FMT - Dr M’s ‘befriend Perkasa’ riles Kita

PETALING JAYA: Kita is disappointed with Dr Mahathir Mohamad for asking the Malays to “put their heads in the sand” by urging Umno to befriend Perkasa to win the next general election.

The former premier yesterday warned Umno that it needed allies in Malay rights groups like Perkasa to recoup crucial Malay votes and pinned Barisan Nasional’s 2008 electoral losses on the lack of Malay support.

But Kita described Perkasa as an “organisation that clearly advocates racial hatred and bigotry”.

In a statement, the Zaid Ibrahim-led party pointed out that Mahathir’s winning formula for Umno is about the Malays inwardly huddling together and defending the values espoused in 1946 against outsiders.

It however added that it believes the Malays know better as they have seen how the “Malay-first-Malaysian second” policies have only helped those in power.

“They have seen how those that represent the ‘old Malay order’ trample on their civil and human rights,” Kita stated. “They’ve seen how these policies are an excuse for corruption, nepotism and the abuse of power.”

Kita further tore into the practice of government subsidies as well as the “Hidup Melayu” mantra. It scorned the former as an “opiate for those addicted to voting BN” and the latter as having no place in their children’s future.

“Kita believes that Malays recognise that their future is not in maintaining this fortress mentality. Instead, it is to embrace universal values which include integrity, hard work and tolerance, without losing one’s identity as a Malay.”


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FMT - Kita is dreaming, says Kedah DAP

ALOR STAR: Kedah DAP today dismissed Kita as an irrelevant party in the state and predicted that its candidates for the general election will lose their deposits.

State DAP chief Lee Guan Aik said his Kita counterpart, Zamil Ibrahim, was daydreaming when he spoke yesterday of scoring upset wins in the coming election.

He said Zamil was “ignorant of political realities” and “Kita candidates are going to lose their deposits.”

Zamil, whom FMT contacted for a response, said Kita was only doing what Pakatan Rakyat parties did before the 2008 election.

“Pakatan did not expect to win then, but it won,” he said. “What’s wrong in daydreaming then? Their daydream of forming the state government became a reality. Why not ours?”

Lee, who is the state assemblyman for Kota Darulaman and DAP’s only representative in the Kedah legislature, said Kedah voters did not even know what Kita stood for.

“Kita has a long way to go yet to win over the people,” he said. “But they have their right to say what they want to say. Nothing wrong in daydreaming.”

Yesterday, at a function to introduce Kedah Kita’s election manifesto, Zamil said his party was looking forward to replacing PKR and DAP in the state government.

He claimed that the two parties never had a firm political presence in Kedah and won in 2008 only because of a “political tsunami”.

Kita is eyeing six parliamentary and 12 state seats in Kedah.

Claiming that both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan were besieged by internal political problems in the state, he said “Kita can fish in trouble waters.”

Lee said Kita could not get anywhere near DAP’s political background and service record in the country.

“Our political longevity is second only to PAS,” he said, referring to DAP’s 44 years of existence as a political party.

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