Chinese Tsunami: Utusan Says "Sedarlah Cina"
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak blamed BN's poor performance for the 13th General Elections due to a "Chinese tsunami". However, analysts say that it was an urban tsunami or Malaysian tsunami instead. Malaysians on social media are not happy with the PM's alleged racism, and have called for unity. Will PRU13 further increase the racial divide? 'Follow this story' for up-to-date developments.
By Mei Mei Chu — 07 May 2013, 04:21 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Utusan Malaysia says emotional and greedy Chinese will hurt own race
Chinese voters will hurt their own race if they continue to be “emotional and greedy”, Utusan Malaysia warned today, as it continues with its attack against the community more than a month after the divisive May 5 general election.
yahoo.comUnder the headline “Sedarlah Cina (Wake up Chinese)”, Awang Selamat, who represents the collective voice of the paper’s editors, appeared to suggest that the majority of the Chinese community are overly demanding and ungrateful for voting against a government that has done much to serve them.
“Amid the thick racist sentiment of the majority of the Chinese, as a result of the political game played by the most racist party, the DAP, there are voices from the more open and rational Chinese,” the columnist wrote.
“In the context of Malaysian politics, Awang would like to (say) that any Chinese who are emotional and rakus (ravenous) will hurt their own race despite having control of the economy,” the columnist wrote today.
yahoo.comInternational Trade and Industry Minister says he is deeply against by racial boycott
International Trade and Industry Minister says he is deeply disturbed by racial boycott
Image via themalaysianinsider.comInternational Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said he was “deeply against” a call by some groups to boycott products by Malaysian Chinese companies.
malaysiandigest.com“I can understand why some of my Malay friends have reacted in such a manner. However, as the dust is settling down and as we lead our normal lives once again, I am confident that the spirit of 1Malaysia will return,” he said through SMS yesterday.
thestar.com.my
Putrajaya says they will not stop racial boycott but are not involved in it
The call to buy Chinese goods and services last was mooted last week by several Malay-Muslim groups, including the Muslim Consumers’ Society, who had faulted Chinese voters, whom they saw as being pro-opposition supporters, for causing BN's weaker score at the May 5 polls.
Several pro-Umno bloggers and the Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia had recently called for consumers to boycott or at the very least buy goods sold by Chinese companies last, including products such as the Massimo brand bread, Cap Sauh wheat flour and coffee-shop chain Old Town White Coffee.
malaysiaedition.net
Newly appointed Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek said while the non-governmental organisations (NGO) and bloggers had a right to call for a boycott, the government was not involved with such view.
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Putrajaya cannot turn a blind eye to the call by Malay groups to boycott Chinese businesses as the campaign risks derailing the government’s economic transformation plans that could further slow down Malaysia’s growth, corporate leaders and an economist have warned.
malaysiandigest.comThe Malay and Chinese Chambers of Commerce, as well as economist Yeah Kim Leng, said the federal government needs to step in immediately to arrest the campaign they separately described as “unhealthy, childish and racist” from gaining ground and further spooking foreign investors.
The call by pro-Umno bloggers and Muslim groups for a boycott of Chinese businesses is racist and will harm the country’s economic growth, according to businessmen from the community.
DAP says the Malays also shifted to Pakatan
DAP election strategist Ong Kian Ming today claimed that Malays too swung in favour of Pakatan Rakyat in a “Malaysian Tsunami”, which swept through the recently-concluded national polls.
freemalaysiakini2.com“I want to show through these statistics that, yes, Chinese support has increased for Pakatan, but there are many other places where non-Chinese support for Pakatan has also increased,” DAP election strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming.
Ong pointed out that with the exception of Kelantan and Kedah, Pakatan increased its share of support in 11 out of 13 states, in addition to the federal territories.
yahoo.comOng said support for PR had increased in states where the Malay community makes up over 70 per cent of the voters — namely Perlis, Pahang and Terengganu — by 4.4 points, 3.8 points and 3.7 points respectively.
In 23 Malay-majority parliamentary seats nationwide where the community contributes over 50 per cent of registered voters, the opposition pact similarly made gains of over five percentage points.
yahoo.comThe change of support for Pakatan is as follows: Perlis (4.4%), Terengganu (3.7%), Penang (4.8%), Perak (1.4%), Pahang (3.8%), Selangor (4%), Federal Territories (2.4%), Negeri Sembilan (2.2%), Melaka (3.6%), Johor (10.3%), Sabah (3.4%), Sarawak (8.9%), Kedah (-4.7%) and Kelantan (-1.3%).
freemalaysiakini2.comAnalysts say race politics may stunt reforms after GE13
Malaysia's racially divisive election result has sparked a battle within the country's ruling party that is likely to slow Prime Minister Najib Razak's drive to reform the economy and roll back policies favouring majority ethnic Malays.
Najib's efforts to roll back politically sensitive reforms, eg: introduction of a consumption tax to reduce Malaysia's dependence on oil revenues and lowering fuel subsidies could be put on hold for now.
