and account for over 60 percent of the population.

Though you twist and turn, DAP will have to accept that fact and it would be folly to go against the majority. Unless you are living in Lala land, then DAP can do as it wants. Wake up.

Newday: It is a long-term tricky path that DAP treads. They recognise a majority of the population is Muslim and they need to shape their future inclusive of this as they have always tried to do.

Hadi has been successful within his circles in convincing followers that secularism is somehow an evil thing to behold that threatens the very roots of Islam.

Secularism is a barrier to the formation of a theocratic state and, of course, Hadi hates that.

However, he will use secular principles like democratic voting to step towards the establishment of a theocratic state. He was almost successful in GE15 in getting one step closer.

If he had been successful, then the dismantling of our secular laws would have commenced. The sultans saw the danger and steered us to where we are now.

DAP, meanwhile? Just keep representing your entire community, regardless of race and religion, as you have always tried to do.

V S: As long as our self-serving politicians dabble in race and religion to remain in power to enjoy the perks they have created for themselves, with no regard for the rakyat, this country will not progress.

Slogans are not worth the paper they are written on. A party that looks into the welfare of all Malaysians is the answer.

All parties that practise race and religious politics must be banned for the progress of this nation if you truly love Malaysia as a nation and its people.

apanama is back: It is irrelevant whether a political operative such as DAP is secular or otherwise. Even though DAP claims so, it is not important because a political party will always change their statements and stands.

None of the parties in Malaysia can claim to be a secular party.

Why? The DAP dare not say so even though they defend secularism in Malaysia.

Because it is all about political survival. Does anyone think a secular party can survive in a country such as Malaysia, a land of endless possibilities?

Let me be the first one to answer it. A big no!