PENANG deputy chief minister II Dr P. Ramasamy has described former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s establishment of Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) as more of entertainment news than something that needs to be taken seriously.
Ramasamy said this in response to the Pejuang chairperson’s announcement of the coalition on Thursday (Aug 4) which the latter said is aimed at strengthening the Malay-Muslims especially in the economic field.
Dr Mahathir told a press conference at Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana that for a start, GTA comprises Pejuang, Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (IMAN), Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (BERJASA) and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA).
The former prime minister said GTA is open to participation from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), individuals, academics and professional groups among the Malays and it would apply for registration soon.
“As the 15th General Election (GE15) is on the horizon, Dr Mahathir has come up with this grand idea to unite the Malay-Muslims in the country against UMNO and other Malay parties that have swept aside Malay-Muslim interests,” said Ramasamy.
“It is indeed ironic that the idea to unite the Malay-Muslims across the board seems to go against UMNO and other Malay parties. How is GTA going to explain this glaring hypocritical contradiction?”
The Perai assemblyperson said there is no need to read deeply into GTA’s establishment as it is intended to “strike deals with Malay-Muslim parties probably in exchange for power and positions”.
“Of course, Dr Mahathir has not given up on the improbable idea of becoming prime minister for the third time,” he mused.
“For many of us, the idea (of Mahathir becoming prime minister for the third time) is laughable, but he is dead serious about it and maybe there is a handful of supporters who might consider its possibility.”
According to Ramasamy, the composition of GTA which comprises several mosquito parties and NGOs might not raise eyebrows let alone influence other Malay-Muslim leaders to even think of cooperating with the new coalition.
“Mahathir might have some influence here and there, but in reality, he is a spent force in Malaysian politics,” he noted.
“During his first term as prime minister he was responsible for putting the country on the dangerous path of racial and religious polarisation.
“In his second term as prime minister under Pakatan Harapan he not only betrayed the coalition by failing to implement the coalition’s election promises but had paved the way for Sheraton Move that had usurped power from the Pakatan government.
“After all the damage he has done, he has the audacity of forming GTA ostensibly to advance Malay-Muslim interests in the country.”
Ramasamy further pointed out that a leader like Dr Mahathir who was largely responsibly for the present ethnic imbroglio should have learned important lessons from history.
“He should be proposing a broader multi-racial coalition to unite the country, regardless whether there is support or not but alas, he repeats the mistakes of the past in a more devious and divisive manner,” he elaborated.
“As far as I am concerned, the formation of GTA with its grandiose objective of uniting the Malay-Muslims seems more of entertainment news rather than something that needs to be taken seriously.” – Aug 5, 2022
