Friday, May 23, 2014

Old Umno battles new face of tomorrow

Umno and Dyana Sofya
PETALING JAYA: Johor DAP deputy chairman S Ramakrishnan said today that whenever Umno faces a tough election, it consistently resorts to bigotry and race to run down its opponent.

A year after the 2013 general election, he said the Teluk Intan by-election will be a test of whether Umno-BN’s policy of divisiveness has prevailed or has been discarded.
“DAP has fielded a bright, brave young Malay girl in Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud. By fielding her, it is challenging the political divide and segregation that Umno has upheld for so long,” said Ramakrishnan.

Umno, he said, is threatened by this multi-racial approach by the DAP as BN’s support has been seriously eroded since 2008.
“It has to face PKR and PAS to retain the Malay heartland in rural areas, but now the DAP is opening a new front to entice liberal and urban Malay youths.
“Dyana Sofya is well accepted by all races much to the disdain of the elders in Umno and cannot accept this new revolutionary development.
“While the people gravitate towards integration, Umno is for differentiation and against a one and truly united Malaysia which goes against its stock trade of division and exclusivity,” said Ramakrishnan.
“Even after 57 years of independence, Malaysian politics is dominated by race and religion. I wonder how many Malaysians mix with other races in their daily lives these days.
“The Teluk Intan by-election is a test of whether the majority of Malaysians has accepted the move forward to multiculturalism and a plural society.
“A win for Dyana Sofya will be a rejection of Umno’s race-riddled and bigoted politics by Malaysians and younger Malays,” he added.
A trained accountant, Ramakrishnan said Malaysians are already burdened with price increases and can look foward to another round of increase after the implementation of GST next April.
The Merdeka Center survey during March 2014, shows that 49% of Malaysians feel that the country is heading in the wrong direction and are unhappy with how the country is managed.
“Umno-BN led by Najib Tun Razak has lost its direction. Let the Teluk Intan by-election be the referendum on a truly Malaysian Malaysia verses the old and outmoded politics of Umno.
“Umno-BN’s days are numbered and the future picture of Malaysia is one without Umno in power,” said Ramakrishnan.