Scene: Capital Café, KL.
MOHAN: Perkasa seems to be much in the news these days. It is a big non-governmental organisation (NGO) now and appears to be even challenging Umno.
Sulok: Like it or hate it, it seems to have entered the thinking of many Malaysians, the simple rural people as well as the intellectuals of the cities.
Mohan: Some Umno people are suspicious of its motives or rather the motives of its founder, Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
Chong: But other Umno people are rallying to its banner quite openly. Some Perkasa members are saying that its members have increased from 5,000 to 10,000.
Azman: Phenomenal!
Chong: Indeed. You can say that again. An indication of how influential it is, it even has a newspaper, Suara Perkasa.
Sulok: Jangan main main with Perkasa. It has warned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib that he must do all he can to address the economic woes of the Malays or risk losing their support in the next general election.
Azman: Ibrahim is really a clever fellow.
Mohan: Perkasa is short for …
Azman: Short for Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia or Malaysian organisation for the empowerment of the indigenous people. Perkasa means strengthen or empowerment. But more than that it appeals to the old Malay warrior spirit of gagah perkasa. And I suppose that’s why it is capturing the imagination of quite a number of Malays. Right, Cikgu?
Zain: More or less.
Chong: You think Umno is apprehensive of its growing strength, Cikgu?
Zain: I think so. When it was a fledgling two years ago, it didn’t seem to worry anyone. No one even thought of snuffing it. But I think it has grown to be more than just a gadfly for Umno, it is a bugbear now.
Azman: Mohan, you said earlier that some people are suspicious of it. Why did you say that?
Mohan: I heard some people say that it could be turned into a political party. They said that if it was so easy for it to get a permit for Suara Perkasa, surely it could easily get itself registered as a political party. And Ibrahim could be nominated as its candidate in Pasir Mas for the 13th general election.
Azman: And you think that’s Ibrahim’s motive for setting up Perkasa? He could still stand as an independent?
Mohan: I think he has realised that he could not win as an independent. Standing as an independent in 2004 he managed to garner only about 15% of the votes in Pasir Mas. In 2008, he stood as an independent again but endorsed by PAS. And he won. And it is unlikely PAS will endorse him again after all the disparaging remarks he has been making about the party and its leaders.
Sulok: But won’t Umno endorse him seeing that he is such an influential fellow now?
Mohan: Or even accept him as a member again? Which, of course, will mean that Umno is embracing Perkasa. Likely Cikgu?
Zain: I am not sure. In those days I would say with almost absolute certainty that he would not be admitted again. But now I am not so sure. You see Ibrahim has been in and out of Umno a couple of times. He is now out. Of course you all know that they have a name for him. But there’s one constant though. He has contested only in Pasir Mas, he has won three times and lost three times.
Chong: Azman, you said something about Ibrahim being a clever fellow. Care to elaborate.
Azman: I thought it’s pretty obvious. OK, what does Perkasa stand for? It is referred to as a Malay rights group claiming to protect Article 153 of the national constitution on special Malay privileges. It believes that real democracy can only exist in a situation where the bumiputra or the majority decides the national agenda. And that affirmative action in favour of the bumiputras should continue. Its all about ketuanan Melayu.
Chong: In direct collision with Najib’s New Economic Model.
Azman: Of course. Now why I said that he is clever. Almost all that Perkasa is struggling for is what Umno Youth under Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein was already demanding in 2005 that the government implement – the Malay agenda. It was popular with some Umno members and some Malays. Hishammuddin’s waving the keris merely fired up the imagination of these people. Ibrahim just took over what Umno has abandoned. And it is gaining traction again among a number of Malays after the non-Malays began demanding for more places under the Malaysian sun.
Mohan: Why do you think our former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad supports it and is also its patron?
Zain: For the reasons that Azman had just said. I know almost exactly what Mahathir said when he was asked about it. He said that Umno is no longer articulating what it should articulate as a Malay party. He even said that Umno needs Perkasa.
Chong: That’s why some non-Malays suspect that Perkasa already has Umno’s support.
Azman: I suppose that’s why Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor came out with a statement to say that Umno does not support Perkasa. To which Mahathir said "but Umno president Najib hasn’t said so yet."
Zain: I believe Najib has his own game plan. After all Tengku Adnan could not have said what he said without the party president’s authorisation. And following that Najib, without naming any organisation, condemned all extremist groups.
Chong: I am happy that more Umno leaders are coming forward to reject Perkasa. Among them I noticed Najib’s close friend Defence Minister Datuk Dr Zahid Hamidi. Then there is Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khalid Nordin and Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.
Sulok: But nobody more outrightly so than Minister in the PM’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin. Nazri called Perkasa members as Umno "rejects" while Khairy said that he would leave Umno should it support Perkasa.
Azman: More is to come.
Zain: Whatever it is I hope and pray that it will not come to pass that the two-party system that many people have been envisaging will finally materialise in the form of one huge bumiputra party on one side of the divide with a large coalition of non-bumiputra parties on the other side.- Sun2Surf
