DAP leaders blast Liu for 'toxic, Chinese chauvinist' remarks
DAP heavyweights Tony Pua and Hannah Yeoh have lambasted the party's central committee member Ronnie Liu for a speech in which he said the party should not belittle or degrade itself just to gain Malay support.
Liu (above) said DAP, while multiracial in nature, should not "dilute its Chineseness" just to gain Malay support.
In a no holds barred response, Damansara MP Pua said that Liu is the "Chinese chauvinist the party doesn't need".
"For decades, the DAP has been labelled, both with justification and often unfairly, that we are a Chinese chauvinist party.
"This is a direct result of the party focusing its efforts to ensure that the rights of the minority are not trampled on by a brute majority during BN's rule.
"The minority, in this case, was made up overwhelmingly of the Chinese, while the Indians made the bulk of the balance," Pua said in a statement today.
"The unfortunate outcome of this fight is the ease at which the party was tainted as a Chinese chauvinist party, because of the frequency at which Chinese-related issues were raised," he added.
He said that since 2005, the party under Lim Guan Eng's leadership has made a concerted effort to debunk that label and image.
"Despite claims to the contrary by DAP's political opponents, the party has made great strides in becoming a more inclusive party that is more representative of all Malaysians."
Pua viewed Liu's statement as counterproductive to DAP's philosophy, taking exception to the Sungai Pelek assemblyperson's call for the party to stick to its overt "Chineseness" while continuing to call itself a "multi-racial party".
"His (Liu's) election strategy was equally simple: '...we need to cooperate with other Malay parties, but we shouldn’t degrade or portray ourselves as a non-Chinese party.'
"This, purportedly is because, according to Liu, 'You would not get Malay support by these approaches'," Pua said.
He added that Liu was arguing for DAP to stick to the formula of being the alternative to MCA.
"Frankly speaking, that is perhaps the biggest insult one can throw at the DAP. MCA has 'Chineseness' themselves into oblivion today.
"They are completely at the mercy of the whims and fancies of the big brothers Umno, Bersatu and PAS, which provide MCA with political life-support," Pua said.
He said Liu wanted the party to reverse the progress it has made over more than a decade to protect its "Chineseness".
"That is as chauvinist as one can get and the DAP can certainly do without such chauvinists in the party.
"I am glad and relieved that Liu is an exception and the party leadership does not support such chauvinistic principles. Such a position will not only set us back many decades but will sound a death knell for the party going forward," Pua added.
'Younger Malay leaders coming through'
Pua said that the party now had many Malay elected leaders at all levels, and in nearly all states.
"We even have our first Murut MP in Sabah and Bidayuh MP in Sarawak," he added.
DAP is preparing itself for its national congress and central executive committee (CEC) election in June. While the party has made efforts to reach out to other races, Raub MP Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji is the only one of its 42 Federal MPs who is Malay.
"We have many more young and progressive Malay leaders who have joined us at the branch and grassroots levels.
"They have joined the party in recent years as they see DAP as a party that has fought for the rights of all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion," Pua said.
Among these younger leaders include Penang Infrastructure and Transport exco Zairil Khir Johari and state assemblypersons Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali (Paloh, Johor), Young Syefura Othman (Ketari, Pahang), Jamaliah Jamaluddin (Bandar Utama, Selangor), Edry Faizal (Dusun Tua, Selangor) and Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Seri Delima, Penang).
Pua said that they were inclined to join a party that had strong, competent and capable leaders who are able to communicate and implement coherent socio-economic policies, instead of just spewing endless political rhetoric.
"Most importantly, they have found the new generation of top DAP leaders sensitive and cognisant of the fears, apprehensions and insecurities of the Malay community.
"The transformation of the party isn't complete and there's a long road ahead to make DAP the party of choice for all Malaysians, and not just for the oppressed minority," he added.
DAP's progress had provoked fear in many Malay-based parties, Pua claimed, such as Umno and Bersatu, which they countered by amplifying their political attacks and rhetoric against the DAP in order to stifle the party's progress.
He said it was crucial for party leaders to propagate their principles to the Malay population, to enhance understanding of its struggle and debunk the "malicious rhetoric" spewed by its political foes.
"The challenges DAP faces are not just external. We also face stiff obstacles internally from loyal, old party stalwarts who, unfortunately, are unable to see the bigger picture and are much more comfortable politicking within the decades-old racial framework constructed by BN.
"Perhaps, understandably, they felt threatened and fear being transformed into irrelevance politically," Pua added.
'Liu doesn't represent me'
Segambut MP Yeoh took to Facebook to declare that Liu does not represent her views as a DAP member.
"Liu does not represent me. The DAP that Liu desires is not the DAP that I joined.
"I disagree with his speech. What party culture? What does he mean by 'diluting our Chineseness?'," she stressed.
"Isn't this a toxic and narrow-minded view?" added Yeoh, who quoted excerpts from Liu's reported speech, describing it as an oxymoron.
Like Pua, she hit out at Liu's statement that the party shouldn't degrade or portray itself as a non-Chinese party.
Yeoh, who made her political debut with DAP after winning the Subang Jaya state seat in 2008, said she might have less experience than Liu but it was enough to prove him wrong.
She also decried Liu's constant attacks against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, throughout Pakatan Harapan's 22-months in Putrajaya, saying that such rhetoric added burden to an already challenging task.
While praising Harapan’s resolutions to nominate PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as the coalition's prime minister candidate and to be open to cooperation with any group, Liu yesterday once again said Harapan should not work with Mahathir's Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang).
"For Liu, Tun M can do no right. For Liu, Anwar can do no wrong.
"For me, I have stopped listening to Liu a long time ago. But this time I cannot stay silent," she said.
"He has done a great disservice to many of us DAP leaders out there who are working hard to fight off prejudices and stigmas against the DAP," Yeoh added. - Mkini
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