Don't be alarmed. It just happens to be the "election season," when politicians tend to hallucinate and utter things that leave ordinary folks scratching their heads!
Recently, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi likened Chinese voters to a clock's pendulum—suggesting that after swinging far away, they are now ready to swing right back to Barisan Nasional.
With his grip on the rejuvenated party looking rock-solid, is it any surprise the BN chairman feels confident enough to dish out some pretty wild predictions?
No doubt, those words must be sweet music to the ears of MCA, who have been sitting in the political wilderness for ages—desperately waiting for that life-saving phone call from “Big Brother.”
But what could have driven Zahid to this optimistic conclusion?
Perhaps it's all that talk in the coffee shops these days that non-Malays are thoroughly fed up with Pakatan Harapan—especially the DAP—which, of course, is true.
But here is the million-dollar question: what exactly is the value proposition that Zahid's party can bring to the Chinese community to prompt them to vote for BN?
True, many non-Malay voters are disgusted with PKR and DAP for an endless parade of broken promises, and have openly threatened to teach PH a lesson they won’t forget.
But here's the reality check…
In the real world, frustration with the incumbent does not automatically translate into votes for the opponent. After all, haven't most voters long resigned themselves to the fact that politicians rarely keep their word?
Perhaps, unknown to the UMNO president, the Chinese mindset tends to be highly strategic. They may be moved by emotion like others, but when push comes to shove, they are the ultimate pragmatists—wired to survive anywhere!
Sure, the Chinese community will happily use a by-election to flash their fangs and punish DAP and others, just to send a stern message. You can call that tough love, a brotherly warning, or whatever.
But historically, when the rubber hits the road—and especially in a crucial general election—their survivalist instinct always overrides their pent-up anger and disillusionment.
So the obvious question UMNO leaders need to ask themselves is this: why on earth would Chinese voters rush back to a party that is often accused of being deeply grounded in communal politics?
Moreover, with the vocal UMNO Youth leaders constantly hinting at a "twinning" with PAS—in the name of uniting the ummah—won't many voters be inclined to conclude that a vote for BN might just be a backdoor vote for the Islamist party?
To their credit, while Zahid and the party's top leadership may try hard to project the image of seasoned statesmen, their younger generals sometimes behave like aggressive salesmen—alienating non-Malays even further with their somewhat tone-deaf and polarizing narratives.
Ask the average Chinese voter and they will tell you that they have had enough of the bullying and taunting by UMNO Youth, from beer sponsorships to upside-down flags!
So, is it really a stretch to say that the Chinese community would rather give DAP a second chance—or even take a gamble on Rafizi’s Bersama—than accept the second-class treatment they expect from the nationalist party?
Critics may love to portray DAP as an arrogant, chauvinist party—but isn’t that exactly how PH supporters view UMNO?
Many also tend to perceive UMNO as utterly unremorseful about past financial scandals, inadvertently giving the impression that they aren’t serious about eliminating corruption.
Likewise, some in the party are seen to be obsessed with 3R (race, religion, and royalty) issues while fiercely opposing any public discourse on equality and meritocracy. These are the exact things that DAP has been consistently sticking its neck out for!
Have Zahid and his UMNO war room generals completely misread the ground sentiment then?
Did they surmise that this is the right time to strike, believing that frustrated PH voters may be suffering from collective amnesia—when in fact, it's UMNO, having just celebrated its 80th “birthday,” that seems to be suffering from severe political dementia?
Okay, Zahid may think the pendulum is swinging back to BN. But if you keep pounding non-Malays with demeaning rhetoric, that same pendulum could eventually swing back with enough force to knock you out cold.
Maybe UMNO has forgotten how divine retribution works?
The ignominy of being roundly routed in the last general election—and being fortunate enough to sit in Anwar's Unity Government for nearly four years—should have prompted UMNO to self-reflect and wake up from its stupor. But did it?
Ultimately though, whether Zahid gazes into a crystal ball, or a giant fishball, nothing is predictable in politics. Come GE16, things could even revert back to square one with a “hung” parliament.
When that happens, don't expect DAP to throw UMNO a life jacket. Instead, it may be forced to activate Plan B: boarding the same ship as PAS. And let’s be honest—do you really need to be a prophet to know who'll end up in the choppy seas?
Main information source: Malaysiakini
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