Letter to editor
DAP’s Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran thinks that by engaging with UMNO Youth leader Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh “over a cup of coffee”, a more civilised discussion could be held on the vernacular schools in the country.
Hence, he invited Dr Akmal for coffee “to dialogue” over the issue.
In Rajiv’s reckoning, a cordial and amicable discussion with Dr Akmal would pre-empt the latter from taking a racist approach to the vernacular school issue.
By suggesting that Dr Akmal take a more rational approach to vernacular schools, Rajiv might want to make UMNO more acceptable to the DAP.
Rajiv might have forgotten that DAP was once the perennial political foe of UMNO. However, things have change after both DAP and UMNO embraced each other in the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led Madani government.
Even if UMNO had embraced the DAP, the former has not given up on its racism and political extremism. Without Malay support, the party is banking on its virulent forms of racism against the non-Malays.
Dr Akmal’s call for the review of the vernacular schools is disingenuous. Basically, UMNO wants the elimination of the vernacular schools as they are an affront to national unity.
While it is not difficult to understand UMNO, what is not understandable is why DAP politician Rajiv is soft pedalling the extremism of Akmal. Where are the guts and bravery of DAP leaders to take on the racists in UMNO and other political parties?
Where is the political will to protect and safeguard the vernacular schools? Is this soft-pedalling by the DAP an attempt to appease the racists and bigots in UMNO?
If the party had adopted rational attitudes in the past, it would not sink to the bottom in terms of the support from the Malays.
Why is Rajiv trying to placate the UMNO politicians such as Dr Akmal? Will such a sycophantic attitude change the ways of UMNO? Is it wrong then to say that DAP that fought so hard to be different to MCA has lost the battle? – March 11, 2024
Satees Muniandy was the former DAP state assemblyman for Bagan Dalam in Penang. He is currently the leadership council member of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
