Easter Weekend Message(e/c)

Easter Weekend Message By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 31.3.2018.

Unite Against Those Who Build Walls That Separates Us And Push Us Into Racial Enclaves To Divide And Turn Malaysians Against Each Other.

The American civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King said that, “Unity is the great need of the hour. Unity is how we shall overcome.”

Malaysians must unite against those who wish to build walls that separate us and push us into racial enclaves to divide and turn Malaysians against each other. The recent constituency delineation for the 14th General Elections is a shocking exercise of not only shameless political gerrymandering but also irresponsible “electoral apartheid”.

What the Election Commission has done is not only to do BN’s bidding to help BN win the next general elections, but also adopt a dangerous formula to further deepen the racial divide amongst Malaysians. By lumping racial groups in one constituency instead of mixed seats, the Election Commission is adopting the BN racist formula where voters sees themselves as Malays first, Chinese first, Indian first, Iban first or Kadazan first instead of Malaysian first.

Further, opposition supporters are lumped in one seat as compared to BN supporters divided into many seats, a clear violation of “one person, one vote, one value” principle for democracy. In a democracy, voters choose politicians but in a political gerrymandering, politicians choose voters.

The Elections Commission has gone a step further by adopting electoral apartheid, creating racial blocs. This would allow BN to appeal to the devil of racism and extremism instead of appealing to the better angels of our nature to unite around common values of justice, fair treatment, rule of law, freedom and democracy.

DAP believes that Malaysians can still prevail by uniting against those who wish to divide us, against those who wish to build walls and against those who wish to frighten us to hate each other instead of loving each other. Happy Easter Weekend!

LIM GUAN ENG

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槟州首席部长林冠英于2018年3月31日在槟城乔治市光大发表的复活节献词:

让我们团结一致,以对抗那些筑起高墙分裂我们,并将我们推向种族孤立,将马来西亚人分裂及互相对抗的人。

美国人权运动领袖兼诺贝尔和平奖得主马丁·路德曾说过,“团结是这个时刻的伟大需要。团结就是我们我们要克服的方式。”

马来西亚人民需要团结一致,以对抗那些要筑起高墙分裂我们,并将我们推向种族孤立,将马来西亚人分裂及搞到大家互相对抗的人。最近为配合第14届全国大选而展开的选区划分让人感到震惊。因这不只是透过政治傑利蠑螈(gerrymandering)方式无耻的掠夺行为,更是不负责任的“选举种族隔离”。

选委会现在做的,不只是正在下赌注以协助国阵赢得下届大选,他们也采纳了一个极其危险的方程式,进一步加剧马来西亚人民之间的种族分化。选举委员会把同一个种族集中在一个地区而不是将不同种族混合在一个地区内,根本就是在采纳国阵的种族方程式 — 选民就会自我定位为马来人优先、华人优先、印度人优先、伊班人优先或卡达山人优先,而不是以马来西亚人优先作考量。

进一步来说,所有反对党的支持者,现在全部被集中在一个选区内,而国阵的支持者,则被分到好几个选区,完全违背了民主下的“一人一票,票票等值”原则。在民主制度下,是选民投选政治人物; 但是在政治傑利蠑螈下,则变成了政治人物选择他们要的选民。

选委会更进一步采取选举种族隔离制度,制造更多种族区块。这将允许国阵选择种族主义和极端主义的恶魔,而不是选择团结并可以带领大家迈向一个公正、公平、法治、自由、民主等共同价值的天使。

民主行动党相信,马来西亚人民依然可以透过团结一致,对抗那些企图分裂我们,对抗那些要在我们之间筑起高墙、对抗那些试图以恐吓手段让我们互相憎恨而不是互相爱护的人。祝大家有个愉悦的复活节周末!

林冠英