KUALA LUMPUR: The politics adopted by Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) for more than 70 years ago are no longer relevant in the new political landscape because its mould was based on racial classification, said the chief secretary of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Secretariat Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
He said the Umno political concept that championed the cause of the races especially the Malays was no longer well received by the people and this was clearly proven by the results of the recent 14th General Election (GE14).
“The severe defeat of the BN that led to the historical transfer of national power in GE14 was a very clear indicator that translated the rejection of the people against the struggle for racial politics.
“In the GE14, out of the 222 parliamentary constituencies contested, 83 constituencies had mixed ethnic groups, 73 out of the 83 constituencies were won by PH. It means that a majority of the people chose to vote the seats that cut across racial lines,” he told Bernama after a special interview on Bernama Radio with the title “Politik Baharu 2.0 Demokrasi Malaysia Berbilang Kaum”, he said.
Saifuddin said the majority of the people were now more open to changes in the multiracial political canvas which was more mature and moderate to the extent that they had succeeded in using their power to choose the government.
“What the people wants is a new kind of politics as adopted by the PH which practices open politics and not focusing on the interests of any particular race only. The people rejected the practices of UMNO to the extent of daring to face a transition of government .
“This is an openness in the new politics of PH where the people believed that by changing the government, the national leadership would be better,”he said.
Saifuddin strengthened the new national political situation by linking the opinion of an expert in world political developments Samuel Philips Huntington who felt that a nation would reach maturity and its democracy stabilised after undergoing a change of government twice in a peaceful and smooth manner. — Bernama