SHAH ALAM, 5th DEC: UMNO-BN’s efforts in resorting to incitement such as a repeat of the bloody tragedy of 13th May should they fail to recapture Putrajaya reflects their desperation to re-garner the faith of the people.
Founder of the As Long As It Isn’t UMNO (ABU) movement, Haris Ibrahim says that the 13th May tragedy will not repeat as pictured by UMNO-BN because the people of the country are gaining political maturity and do not depend on merely one channel for information.
He says that UMNO-BN will not step away from their tradition of giving speeches based on racial sentiments to promote fear among the people to that they will choose to support the parti in the upcoming GE-13.
“In 2009, it was the ‘cow’s head’ issue… they (UMNO-BN) wanted to pit Malay against Hindu, Islam against non-Islam,” he stated in a special interview with TV Selangor.
He made the above remark while commenting on Wanita UMNO Chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s statement that the 13th May incident will repeat itself should UMNO fail to recapture Putrajaya during the UMNO Annual General Meeting recently.
According to him, the people do not rely on a single media channel that is completely controlled by the UMNO-BN regime but rather prefer to use alternative media such as the internet, blogs and social websites like Facebook and Twitter.
“UMNO’s media such as TV3 and Utusan play these issues everyday in the hopes of scarring the public, especially those living in remote areas because city-dwellers do not fall for such ruse anymore.”
“Just look, the other day the issue was the use of the name ‘Allah’ by Christians, and later a court order was issued… The incident of church fires… There were some who asked for a demo at a mosque but it failed because the Malay people have realised that all of it is a political agenda by UMNO to ensure its long life,” explained Haris, who is also a social activist.