KUALA LUMPUR: DAP isn’t just Chinese and Chinese aren’t just DAP, lawmakers from the federal opposition party berated Datuk Seri Idris Jala after the Pemandu CEO recommended it push the Malaysian minority to compete abroad instead of fixating on the size of the local economic “cake”.
Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong said that DAP was not representative of only Chinese Malaysians, adding that any calls for the party to address only one segment of the citizenry was misguided and plain wrong.
“Why is he pointing at DAP? Because he thinks DAP is Chinese and Chinese is DAP? This is not what DAP stands for.
“Racialising the economy is not going to provide the right answer. I am sad that Idris Jala joins the Umno stupidity of racialising the economic issues,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted yesterday for comment.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim also criticised Jala for stereotyping DAP, and asserted that his party was instead fighting for the wellbeing of all Malaysians regardless of their background, as well as good governance across the board.
“DAP’s concern is not which race is getting what, but rather how the country and the economy is being managed.
“In other words, who gets government contract is not our concern, even more so which race is she or he from, but rather how government contracts are being awarded,” he said.
Both DAP lawmakers however concurred with Jala’s view on the need for Malaysians to stop being parochial and embrace talent based on merit for the country to be on par with developed nations.
“The key to the future of Malaysia is to ensure that the bottom 60 per cent, regardless of race, continues on an upward mobility.
“Where the bottom is lifted through progressive policies, there will be a rising tide that lifts all boats,” Liew said.
Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said Jala was merely adding to the “trust deficit” in Malaysia by equating DAP to the Chinese.
“When supposed technocrats start talking like politicians despite protestations that he is not a politician, the public gets even more sceptical.
“The focus of the DAP is to promote good governance rather than being concerned about who gets what part of the cake,” he said in a text message to Malay Mail Online.
Jala, a former senator, told The Sunday Star in an interview published yesterday that Malaysians were too focused on the “Malaysian cake” while forgetting about the bigger “cake outside the country”.
He singled out DAP and suggested it should “talk to the Chinese” about “producing Malaysian goods and services that are international market winners.”
In his interview, Jala also encouraged Malaysians to value talent over race, religion or nationality as the quickest path to progress. -Malaymail
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