(Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) is correct to say that the angry UMNO Balik Pulau Division Youth demonstrations held during the opening of the new UMNO Tanjung Division building is not only disrespectful to Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon but to himself as well. But he forgets to add that these demonstrations protesting against the so-called marginalization of Penang Malays not only demonstrate a disturbing loos of personal authority over his own party and even his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin but also exposes the collapse of BN’s consultative spirit and UMNO’s bullying aggression where big eats small.

That UMNO Balik Pulau Youth members dare to demonstrate in front of their President shows that Pak Lah is neither feared nor loved. No UMNO members would dare to demonstrate in front of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was UMNO President and Prime Minister. Pak Lah mentions that the UMNO Youth members must be demonstrating because they are too angry. This is inexcusable and unacceptable as anger can not be the solution. As the ruling party UMNO only demonstrates against Israel and the United States. Is UMNO equating Koh as the enemy by demonstrating against his presence?

Using 7 banners to criticize Koh in his presence calling him insincere and cheating the Penang Water Authority, refusing to mention his name or let him speak during the opening ceremony as required by protocol and even shouting slogans in Koh’s face is a deliberate act of rudeness. Such personal humiliation of Koh is uncharacteristic of Malay culture especially when Koh is an invited guest.

These “kurang ajar” actions to their invited guest by UMNO Youth is clearly designed to send a strong message that Koh must capitulate to UMNO’s demands and take the necessary action to help the Penang Malays which they claim are marginalized. The Prime Minister has shown his political weakness by failing to reprimand such indisciplined UMNO Youth members. With friends like UMNO in BN, who needs enemies?

Instead Pak Lah has pandered to their immature and rough bullying tactics by directing Koh to discuss with demonstrating UMNO members to take the necessary action to address their grievances. He even bypassed Koh by directing Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop to identify problems concerning development on the island. By stripping Koh of his powers, Koh is slowly becoming a puppet Chief Minister without power. Is this BN power-sharing agreement where UMNO’s dominance means negating the democratic wishes of the non-Malay majority in Penang.

Being one from an academic background, Koh can show that there are Malays who are poorer than those in Penang such as Sabah, Kelantan, Terengganu Kedah and Perlis. Penang has the lowest poverty rate in the country at 0.3% but high income inequality as not every family earns the mean monthly household income of RM 3,531. Malays are even more marginalized in the poorest states in Malaysia with the highest poverty rate of Sabah(23%), Kelantan (10.6%), Terengganu(15.4%), Kedah (7%) and Perlis (6.3%).

Penang UMNO leaders behave irresponsibly in offending the sentiments of non-Malays and their lies that there are no Malays outside Balik Pulau even though they are UMNO Divisions in Tanjung, Jelutong and Bukit Bendera. UMNO leaders must be naïve to think that Malaysians, including Malays, are so gullible as to believe that Malays are marginalized in Penang but not in other states. In fact non-Malays are also marginalized and suffer from income inequality.

The United Nations Human Development Report consistently list Malaysians as suffering the worst income inequality between the rich and poor in South-East Asia. This is conceded by the 9MP which showed the share of income of the bottom 40% of the population declined from 14.5% in 1990 to 13.5% in 2004 whilst the share of the top 20% of the population increased from 50% in 1990 to 51.2% in 2004.

The income inequality within the Chinese community worsened in the period 1999 to 2004 from 0.434 to 0.446 whilst for Indians from 0.413 to 0.425. The income inequality amongst bumis was even worse from 0.433 in 1999 to 0.452 in 2004. Marginalisation of Malaysians generally can be seen with the Ninth Malaysian Plan(9MP) showing the Gini Coefficient nationally worsening from 0.452 in 1999 to 0.462 in 2004.

However such rational arguments from the 9MP would be useless against the bullying aggression of UMNO leaders who thinks that such tactics can force Koh to surrender and capitulate. Koh must not back down but prove that he is the Chief Minister with power by asserting his personal authority and control over government agencies in Penang. Failure would do so would not only be his personal failure in his first test as future Gerakan President but also a betrayal of the overwhelming mandate given to him in the 2004 general elections by Penang voters.

(06/09/2006)