Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 7^th June 2009: 

Another reason why Najib should seek confidence motion when Parliament meets on June 15 – to secure parliamentary sanction for his “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” slogan

There is another reason why the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should seek a motion of confidence when Parliament reconvenes on June 15 to secure a clear-cut mandate to establish credibility, integrity and legitimacy of his premiership.

This is to secure parliamentary sanction for his “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” slogan.

Najib said yesterday that the 1Malaysia concept does not deviate from the essence of the Federal Constitution, express or implied.

He said it is not a new concept or formula and that its ultimate objective is national unity, which was the primary vision of previous administrators translated into various forms over the last five decades.

But is Najib prepared to ascertain why his 1Malaysia concept had generated so much division and discord among Malaysians, which was not the case with, for instance, the Bangsa Malaysia concept introduced by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad when proclaiming the Vision 2020 in 1991?

In fact, the very need for Najib to come up with a 1Malaysia slogan is eloquent testimony of the failure of Malaysian nation-building efforts in the past five decades to create one united Malaysian nation.

What is tragic is that Najib’s first two months as Prime Minister had been overwhelmed by examples of the lack of 1Malaysia mentality, mindset and commitment not only by the Barisan Nasional government but also by the key national institutions in our society, whether the civil service, Parliament, judiciary, police, mass media, etc.

Malaysians are asking, for instance, how with Najib as Prime Minister, there could be 1Malaysia when he is chiefly responsible why there is no 1Perak!

Another example of the lack of 1Malaysia mentality, mindset and commitment is provided by Najib’s recent visit to China, where he acknowledged the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese and their “great” contribution to the country’s economic development. Najib expressed appreciation of the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese as illustrated in badminton competitions between Malaysia and China, where Malaysian Chinese will support the national team.

But Najib’s acknowledgement of the loyalty of the Malaysian Chinese to the country was not reported in the Bahasa Malaysia mainstream media.

What is worse, we see UMNO-owned Mingguan Malaysia trying to fuel racial discord by referring to non-Malays as “kaum pendatang” or immigrants, which has been slammed not only by DAP National Publicity Secretary and MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua, but also provoked the ire of MIC President, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu who has called on the police to institute sedition charges against Awang Selamat for the “racial slur” against the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia which is totally against Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

But Awang Selamat and Mingguan Malaysia remain unrepentant and recalcitrant, coming out with another provocative, insensitive and offensive sequel today, entitled “Sampai bila kemurahan hati Melayu?”.

If the Chinese press had carried a piece “Sampai bila kemurahan hati orang Cina?” or the Tamil press carried “Sampai bila kemurahan hati orang India?”, would the writers, editors and publishers be immune from instant police visits and actions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act or even the Internal Security Act?

What is clear however is the shocking absence of a 1Malaysia mentality, mindset and commitment, which appears to be quite prevalent among the movers and shakers in the corridors of federal power.

Eyebrows all round were raised when it was announced that the Biro Tatanegara (National Civics Bureau) will organise courses and seminars to explain 1Malaysia for the people to understand Najib’s concept – for the end product is definitely not 1Malaysia but “No 1Malaysia”!

In fact, if Najib is serious about 1Malaysia, the first thing he should do is to close down BTN, notorious for spreading communal poison and national divisiveness, as illustrated in the following letter-to-the-editor in Star a fortnight ago, which is quite a typical complaint:

Friday May 22, 2009

BTN course teaches disunity

AS parents we are glad that our grown up children attend the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course, which is compulsory for government servants. They are all mature professionals.

But what angers me is that, instead of talking integrity, unity and harmony among the various races, participants are taught about disunity and racial hatred. Is this what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib wants for 1MALAYSIA?

Throughout the five days of the course, participants are repeatedly told not to question Malay rights and so on. The course coordinators keep talking about social contracts and telling non-Malays not to question Malay rights and so on.

Many participants, including my Malay friends, are upset.

Are we still living in a primitive age? If the BTN course is to be conducted in this manner, it is better to abolish it or let it concentrate on only one ethnic group.

The course is not bringing unity but only arousing anger and hatred.

As it is handled by the Prime Minister’s office, please do not say that they do not know what is going on.

DISAPPOINTED,
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

This is why the first item of business when Parliament reconvenes after Najib’s takeover as Prime Minister is a confidence motion not only to provide credibility, integrity and legitimacy for his premiership but to provide parliamentary endorsement for his motto of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now”.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor