Keng Yaik's Indirect Advice To Umno - "No Racist Agenda Please"

In a very diplomatic speech, the political veteran and Gerakan adviser Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik has advised 'Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties' to focus more on the national agenda instead of communal interest.

While Dr Lim studiously avoided naming Umno as the number one and possibly sole culprit with a blatantly racist agenda in BN, he in general terms said that "of late, the component parties seemed to be much inclined to safeguarding racial interest, hence diverting from the main objective of BN's formation, that was, to focus on the national development agenda for the interest of all communities."

"They have forgotten why BN was established in 1974, and I remember Tun Abdul Razak (the Prime Minister then) calling on all component parties to unite for the sake of people and country," he said when opening the Penang Gerakan annual delegates' conference here Sunday.

Dr Lim said BN members were too comfortable with the country's prosperity that they had forgotten the basis of the coalition's formation. "Seeing this trend, Gerakan thus has a role to bring back the BN to its original struggle," he added.

He said if all component parties only pursued their own communal agenda, then the national development goals would not be achieved.

"I'm directing this at all parties, whether they are looking after the interest of the Malays, Chinese or Indians. Gerakan is not the champion for any particular race but for all Malaysians," he said.

***** Although he said that he was directing his advice at all BN component parties, there is no doubt that it was exclusively meant for the berjuanging Umno warlords. I mean, who else is nowadays indulging in this ethnic one-upmanship for petty political benefit other than Umno?

Realistically speaking, given the quality of MCA leaders these days, it is a great surprise that they are actually performing fairly well in their ministerial and party duties. But the good news stops there. They seem quite contented to be passengers in the ship of government, leaving the smooth or rough sailing in the hands of their Umno Tuans. It is beyond their capacity to champion communal interests openly and neither do they have the individual or collective clout to see through any purely ethnic agenda. They know it and so do their Tuans.

As for the other major race-based party, the one-man-show that is the MIC, their president Samy Vellu is too busy focusing on enriching bumi businessmen with multi-billion ringgit government contracts. In fact he is probably more pro-Malay than some of the sandiwara practising Umno politicians out to make fortunes for themselves. And in any case, the MIC like the present MCA is nothing but an errand boy of the real masters of the nation.

So who was Dr Lim referring to in his speech on racist shit-stirrers and those with malevolent communal agendas?
Image - Source