MALAYSIAN youth must move away from the old politicians’ rhetoric who are singing the same tune on race-based politics, said Federal Territories Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA).
“Race-based issues and sentiments have been politicised too many times. This ‘struggle’ has been the ‘song’ that a certain faction has continued to sing for more than 60 years.
“Oddly enough, it tends to only benefit and deepen the pockets of the elite and a select few, whilst the race they are so-called championing continue to struggle daily,” its head of policy Anas Matsham said, in a statement.
In an interview recently, Deputy National Unity Minister Wan Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal claimed that the Malays are rejecting Pakatan Harapan due to its “full-blown” liberal democratic nature.
This is because, he added, they needed to be protected by those who share similar identity politics, he explained.
“The Malays need a protector. They have a neo-feudal mentality and are not ready to embrace a full-blown liberal democracy yet. At the end of the day, the societal nature of embracing a tribal mentality will persist,” the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia youth chief was reported as saying.
Many were unimpressed with Wan Fayhsal’s statement and lashed out at him, with his former boss, MUDA president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman saying that the “protectors” had failed the Malays.
“When 600,000 M40 households slid to the B40 group, were the Malays protected? When Malaysians had to wave white flags because they didn’t have enough food during the COVID-19 pandemic, were the Malays protected from hunger and sickness?
“When the people see the lifestyles of Malay political leaders who have fancy watches worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit, houses the size of palaces, and their children’s luxury cars, do the Malays get to enjoy such a lavish lifestyle too?” Malaysiakini reported the Muar MP as saying.
Change starts with us
Touching on the matter, Anas said it was upsetting that young leaders are singing the same tune as elder politicians, adding Malaysians are fed up with “old-school” thoughts which is causing disunity.
He added that the decades of “struggle” seem to further reinforce only one thing; leaders must stop misusing their advantage and address the issues at hand affecting the populace.
“What’s for sure is that Malaysians alike are all tired of the dirty, ruthless ways of old politics and politicians, which young leaders must avoid emulating.
“Instead of harping on race-based issues, we must start talking about bigger, more pertinent matters that affect the society and our future generations.
“And we can start by asking ourselves what kind of leaders do we want and want to be,” Anas mentioned.
He remarked: “For the sake of Malaysia, the youths must be chivalrous and aside our political differences and focus on resolving issues affecting al our citizens.” – April 9, 2022
