KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Malay political party leaders and their members find it tough to let go of race-based politics because they suffer from a “siege mentality”, Umno maverick Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah told a public forum here last night.

The Akademi Belia chief added that Malaysians in general have disregarded the ethnic background of their choice candidate in the elections for the past two elections, but noted that the leaders have yet to catch up to this voter sentiment.

The former Temerloh MP shared his personal experience during Election 2008 to illustrate his belief.

"In 2008 while I was running for elections, I saw Chinese people carrying the PAS flag. I managed to win, by a little.

"Then in 2013, I saw even more carrying the PAS flag and even Malays carrying the DAP flag," he said during the “Defending Malay Dignity” talk organised by a non-government organisation, Gabungan Merdeka Rakyat.

Saifuddin said Umno and PAS leaders may not understand the significance of that display, but to him it showed Malaysians are ready for non-race-based politics.

"PAS members may not understand, Umno members may not understand, but that's not the point. If you want to wait for people to understand, it'll be tough. But to me, the rakyat is ready," he said.

He added that Malays, especially its leaders, must learn not to overreact at incidents that may be ethically wrong but which are not considered a crime.

"Malays shouldn't be in the siege mentality. Malays shouldn't overreact just because there are isolated incidents. The act is wrong but it is not a crime. That's something leaders also don't understand," the former Umno supreme council member said.

Racial issues have been at the forefront of the political scene after several Umno leaders claimed the two-day Bersih 4 rally in August was Chinese-dominated, due to the poor visible presence of Malays among the participants.

Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Jamal Yunos later used that claim as justification for the pro-Malay rally on September 16.

The Bersih 4 rally was largely peaceful, marred only by isolated cases of some demonstrators stomping on posters featuring PAS president Datuk Seri Abul Hadi Awang, and Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In contrast, the #Merah169 gathering saw police firing water cannons at protesters attempting to breach a barricade outside Petaling Street as well as a slew of racial slurs hurled at journalists.

After the rally, #Merah169 spokesman Datuk Jamal Md Yunos revealed plans for another rally in the federal capital, and warned of a possible riot if authorities do not take action against ethnic Chinese traders in Petaling Street.

The rally was eventually cancelled after Jamal was arrested over the warning last Friday, though he was later released.