THE EMERGENCE OF MAHATHIR's PEJUANG

I had high expectations for Pejuang, the newest Malay political party to be registered. But after listening to Mahathir's speech, all I can say is, a zebra doesn't ever discard it's stripes. Pejuang simply wants to be another Race based political party. Bersatu, UMNO, PKR and Pas too, will probably be bracing themselves for another round of frogging, as the new Malay party, will certainly try to entice toads to frog over, into their ranks.

The Malays are being further fractured, no doubt to the delight of other race based parties, mainly the DAP. As long as Malaysian politics are based on race, I fear Malaysians will never get out of the rut they are in.

I believe, not many thinking and progressive Malays, will support Pejuang or UMNO. Pejuang appears to be another reincarnation of Bersatu and UMNO, with the same DNA in the veins of its founders.

DAP and PKR should leapfrog the Race and Religion based parties, such as Pejuang, UMNO, Bersatu, MCA, MIC, PAS, PN and BN. DAP and PKR should amalgamate into one truly inclusive Malaysian party, with the emphasis on race, discarded, once and for all. I believe the reason why they are not doing so, has got a lot to do with the selfishness of their current leaderships - the LKS dynasty in DAP, and the Segambut royalty in PKR. As long as these ambitious people are around, there will never be a truly multi-racial party.

Although DAP is ostensibly a multiracial party, does the DAP dare to discard its label of being a Chinese Interest party? I don't think so. Which is very foolish and short sighted, because as long as it's name is DAP, it will always carry the ugly Chinese branding that UMNO has carefully cultivated and developed for it. And even in the minds of many progressive Malays, there will always linger a belief, the DAP, deep down, is only a Chinese interest party after all.

Unless ALL of us get out of this race construct in our minds, in our actions, and in our aspirations, Malaysian politics, and the selfishness, hypocrisy, dishonesty, bigotry, and outright thievery, of almost all so called Malaysian leaders, will forever condemn Malaysia to never, ever reaching its true potential, of standing shoulder to shoulder, with the world's truly great nations.

We are almost doomed. There are no true Malaysians - only different hues of racists, masquerading as Malaysians. Our last hope now lies only in progressive Malaysian youths, whose souls are hopefully not yet irretrievably damned into becoming true blue racists.

So listen up Old Putra Syed Saddiq. Do our alma mater proud. Make your MUDA party to be truly a Malaysian party championing truly Malaysian aspirations, without the slightest hint of racism, bigotry, thievery and hypocrisy in its genes. You are our last remaining hope.

Yusuf Hashim

14 July 2021