S Thayaparan
Published: Feb 23, 2026 7:30 AM
Updated: 10:41 AM
“We have put in our best effort and delivered the best. Maybe the weaknesses came from me.”
COMMENT | DAP’s original sin is that they have never been treated as equal partners, and they know it. This means that the non-Malay community has never been treated as equal partners.
At the state level, DAP has fared better, meaning as far as establishment politics are concerned, the party has managed to govern or co-govern states way better than the Malay uber alles crowd has ever done.
This is because the intersection between commercial interest, communal preoccupations, and economic sustainability muted the excesses of the race and religion crowd.
Here’s the thing. I am not the guy who thinks that corruption is the existential threat facing this country. I am the guy who thinks that religious extremism is the existential threat facing this country.
Published: Feb 23, 2026 7:30 AM
Updated: 10:41 AM
“We have put in our best effort and delivered the best. Maybe the weaknesses came from me.”
- Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh
COMMENT | DAP’s original sin is that they have never been treated as equal partners, and they know it. This means that the non-Malay community has never been treated as equal partners.
At the state level, DAP has fared better, meaning as far as establishment politics are concerned, the party has managed to govern or co-govern states way better than the Malay uber alles crowd has ever done.
This is because the intersection between commercial interest, communal preoccupations, and economic sustainability muted the excesses of the race and religion crowd.
Here’s the thing. I am not the guy who thinks that corruption is the existential threat facing this country. I am the guy who thinks that religious extremism is the existential threat facing this country.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki (left) and former minister Rafizi Ramli
However, the allegations swirling around MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki and the spiteful persecution of former minister Rafizi Ramli by the Madani government should make every Malaysian, regardless of race or creed, take notice.
Complicity
For all my very public criticisms of the DAP, the party remains the sole problematic establishment choice for rational Malaysians.
When DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke set July 12 as the day that the party’s delegates decide if it will retain its positions in Madani, this is the kind of pusillanimous game-playing that has come to define them.
Madani persecuting Rafizi and enabling the head of the MACC is the nadir of how toxic Madani has become.
What we are dealing with here is a federal government which is willfully ignoring allegations of corruption and going after the people who actually want to reform the political establishment.
What is worse is that, by threats of retaliation against the press and individuals, Madani wants everyone to be complicit in this scandal, thereby making everyone guilty.
Think about this. When Azam “apologised” to the family of Teoh Beng Hock, he said: “Although the latest investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence to charge any individual, the MACC views with utmost seriousness the fact that Teoh was found deceased on Selangor MACC premises on July 16, 2009.”
However, the allegations swirling around MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki and the spiteful persecution of former minister Rafizi Ramli by the Madani government should make every Malaysian, regardless of race or creed, take notice.
Complicity
For all my very public criticisms of the DAP, the party remains the sole problematic establishment choice for rational Malaysians.
When DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke set July 12 as the day that the party’s delegates decide if it will retain its positions in Madani, this is the kind of pusillanimous game-playing that has come to define them.
Madani persecuting Rafizi and enabling the head of the MACC is the nadir of how toxic Madani has become.
What we are dealing with here is a federal government which is willfully ignoring allegations of corruption and going after the people who actually want to reform the political establishment.
What is worse is that, by threats of retaliation against the press and individuals, Madani wants everyone to be complicit in this scandal, thereby making everyone guilty.
Think about this. When Azam “apologised” to the family of Teoh Beng Hock, he said: “Although the latest investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence to charge any individual, the MACC views with utmost seriousness the fact that Teoh was found deceased on Selangor MACC premises on July 16, 2009.”
Teoh Beng Hock
Of course, we all know that according to all those investigations that the MACC “acknowledges”, the names of those involved are in the public domain and various investigation documents.
This, of course, means that the DAP is aware of this but chose this method to resolve the long-standing issues with Teoh’s family.
Is this justice Madani style? Does anyone else see how obscene all this is, considering the allegations facing Azam now and how DAP has remained impotent in the face of bureaucratic and governmental malfeasance, if not complicit?
Lots of noise, not much to show for
Loke said, “We cannot want to govern without bearing the burden of governance. Once the congress decides to remain in the government, the entire DAP must share the responsibility and act in unison,” which is just plain weird.
What is the burden of governance? Keeping your mouth shut while Rome is burning? And shouldn’t that be “If the congress decides to remain in the government”?
In 2020, at a memorial service for Teoh, as reported in the press, the then DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that although the party was no longer in federal power, he assured it would never give up its fight for the late political aide to one of the party’s elected representatives.
However, when DAP was in power, they did nothing except get a non-apology from an organisation shielded by Madani, which means it is shielded by DAP, no matter how some party operatives make noises that there needs to be a transparent investigation of the allegations surrounding Azam.
Of course, we all know that according to all those investigations that the MACC “acknowledges”, the names of those involved are in the public domain and various investigation documents.
This, of course, means that the DAP is aware of this but chose this method to resolve the long-standing issues with Teoh’s family.
Is this justice Madani style? Does anyone else see how obscene all this is, considering the allegations facing Azam now and how DAP has remained impotent in the face of bureaucratic and governmental malfeasance, if not complicit?
Lots of noise, not much to show for
Loke said, “We cannot want to govern without bearing the burden of governance. Once the congress decides to remain in the government, the entire DAP must share the responsibility and act in unison,” which is just plain weird.
What is the burden of governance? Keeping your mouth shut while Rome is burning? And shouldn’t that be “If the congress decides to remain in the government”?
In 2020, at a memorial service for Teoh, as reported in the press, the then DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that although the party was no longer in federal power, he assured it would never give up its fight for the late political aide to one of the party’s elected representatives.
However, when DAP was in power, they did nothing except get a non-apology from an organisation shielded by Madani, which means it is shielded by DAP, no matter how some party operatives make noises that there needs to be a transparent investigation of the allegations surrounding Azam.
DAP could leave and cooperate with Madani on a state level. After all, politics is local, but staying in the federal government solely to maintain “stability” is a complete hogwash, or at the very least, the price of said stability comes at the expense of the rakyat wanting progress and reforms, which could save this country.
After all, if Perikatan Nasional can cooperate with Madani at the state level, why not DAP? However, does DAP have the guts to do this?
And let us be honest here. When Hannah Yeoh was the sports minister, she was apparently ignorant of the moves the Football Association of Malaysia was making, allegedly in concert with Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, with regard to the citizenship scandal.
The best part about it was that Yeoh’s supporters were defending her, even though if this were a Malay political operative from another party, the knives would have been out.
When Yeoh got her position as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), some folks were doing backflips as if this were some sort of momentous event.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi assured folks that the Malay agenda in the federal territories would not be affected.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh
This is why, when those dakwah tents were removed, controversial preacher Firdaus Wong’s online mob implicated Yeoh for disturbing time-honoured municipal practices even though the minister was on an outreach programme for the Malay community.
Long, arduous road ahead
This is what I refer to as the whipping boy politics of DAP. The party is willing to be the whipping boy of the Malay uber alles crowd, even though, at its best, it could enact utilitarian policies that would benefit most Malaysians regardless of race and creed if given the chance and support by its Malay partners.
Instead, the mandarins of DAP, for whatever reasons, have gaslighted the base into believing that being the whipping boy for the Malay right is better than being out in the political cold.
Here is the thing. The ketuanan types are going to spin this to make it seem like DAP and, by implication, the non-Malay communities are cowardly for sticking with Madani, even though they are not treated as equals or that the party is ungrateful and by implication, the non-Malay communities are if they leave Madani.
This is why, when those dakwah tents were removed, controversial preacher Firdaus Wong’s online mob implicated Yeoh for disturbing time-honoured municipal practices even though the minister was on an outreach programme for the Malay community.
Long, arduous road ahead
This is what I refer to as the whipping boy politics of DAP. The party is willing to be the whipping boy of the Malay uber alles crowd, even though, at its best, it could enact utilitarian policies that would benefit most Malaysians regardless of race and creed if given the chance and support by its Malay partners.
Instead, the mandarins of DAP, for whatever reasons, have gaslighted the base into believing that being the whipping boy for the Malay right is better than being out in the political cold.
Here is the thing. The ketuanan types are going to spin this to make it seem like DAP and, by implication, the non-Malay communities are cowardly for sticking with Madani, even though they are not treated as equals or that the party is ungrateful and by implication, the non-Malay communities are if they leave Madani.
Either way, the going is going to get tough for the non-Malays in this country, and the ketuanan types understand this. At least with the latter, any party or coalition which wants to work with DAP understands that if reforms are not met, the party walks.
However, this is an ultimatum that Loke would never issue to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Instead, Loke decides to imitate Akmal and present a hyped up meet up, which changes very little in the political terrain beyond allowing DAP to play even dumber when it comes to the toxicity of Madani.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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