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Najib now looks more vulnerable to traditionalists in his party who are opposed to his tentative steps to phase out the policies that favour ethnic Malays, introduced two years after traumatic race riots in 1969.
malaysiakini.com
"The outlook for direct investment will remain uncertain until it becomes clearer whether or not Najib's reform-minded policies will continue," HSBC economists said in a note after the result.
"What we need to see is who he will include in his cabinet. Will it be made up of UMNO extremists or younger members from the middle ground? We also have to see if he will include the Chinese."
malaysiakini.com
The Star Sarawak Edition reports the Chinese will be sidelined, is this true or Utusan's ally?
The Star reports the Chinese will be sidelined, is this true or are they Utusan's ally?
Image via akamaihd.netBlogger Papagomo and King Jason arrested to facilitate police investigation
The police reports alleged that the postings by Papagomo and King Jason were seditious in nature and they fuelled racial sentiments and propagated lies.
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"Papagomo and King Jason were arrested to facilitate police investigation," the PDRM posting on Twitter reads.
malaysiakini.com
“They will be remanded on Wednesday (today) to facilitate investigations,” he said, adding that police also seized several laptops, mobile phones, external hard disk as well as memory cards.
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“Anyone who tries to instil hate and compromise with the public’s safety will be brought to justice,” said Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan.
nst.com.myPapagomo in his posting allegedly said that Chinese in DAP ‘wajib ditendang’ even though if it means bloodshed.
The blogger also boldly challenged the authorities to capture him, saying “Aku tak peduli lah kena tangkap ke tidak tapi yang pasti kaum Cina begitu racist sekali.”
yahoo.comJason had earlier put up a Facebook post accusing Barisan Nasional of buying votes in the recently concluded elections.
yahoo.comAnwar says Utusan inciting racial sentiments to cover up electoral fraud
Umno’s Utusan Malaysia is fomenting racial sentiments to cover up alleged vote rigging in Election 2013, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
malaysiandigest.com“The big mistake that an illegitimate government makes is to deceive people in the election and to whip up racial sentiments to cover up their misdeeds,” said Anwar.
“When Datuk Seri Najib spoke of reconciliation, that I accept, but when he talked about a ‘Chinese tsunami’, that I reject,” he added, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
yahoo.comNajib defends Utusan Malaysia's 'Apa Lagi Cina Mahu'
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has defended Utusan Malaysia's front page report which asked the question "What more do the Chinese want?".
malaysiakini.com
“You blamed Utusan but you don’t ask about the Chinese papers,” Najib told a press conference when asked how is he to achieve national reconciliation if Utusan kept harping on race issues.
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He did not say what was objectionable in the Chinese-language newspapers.
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“What we realise is the opposition party, and particularly the DAP, had painted this picture that if they voted for them they could change the government."
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Najib said that the Chinese community were "taken for a ride" by the opposition and were under the impression that their votes could trigger a change in government.
malaysiakini.com
“the BN government is still here. Because the reality is you cannot change the government without the support of the Bumiputeras,” he said.
The prime minister said the coalition’s own study contradicted claims that BN is favoured only in rural Malaysia, as its own survey showed increased Malay support in the urban areas.
Police probe Utusan Malaysia, Blogger Papagomo and King Jason for sedition
The police are investigating Utusan Melayu for sedition, hours after the Umno-owned daily sparked a nationwide uproar with its seditious front page report.
The police have also hauled in two bloggers, Papa Gomo and King Jason, for questioning said to be related to their recent posts seen to fuel racial sentiments.
“A police report was received related to Utusan Malaysia’s publication that . The case is being investigated under Sect 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948,” the police posted on their twitter account.
“PDRM will not hesitate to hunt down/capture any party that ignites racial@ sedition through social media network,” the Inspector-General of Police was quoted on the police’s official tweet.
malaysiandigest.comMalay media asks "Apa lagi Cina mahu?"
Berita Harian speculates why did the Chinese rejected Gerakan and MCA this GE13. Photo credit: Nicholas Cheng.
Image via akamaihd.netUmno’s Utusan Malaysia front-paged today the question “Apa lagi Cina mahu" in what appeared to be an attempt to shape the results of Election 2013 as a Chinese-vs-Malay vote.
On Utusan Malaysia, Ali Rustam was quoted saying the Chinese says that Malays are racist but in fact they are racist.
Image via wanista.com
A statement from Prof Ar Ahmad Atory Hussain says that Chinese voters do not know how to evaluate the sacrifices of Malaysia's leader and think that today's government are outside forces that do not need to be appreciated. Featured on Kosmo!.
Image via wanista.comUtusan Malaysia, a newspaper that has represented the right-wing forces aligned largely with Tun Dr Mahathir, decided today to publish a number of stories blaming the Chinese for dividing Malaysia.
