YOURSAY | DAP must be resolute in abandoning ‘Cina jaga Cina’ cause

YOURSAY | ‘The Chinese chauvinists are a cancer that needs to be cut out of DAP, not nurtured.’

'Chinese chauvinist faction in DAP' - veteran weighs in

Anonymous_15897060865429524: This is very divisive thinking from DAP veteran Liew Ah Kim.

He sounds a lot like those ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ types - you are different from me, therefore we must have different camps. It’s a case of my team versus your team.

This is toxic identity politics. The irony is that these people complain about Ketuanan Melayu and segregation. Yet within their own community, they create segregation too.

I am Chinese. I speak, read, and write Chinese. But I believe that DAP must be open to all Malaysians, have more non-Chinese leaders and members, and truly be a Malaysian party.

If DAP embraces other races, it does not mean the Chinese will suffer. The Chinese are survivors and they thrive everywhere they go, even when they are in the minority.

We do not need "race protectors" and "Chinese heroes" like this old man. Those Chinese who are against DAP embracing other races are simply insecure xenophobes, the Chinese equivalent of Trumpers who have an "us versus them" siege mentality. They are a cancer that needs to be cut out of DAP, not nurtured.

For Malaysia to succeed, all races need to work together and embrace one another as equals. There should be mutual respect.

There is no room for chauvinism of any race, be it Chinese, Malay, or Indian. Outdated dinosaurs like Liew are part of the problem holding this country back, same as the Ketuanan Melayu types.

Malaysia Is Surrealist Art That Can Be Bought: Politics and governance should be about human welfare, period. There can be associations, societies, and clubs to preserve racial and cultural heritage, but the fight for equality can only be won when we perceive each as equals.

I can see how DAP veterans feel that the party is abandoning its original "Cina jaga Cina" cause, but such a non-inclusive mindset can only give rise to a society plagued by distinction and suspicion.

Would it be too soon to work towards a Purple Ocean? Certainly, after decades of growth and metamorphosis, DAP cannot regress to becoming a party for a particular race. The different parts are but one species, after all.

Weijian: This debate about Chinese chauvinists versus English chauvinists is really making a mockery of all the other non-Chinese and capable DAP leaders such as Gobind Singh Deo, Kasthuriraani Patto, Abdul Aziz Bari, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, etc.

Just like how we need to move on from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we need to move on from this Chinese chauvinist!

Simple Truth: Liew, you better stay retired. This new generation of leaders are different from you, so please let them sort it out themselves.

Don’t be an interfering old fool with your outdated schemes that can destroy the party. Besides, your age is not an advantage, both mentally and physically.

The Generation X and the Millennials don’t think like you anymore, so please butt out!

OrangeJaguar9341: Liew’s views are outdated and blinkered. He even asks if someone who speaks English can be a Chinese chauvinist.

I'm sorry to burst his bubble - of course, they can. It's about deeper beliefs of ethnocentricism, tribalism, superiority, etc. These are deep-seated and resistant to change. We have to leave such thinking - and perhaps thinkers - behind if we are to forge a truly Malaysian Malaysia.

The only thing these many articles on Liew, and his protege Hew Kuan Yau, have revealed is the reason DAP has been labelled a Chinese chauvinist and a communist party by Umno and others.

It’s a real disservice because I believe most of the current crop of DAP MPs truly believe in an equitable multiracial Malaysia and they are sincere about helping the poor and less educated.

Iphonezours: Parties such as Umno, PAS, MCA, MIC, and DAP have thrived on racial lines from the early days of Merdeka right up to the 12th general election in 2008.

After that, Malaysians have been more open, including Malays, especially in the urban and semi-urban areas, who could see things differently from the lens of race.

This has rocked traditional parties such as Umno and PAS to the extent that they continuously drum up racial issues to defend their existence.

Likewise, DAP has always been perceived to be Chinese-centric and having an internal quarrel between the Chinese-educated and English-educated groups will not help. The party needs to move with the times and be more acceptable to all Malaysians who are striving for a better Malaysia.

Milshah: The comments are correct - DAP should be a Malaysian party.

But if you look at the article, that is what DAP is trying so hard to prove but failed. It brought in Malays as leaders, it failed. It tried to cooperate with Mahathir, it failed.

It has been saying it’s a Malaysian party (Malaysian Malaysia remember?) from day one, but in each election, it’s only limited to winning Chinese-majority seats.

Their current status is that it wants and has been telling everyone it’s a Malaysian party, but in reality, it could only win Chinese-majority seats, which is not many. The last general election was the maximum number of seats that DAP could win.

I am no Nostradamus but with the Chinese population at maximum or on the decline, the only way for the party to survive is to go for Malay voters, but this will of course be resented by the party’s core Chinese voters.

DAP can shout all they want that they are a Malaysian party, but they are still being seen as a Chinese-based party.

ABC: Yes, there are clearly two main factions in DAP - the Chinese-educated and English-speaking ones.

After so many years, the fact that DAP still cannot resolve these issues speaks badly of the DAP leadership. Even Tony Pua was not elected into the Selangor DAP leadership, being English-speaking.

Maybe if DAP changes its form of leadership, things can change. Two terms, or 10 years maximum. Now, many are clinging to power like the mandarins of ancient China.

MW: This Liew interview proves one thing, the chauvinists in the party do not see themselves as chauvinists. That is why they fail to attract more support.

They are trying to out-MCA MCA. If that is why this veteran wants to come out of retirement, please stay retired.

And by the way, while I can understand the term "Chinese-educated", I really don't understand the "English-educated" label given to the rest of us.

We were educated by the Malaysian national education system, SRK/SMK. The official language used is Bahasa Malaysia. We are not products of the colonial education system. The fact that they continuously use this label shows their chauvinism.

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