An Email to Chandra Muzaffar

[On 24 April 2008, I wrote an email to Dr Chandra Muzaffar. There is still no response from him a month later by now. Reproduced here my letter and extracts from two related articles.]


Dear Prof.,

Greetings from Poh.

I read with interest your article THE 2008 MALAYSIAN ELECTION - AND THE BN DEBACLE . [Please read Dr Chandra's article here]

I would like to refer to Q3 and your answer and offer my humble comments.

Though your analyses of the dissatisfaction of the various ethnic groups are reasonable, I find that the key issues in the last election are not these. I used to think like this before the election. However, as I talked to more and more people of various groups and walked the ground a bit during the election period, I find that these issues were not the main ones bothering the general mass. I was surprised to find that my original analyses were out of date and out of place!

The Rakyat as a whole was angry at how the leaders of each ethnic group could be so ethno-centric to stir up their respectic community's hatred; when they are actually the leader of the NATION! How can we have Ong fighting for Chinese schools; Samy claiming that Indians cannot do without him, and Hisham threatening the non-Malays? They are national leaders who should be MALAYSIANS in perspectives, words and actions!

I was surprised but definitely happier that more and more common people are having an alternative perspective of seeing the various issues from the NATIONAL point of view. The opposition parties under Anwar had capitalised on this perspective well for their political gain.

I am very interested to know exactly how big the relative proportions of the rakyat having these two opposing perspectives, ethnic vs national. Perhaps you should scrutinise what the various surveys including those by Merdeka Centre and write about this with your personal strength as the leading political scientist.

Politics has been my personal passion and you were one of my earliest teachers, thanks for the lessons and Terima Kasih for your time.

NB: the article in theStar, Sunday March 30, 2008, How the tables have turned, Sharing The Nation, By ZAINAH ANWAR is quite reflective of what the general public thinks. [Please read Zainah's article here]

http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=sharingthenation&file=/2008/3/30/columnists/sharingthenation/20776545&sec=Sharing%20The%20Nation

Rgds,
Poh Swee Hiang