According to a recent news report Umno's Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has urged DAP to drop the "Malaysian Malaysia" slogan from its party constitution if it wants to gain the support of Malay voters.
He added that Malays were hesitant to support it because of its secular state agenda which according to him "contradicts Islamic and Malay principles."
Furthermore, he claimed that Malay voters could not accept DAP's stance which apparently was made in the interest of the Chinese community.
But is all that true or mere perception?
In fact, hasn't DAP been rejected by the Malays mainly because it has been demonised by Umno for the past 50 years; often portrayed cruelly (and falsely) as a chauvinist “Chinese” party?
Nevertheless, some might argue that DAP should consider amending its "Malaysian Malaysia" slogan in its constitution to make it more in sync with the spirit of the country's Federal Constitution; not that the slogan is outrightly offensive in any way, is it?
Some might also ask why is DAP taking a “confrontational approach” by asserting in its party constitution to uphold “secularism”? After all, isn't the Federal Constitution clear on the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation and that other religions may be practised safely and peacefully?
But even with all those changes, will it be enough to sway the Malays to view DAP in a fresh, favourable light as the Umno leader has argued? Probably not. Why?
Well, there could be other underlying reasons why DAP is viewed negatively and made the “fall guy” by some Malays who may perceive it as being arrogant and aggressive. There could also be some groups who may feel uneasy to see the Chinese control a big part of the country's economic pie - depriving them of their share.
Interestingly, he added that MCA was not extreme - by which was he implying that they were "weak"? He also went on to say that Umno was always the dominant party. Again, can that be construed to mean that he wants Umno to be the dominant party in the unity government too? Fat hopes indeed, if true!
He also spoke of the threat faced by DAP from PAS' growing influence in relation to securing Malay votes. But then, isn't that supposed to be Umno's beef with the Islamist party? After all, DAP's primary voter base has always been non-Malays.
Moreover, unlike Umno, DAP has proven that it can sustain itself and even thrive without being in the government. In all honesty and with due respect can Umno really survive and grow as an opposition party for long?
Datuk Nur Jazlan, who is said to be of Javanese-Chinese Teochew descent, went on to explain that DAP needs to follow the successful formula of BN, proven effective in championing Malay interests for 60 years - without neglecting the rights of non-Malay citizens.
But isn't there a widely-held belief that MCA gradually fell out of favour with the Chinese electorate because they were not brave enough to stand up for non-Malay citizens' rights? And didn't DAP merely fill the vacuum left by MCA's glaring inadequacies? Considering all that, are some Umno leaders missing the forest for the trees?
Additionally, he said that Umno has become weaker after being a punching bag for PAS, DAP, PKR and Bersatu. Is that true? Or did it lose its credibility mainly due to the many court cases on bribery charges involving its leaders, further exacerbated by the deep divisions within the party?
In fact, even before Umno joined PH to form the unity government it only managed to win a paltry 30 parliamentary seats - under BN's banner - in the previous General Elections in 2022. Therefore, instead of nitpicking on DAP shouldn't they be training their guns on PAS and Bersatu - their real adversaries?
Actually, the writer Rosli Khan in a brutally frank article in the Malaysian Insight had spelled out why Umno may need to re-read the history books and get their facts right.
According to him, Umno felt responsible for the 1MDB debacle and the failure of the New Economy Policy (NEP). Hence, they should not try to resurrect themselves at the expense of DAP.
He further pointed out that the "Ali Baba" business culture had long existed under its “helping the Bumiputera” agenda; however did the B40 Malays really reap any benefit from it? Or were Umno's own leaders and politically-linked Chinese (aka cronies) who were the main beneficiaries? Remember Dr Mahathir's “privatisation” policies which prioritized crony capitalists at the expense of poor Malays?
Therefore why are they now pointing at the "Chinese" DAP and asking them to change? To change into what? Another MCA? Ironically, wasn't that one of the many causes for their downfall after 60 long years in power? Come to think of it, was it DAP or MCA that used to be known as the Tauke Cina party?
Still, in view of the sensitive and fragile political situation here in this country plus the changing demographics which doesn't seem to favour the non-Malays, DAP may have to be realistic with its goals and not be stuck in a time warp.
Moreover, we are no longer in the sixties when the socio-economic situation and the racial composition of the country were so different to what it is now.
As such, in order to move with the times, maybe DAP can come up with a mission statement, manifesto or whatever, that is more relevant and acceptable to the majority of the population; without abandoning its core struggle to ensure a just Malaysia for all.
After all, speaking up fearlessly against all forms of oppression and injustice has always been its hallmark and that's unlikely to change regardless of what slogan they brandish.
Anyway, they have come a long way since their days as an opposition party, as proven by the manner in which they have governed Penang since 2008. Admittedly, it hasn't been plain sailing but the state government has done quite well to ensure the socio-economic well-being of all its people - including the Penang Malays.
All these inevitably begs the question; does DAP really need to change? Or is it Umno that must change?
Whatever it is, PM Anwar must be on his knees every night, praying that there won't be anymore by-elections after Pulai and Simpang Jeram - to spare him of another splitting headache to contend with.
In any case, with the political situation in the country forever in a state of flux and fraught with uncertainties - including not ruling out the possibility of a sudden change in Umno's top leadership - what guarantee is there that they will still be “forced to hold hands” come the next General Elections?
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