Kit Siang: Will Ali Rustam blame the Chinese again?

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today asked if Mohd Ali Rustam is going to blame the Chinese again for his loss in the Umno vice-president polls yesterday, where even the majority of the Umno Malacca state divisions did not vote for him.

In the hotly contested VP race yesterday, the former Malacca CM garnered only seven votes.

Mohd Ali had continued to indulge in Chinese-bashing over his previous general election defeat during the Umno party election campaigns, said Lim in a press statement today.

"He is oblivious to the fact that he would not have lost in the May general elections if he had not also lost the support of the Malay voters in his constituency,” he said, adding that Mohd Ali was defeated in a Malay-majority Bukit Katil parliamentary seat in Malacca.

In the run up to the Umno polls, the former CM tried to gain sympathy by blaming his GE loss on the Chinese, and begged party members to vote for him in order for him to defend the Malays.

Lim also ticked former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad off for playing the race card but said that has not helped his son clinch the highly coveted vice presidency.

"Mahathir was equally irresponsible, ruthless and reckless in playing the race card, reiterating the preposterous allegations and lies since his failed attempt to racialise the Gelang Patah battle...

“But the Umno party elections yesterday is further confirmation that Mahathir’s aura and magic have been on an unchecked decline…” he said.

In the heated race for the Umno vice presidency yesterday, Mahathir's protege Mukhriz failed to budge the three incumbents, while Ali Rustam and Felda chairperson Mohd Isa Abdul Samad performed dismally.

'Get back to work, boys'

Lim said the country is going through regression for half-year ever since the previous GE13 and now that the Umno polls were over, it was time for the leadership to put the country back on track.

“For some six months since the GE13, the government and country had been adrift, even regressing on many fronts on various national transformation programmes from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak...

“Malaysia should now move forward to end the half-year of drift and even regression from May 5 to Oct 19 to forge national reconciliation to build a united, inclusive, competitive and prosperous Malaysia for all Malaysians," he said.

The Gelang Patah MP said Pakatan Rakyat is prepared to fully cooperate with Najib and BN to achieve these ends.

“But does Najib and BN have the political will, capacity and power to rise up to the occasion?” asked Lim.