Just who is a traitor?

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Ground reports cobbled together by Umno suggest that the Malay political party is facing a crisis of sorts: a sizeable number of Malays no longer identify the party as defenders of Malay interest.

Worse yet, there is a growing perception that Umno has not been able to stanch the tide of demands from the non-Malays since Election 2008.

Hawks in Umno believe that if allowed to take root, the political party’s one last reliable supportbase could be an Achilles Heel in 2013 when the next general elections are scheduled. (Note: Umno’s share of votes in 2008 among Malays was largely intact despite the unprecedented showing by the Opposition).

So strategists have advised Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and other Umno leaders that they need to adopt three approaches: attack Opposition icon Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a politician who is willing to sell out the Malays to gain political power, a modern-day traitor; hammer Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) as a stooge of the mainly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP); and finally to show Umno as uncompromising defenders of race and religion.

The face of a traitor? Umno is on an offensive to convince Malays that Anwar Ibrahim (right) is no friend to their race. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Of the three approaches, Umno leaders appear to be relishing the chance of rubbishing Anwar as a traitor, alleging that he is more interested in defending the rights of Chinese and demonising him as someone who will barter away the special privileges of the Malays for the support of Indians and Chinese.

The curious thing about using the “traitor” card is that it is a double-edged weapon. Here is a fact: if we go by the common definition of the word traitor, many Malaysian politicians will be considered traitors.

After all, a traitor is someone who betrays his country, a cause, a trust, even a set of principles.

Is Anwar more of a “traitor’’ than:

• Muhyiddin Yassin.

— Is the Deputy Prime Minister a traitor to the 1 Malaysia cause introduced by his political boss and adopted by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition because he chooses to encourage incendiary rhetoric and plays to the Malay gallery?

— Is the Deputy Prime Minister a traitor to his race by flip-flopping on the policy of teaching Mathematics and Science in English?

• Khairy Jamaluddin.

— Is the Umno Youth leader a traitor for betraying the trust of Malaysians who expect young and better-educated politicians not to get involved in the unsavoury world of money politics?

— Is the Umno Youth leader, who promised to speak for all Malaysians, a traitor to the cause of building a better and more competitive Malaysia, a traitor because he choose political advancement over principles?

• Najib Razak

— Is the Prime Minister (PM) a traitor to the Malay cause because he is liberalising the economy and opening up more sectors to foreign ownership?

— Is the PM a traitor because he is openly courting the United States and Singapore, two countries which many Umno members pigeonhole as unfriendly.

• Umno politicians.

— Are senior Umno politicians traitors to their race because they accept largesse from Chinese businessmen in the form of monthly stipends, all expenses paid holidays, and commissions as quid pro quo for granting the Chinese businessmen permits and contracts?

• BN leaders.

— Is a BN component party leader a traitor when he remains silent in a meeting and does not defend his race and religion from chauvinists?

• Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PAS leaders.

— Is Nik Aziz Nik Mat a traitor to his race and religion because he allows non-Muslims to build their places of worship without impediments?

• Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng.

— Are the Lims traitors to the vision of a Malaysian Malaysia because they have not done enough to make their political party representative of all the major races in the country?

The list of “traitors’’ in Malaysia can go on and on. For it is a fact that the political landscape here is littered with individuals who have strayed from their ideals, principles and values. The sad truth is that we call many of them our leaders.