KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has today called on new ally DAP to amend its party constitution in order for the federal government coalition to gain support from Malay voters.
Nur Jazlan said Umno is expected to convince its grassroots of the alliance, but is having difficulties in doing so due to the perception of DAP’s purported “extreme” views on a secular state and “Malaysian Malaysia”.
“If DAP is really hoping for the support of Malays through its cooperation with Umno this time, then they should also be brave in making a major change to succeed in the 16th general election,” he said in a statement.
“There’s no other way to convince the Malays that the current DAP is different from what it was previously, than to drop the agenda of secular state and the slogan of Malaysian Malaysia from its party constitution. Because those two agendas are what continue to traumatise the Malays and make them unable to accept DAP’s struggles.”
Nur Jazlan said even though DAP has named Malay candidates before and some of them are their lawmakers now, the Malays saw those initiatives as minor.
“The question is, can DAP make such a big sacrifice for its political survival?” he asked.
Despite Nur Jazlan’s claim, Clause II in DAP’s party constitution only describes the Federal Constitution as a secular document and a “secular framework as the supreme law of the land”
Another article under the clause promoting national integration also called for the party to “infuse a national spirit and unity amongst all races to forge a common identity of a united Malaysian Malaysia”.
Since DAP became part of the unity government, both the party and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have insisted that it respects the positions of Malays, Islam and Malay Rulers in the country.
Nur Jazlan said Umno has undertaken a “big sacrifice” to cooperate with DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara but had to pay a huge price for it as it is accused by the grassroots of allying itself with a party or pact that is “extreme”.
“In today, political landscape, not just Umno that has to change but all parties in the federal government coalition must also change if they want to be accepted by the Malays,” he said.
He also warned that DAP will continue to be rejected by Malay voters if it does not wish to enact major reforms, and Umno will also be rejected due to its cooperation with DAP.
Similarly, he warned that this may cause Malays to shift their support to PAS in the future, resulting in an extreme political situation where “the Chinese will continue to support DAP as their party and the Malays will turn to PAS as their party”.
Most recently, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad alleged that the Anwar administration is being pressured by DAP’s MPs to discard Islam in favour of a secular and multi-ethnic country, contrary to the “Malayness” in the Constitution. PAS has also continued to attack DAP for its alleged secular and “Malaysian Malaysia” agenda.