HarakahdailyMuka depan Utusan Malaysia hari ini, 'Apa lagi Cina mahu' benar-benar menimbulkan kemarahan di kalangan rakyat Malaysia yang mahukan keharmonian kaum dan keamanan.
harakahdaily.net
Umno’s Utusan Malaysia front-paged today the question “Apa lagi Cina mahu (What else do the Chinese want?) in what appeared to be an attempt to shape the results of Election 2013 as a Chinese-vs-Malay vote.
Image via googleusercontent.comKetua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim meletakkan Datuk Seri Najib sebagai pihak yang bertanggungjwab dengan laporan ini. “Mereka mengikut arahan Najib. Pertama kerana ia akhbar Umno.
harakahdaily.net
Masyarakat Cina gagal dalam usaha mereka untuk menumbangkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang orang Melayu menjadi terasnya.
utusan.com.myNajib says "Chinese tsunami"
A Chinese tsunami swept over Malaysia on Sunday night. The tsunami was basically about the Chinese electorate going for change.
BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak has branded the election results tonight on a "Chinese tsunami" and warned that such "polarised" voting trends would be "dangerous" to the country.
malaysiakini.com
“Overall, the results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government,” Najib said after declaring victory Monday, ruefully noting a “tsunami from the Chinese community.”
"The polarisation in this voting trend worries the government. We are afraid that if this is allowed to continue, it will create tensions," he said.
malaysiakini.com
Najib urged Malaysians to accept the results and said one of his priorities would be a national reconciliation plan to ease what he called a worrying trend of political polarisation.
He did not give details, but noted that Chinese, who comprise about a quarter of Malaysia's population, turned away from the National Front, accelerating a trend seen in 2008.
PM Najib term has since gone viral, touching off a debate over whether Sunday’s bitter election battle presages a deepening divide between urban Chinese and the country’s majority Muslim Malays.
Lim Kit Siang says it was a Malaysian tsunami
DAP’s newly-crowned Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang has condemned BN head Najib Abdul Razak for attributing the coalition’s worst showing in a general election to a “Chinese tsunami”.
limkitsiang.com
He said it was in fact a “Malaysian tsunami”, and that Pakatan Rakyat could not have achieved its results without the backing of Malaysians of other races.
limkitsiang.com
“It was a Malaysian tsunami which saw Pakatan Rakyat increasing its parliamentary seats from 82 to 89 and state seats from 197 to 230,” he said in a statement yesterday.
thestar.com.my
"Najib Razak claim that "Chinese Tsunami" is the reason of BN got a worse result than the last election. However this statement is totally groundless, as a significant amount of other ethnic group also reject BN government." Photo credit: Weng Tong Ho
Image via akamaihd.net“In many parts of the country, Pakatan won seats in areas that were previously considered as BN strongholds and took down many big BN guns in Malay-majority areas,” he told a press conference today.
malaysiakini.com
“I am confident that further analysis will show that there has been a noticeable shift in support for Pakatan across the country among voters from all races,” he said.
thestar.com.my
"so long as Najib wants to polarise and racialise (the vote results), then they themselves are guilty of a racist outlook and they are incapable of any national reconciliation," he said.
Analysts say it was an urban swing
The outcome of GE13 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen, analysts have said.
yahoo.comAnalysts noted that despite the increase in Chinese support for Pakatan, the political tsunami had also swept with it “large numbers of the Malays”.
“They received Malay middle-class support, especially in urban areas,” political analyst Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin told The Malaysian Insider, referring to PR.
DAP majority increased because of Malay young voters’ support... to label racial polarisation is too easy. Two other factors operate simultaneously with race: class and spatial,” he said.
yahoo.comIt is more appropriate to call the voter swing in the GE13 an urban tsunami rather than the Chinese tsunami label given by PM Najib, Guang Ming Daily news desk editor Tay Chee Keong wrote today.
"BN should access the areas affected by region, not race. While a tsunami hits coastal areas the most, a political tsunami hits urban areas the strongest and rural areas left untouched," he said.
Chinese forms only 23% of the population with many still supporting MCA, Gerakan. How could there be a Chinese tsunami, unless all the 23% of the Chinese in the country vote for the Opposition.
blogspot.com
Malaysians on social media unite against racial polarization
Trending on Facebook are calls to unite as Malaysians. Photo credit: Thiru Kumaran.
Image via akamaihd.net
Malaysians on social media calling for unity in response to Najib's claim of Chinese Tsunami. Photo credit: Bersih 4.0
Image via akamaihd.netThey say the situation is far more nuanced because the opposition also won more Malay seats in addition to Chinese-majority ones, according to a report in The Straits Times today.
It was no such thing — people say Datuk Seri Najib Razak got it wrong when he blamed the losses suffered by his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) on a “Chinese tsunami”.
Why did some of you sparked the flame of hatred towards racism? Tunku Abdul Rahman didn't 'perjuangkan kemerdekaan' to see US fighting each other. It is time to unite!
says2.com