by Sebastian Loh

Did you know that Chinese racism played a huge role in the 2013 general election? Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe the words of an expert political analyst and now prime ministerial candidate, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He wrote this in his blog a month after the election.

“If more proof is needed of the role of Chinese racism in the 13th GE, the demonstrations accusing BN of fraud and cheating in the elections, despite being organised by Anwar and PKR, are largely attended by Chinese, especially the young. Within the country and abroad, Chinese youths wearing black shirts and masks made up most of the demonstrators. Usually Malays make up the majority of the demonstrators. The lack of respect for the national flag was shown by Chinese young people in Taiwan holding it upside down. Although DAP and PKR participated in these demos, PAS members were noticeably absent. In fact PAS leaders dissociated themselves from the agitation to overthrow the government through street demos ala Arab Spring. The protests seem to be mainly a Chinese affair.”

I urge you to read the whole blog post (“Racial Polarization”), in case you think I’m taking him out of context. Here is what I gather from it: that if you’re Chinese and you’re anti-Barisan Nasional (BN), you’re probably a racist. Remember that, though even I don’t believe so, and I didn’t vote for Pakatan in 2013, either.

While I respectfully disagree with my fellow Chinese Malaysians who protested against the election results, I certainly don’t believe that they were motivated by racism. The protesters are decent, concerned, and patriotic citizens, many of whom feel that they are themselves victims of racism. Their complaints about prejudice and bigotry are too often legitimate.

I bring this up because I remember the dizzying outrage and hyperbolic melodrama that erupted when BN chairman Najib Razak attributed the 2013 results to a “Chinese tsunami”.

He was promptly and roundly condemned as a flaming racist – ironically by many of the same people now cheering Mahathir on. One pro-Pakatan friend, flushed with righteous indignation, even made it seem as though Najib’s words marked the insidious beginning of Nazi-like pogroms.

But Najib had merely stated the facts: the overwhelming majority of Malaysian Chinese voters had rejected BN in favour of Pakatan. This isn’t a particularly controversial or even insightful observation: many Pakatan politicians today regard the fact as self-evident.

So much so that, being (arrogantly) assured of a massive reservoir of Chinese support, they now publicly call for a “Malay tsunami”. Who’s playing the race card now?

It’s one thing to say that, in truth, Chinese Malaysians by and large rejected BN. It’s quite another thing to view their votes as stemming from racism.

It was Mahathir who crossed that red line. Najib never did.

Imagine the furore if Najib had described the 2013 results as openly evoking “Chinese racism” (which Mahathir did). Would the so-called progressives in Pakatan and so-called independent media outlets be as forgiving of Najib as they now are of Mahathir?

Some might argue that Mahathir did not mean what he said then, that it was just political rhetoric. In that case, why should we believe anything he says now?

There are others who will say that he has seen the error of his views and is trying to make amends. To demonstrate the absurdity of that claim, read some apt words from the man himself.

In 2010, he wrote: “Remember at one time PAS condemned Umno for having MCA as a partner. Now PAS is willing to accept DAP as a partner. It is political hypocrisy, not sincere partnership.”

At other times, he condemned PKR and PAS for accepting DAP as a partner. But today it is Mahathir who has willingly taken on DAP as a partner.

As he said then, it must be political hypocrisy, not sincere partnership.

“If PAS is extremely supportive of the Chinese today,” he wrote in 2010, “it is not because the party has become disaffected with race and religion. It is simply because it wants to play up Chinese racial sentiments in order to win Chinese votes.”

The reality in 2018 is that if Mahathir or PPBM is extremely supportive of Chinese Malaysian voters today, it is not because Mahathir and his party have become disaffected with race and religion. It is simply that they want to play up Chinese racial sentiments in order to win Chinese votes.

Opportunism is rarely a game among equals, which dimwitted strategists in Pakatan have repeatedly failed to realise.

They might regard Mahathir as their last best hope of bringing about change. But he would regard you as being his last best hope of returning to power and permanently entrenching racialism in our politics.

Given his history of turning on allies, guess who will win in the end.

Whatever you do when the election is held, don’t vote against Mahathir and his team, especially if you’re Chinese, like me. You might be accused of racism. So we definitely need to stop being racist and start supporting those who accuse us of racism. Swallow all your doubts, will you? Never let logic, history, or basic common sense get in the way of change.

Sebastian Loh is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FMT.