New Villages Old Prejudices

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If DAP leaders think that playing nice with UMNO will help them advance their own political agenda, they are going to be disappointed. UMNO has not changed; they still have an oversized sense of entitlement. No matter how much sacrifice the DAP makes to keep this government in power, it will never be enough for UMNO. Dennis Ignatius
Here we go again; another silly and unnecessary altercation – this time involving Chinese New Villages which Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming thinks should be declared a UNESCO world heritage site.
Not everyone – even within the Chinese community – appears to think it’s a great idea. But Malaysia being Malaysia, the whole episode has turned into ugly racial issue.
Ketuanan Melayu politicians (both inside and outside the government) as usual think that any kind of recognition of the history of the non-Malays and their contribution somehow makes them feel less Malay. UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki even made the asinine claim that UNESCO recognition would make the Chinese the “original inhabitants” of the land thus endangering the status of bumiputera Malays.
The level of insecurity and paranoia amongst the Ketuanan crowd never seizes to amaze me; no matter how much power they hold, they remain trapped in a mental gulag of their own making.
Whether the Ketuanan crowd likes it or not, non-Malays roots in Malaysia run as deep as that of any other. The Bujang Valley historical complex, remnants of a once mighty Hindu-Buddhist civilization, for example, is more than 2500 years old, predating even the famed Angkor Wat. Given the long and rich history of non-Malay roots in Malaysia, it is rather pathetic that the minister couldn’t find anything better to highlight than new villages.
It makes me wonder whether this whole affair is about the nation’s cultural heritage or a simply at attempt to pander to the minister’s increasingly disillusioned base.
Whatever it is, I’m sure most Malaysian will agree that there are far more important things to worry about than new villages. After all, the country is in a mess. The cost of living is rising, the ringgit is falling and the nation’s debt is climbing. Islamists are also conspiring to upend the Federal Constitution. Confidence in the government is at an all time low following the pardons board fiasco. People are simply fed up and losing hope fast. UNESCO recognition for new villages is surely the least of our priorities.
Instead of pushing fatuous initiatives, Malaysians would be better served by the Housing and Local Government minister if he focused on delivering one of the DAP’s long-standing campaign promises – the restoration of local government elections. But of course he won’t for fear of upsetting UMNO and the Ketuanan crowd. That’s the problem with the DAP these days – they throw up all kinds of ideas to please their base but back away quickly whenever UMNO roars.
UMNO has now become like a big brother to the DAP; pleasing UMNO is the number one priority of the present DAP leadership. Witness their shameful silence on Zahid’s DNAA and the way they even tried to justify the outrageous decision to reduce Najib Razak’s pardon. No wonder UMNO president Zahid Hamidi boasted that he has finally tamed the DAP.
If DAP leaders think that playing nice with UMNO will help them advance their own political agenda, they are going to be disappointed. UMNO has not changed; they still have an oversized sense of entitlement. No matter how much sacrifice the DAP makes to keep this government in power, it will never be enough for UMNO. If even something as as unremarkable as granting heritage status to a few new villages can provoke such strong reactions from UMNO, it should tell us that unity in this unity government is just skin deep.
If there’s any lesson to be learned from this whole affair, it is that notwithstanding the impressive number of seats the DAP has in parliament, it is UMNO that calls the shots in the unity government.

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