After Sedition Act U-turn, are Najib’s other promises still good, asks Guan Eng
Following Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s volte-face yesterday on the Sedition Act, the Penang government has asked if the same goes for his pledges to fight corruption and keep vernacular schools open.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today questioned if the prime minister’s word was still good in his other promises to reduce debts and income inequality, after having reneged on his promise to repeal the colonial-era Sedition Act.
"If Umno leaders could pressure the Prime Minister to break his promise, 28 million Malaysians are no longer that naive to rely on Najib to keep his other promises on preserving vernacular schools, fighting corruption, and reducing debt and income inequality.
"Now, it is commitment to Umno that is more important and crucial than whatever commitment the prime minister may make," he said in a statement.
Lim said while Najib disappointed the few who still trusted him as a leader who walked the talk, the reaction of Umno leaders to Najib breaking his pledge was just as disappointing.
"Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan even blamed Malaysians for Najib’s decision to maintain the Sedition Act because the rakyat had betrayed Najib’s trust and goodwill by not giving him the confidence to repeal the Sedition Act.
"It is typical Umno fashion to blame others for their own wrongdoings and misdeeds, especially the Chinese community over Umno's loss of electoral seats when it was the Malays who did not support Umno," he said.
Lim also said Umno's ministers should heed former party president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s advice that keeping the Sedition Act would not help Umno stay in power in the next general election.
Abdullah, a former prime minister, wrote in his blog soon after Najib's announcement on the Sedition Act at the Umno general assembly yesterday, that the party should not abuse sedition laws to stay in power.
"Pak Lah is correct to say that only the people’s support, and not the retention of the Sedition Act, can ensure Umno retains power because 'if the people no longer support us, there is no law on God's earth that can save Umno'," Lim said.
The DAP secretary-general also hit out at Barisan Nasional component parties – MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP and PBS, labelling them "stooges and sycophants" of Umno.
He said Najib had only consulted Umno leaders, party supporters and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in arriving at his decision to keep the Sedition Act.
He said MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam had confirmed that the non-Malay BN component parties were political parasites, Umno's stooges and sycophants when he admitted that neither MIC nor the Cabinet were consulted prior to Najib’s unilateral announcement.
"Despite this humiliation by Najib, and MCA and Gerakan’s earlier call to abolish the Sedition Act, we can expect both MCA and Gerakan leaders to support and comply with Umno to impose even harsher restrictions in the Sedition Act.
"Malaysians are smart enough to see through their political opportunism of blindly obeying Umno just to enjoy the perks of privileges of ministerial office. This is why the non-Malay BN component parties lost most of their seats in 13th general election," he said.
"Similarly Malaysian voters can see Najib's political opportunism, breaking his promise and contract made with the voters during last year’s poll, and shall decide in the 14th general election whether to support the retention of the Sedition Act to ensure that Umno remains in power," Lim added.
Yesterday, Najib had announced at the Umno general assembly that the Sedition Act would be maintained and fortified to include provisions making it an offence to insult religions.
Calls for the secession of Sabah and Sarawak would also be included in a provision under the fortified act, he said.
The Umno president also said that he would continue to champion the Malay race and not allow it to be “damned” and “insulted” in its own land. – November 28, 2014.
