Political outcomes aren’t political strategies, DAP man tells Kian Ming

Political outcomes aren’t political strategies, DAP man tells Kian Ming


Kampar MP Chong Zhemin says PH has never campaigned by asking one race to unite against another, unlike BN and PN

Chong Zhemin (left) said Ong Kian Ming’s claim created a false equivalence between PH’s campaign and the openly race-based narrative employed by BN and PN.

PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Kampar MP Chong Zhemin has hit back at fellow party member Ong Kian Ming over his claim that Pakatan Harapan (PH) indirectly benefitted from racial narratives in previous elections.

He said Ong’s claim created a false equivalence between PH’s campaign and the openly race-based narratives employed by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“Saying PH benefitted from racial politics confuses a political outcome with a deliberate political strategy.


“PH has never campaigned by asking one race to unite against another. We have never told Chinese voters that their interests can only be protected by defeating the Malays, nor have we told Indian voters that another community poses a threat to them,” he said in a statement today.

Chong said PH’s central message had always been that Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, must unite to defend good governance, moderation, economic justice and democratic institutions.


He said that, in contrast, BN and PN repeatedly used DAP as a political punching bag to frighten Malay voters, urging them to consolidate their political power to protect their rights and interests from an implied enemy.

“There is a fundamental difference between calling on Malaysians to reject extremism and telling members of a particular race that they must consolidate their political power to protect themselves from other communities.

“Warning voters about religious extremism or policies that may undermine Malaysia’s multicultural character is not the same as mobilising voters solely on the basis of racial solidarity.

“One is a debate about the direction and values of the country. The other defines political competition primarily through racial identity,” he said.


In an episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast, Ong, a former Bangi MP, said it was unfair to attribute PH’s defeat in the Negeri Sembilan election solely to its rivals’ use of identity politics.

He said PH had previously appealed to non-Malay voters to unite, to which podcast co-host Khairy Jamaluddin agreed, saying PH had used “coded references” to the “green wave” as a dog whistle to encourage Chinese voters to unite behind the coalition.