Hai-ya Cik Siti... (Part 2)
Many selfish Chinese are angry today because reforms have finally started touching their own pockets - e-Invoice, tax compliance, subsidy rationalisation. The moment personal interests are affected, suddenly DAP becomes the villain.
As for UEC, let's stop living in fantasy. UEC has survived and prospered for decades without federal recognition. Thousands of graduates have gone on to universities and careers worldwide. Do you seriously believe UMNO, PAS or Bersatu will recognise UEC before DAP does?
People keep saying DAP is "doing nothing". Fine. So DAP leaves the government tomorrow. Then what?
Magically UEC gets recognised? Chinese and Indian schools suddenly receive unlimited funding? Meritocracy suddenly replaces race-based policies? Local council elections suddenly return? More freedom of expression? Less religious conservatism?
Civil service suddenly becomes race-neutral? Or perhaps passport officers will suddenly welcome everyone in shorts with a smile? Lottery outlets will spring up on every corner? Hindu temples will flourish and be given unlimited land permits?
Everything Chinese wants will be granted overnight?
That's not politics. That's wishful thinking.
Being outside the government is easy. You make fiery speeches, supporters clap, Facebook likes go up. But speeches don't change policies. Governing does.
The Johor election has shown that many Chinese voters are voting out of anger (or even stupidly) without seriously asking what the alternative looks like. It's easy to punish DAP. It's much harder to explain why replacing Madani with a government led by UMNO or influenced by PN would produce better outcomes for Chinese education, UEC, civil liberties, meritocracy or the economy.
Don't get me wrong. I'm NOT in love with DAP or Anwar. They have made plenty of mistakes. But politics isn't about choosing angels. It's about choosing the option that is least likely to make things worse.
If one day BN or PN returns to Putrajaya and the same people discover that UEC is still not recognised, Chinese schools are still asking for funds, race-based politics is still alive, religious conservatism has become even stronger, and the freedoms they took for granted are narrower than before, I hope they'll remember who they voted for, and why.
Reality has a way of arriving after election slogans have faded. <This message was edited>
Siti Kassim. I could not agree more. Stop insulting voters that expect their wakil rakyat to do better. Instead of saying that you are the lesser of the evil. Evil is evil. Corruption is still corruption. Bad policies are still bad policies. Bad governance is still bad governance irregardless of they are PH, BN or PN.
— Ernie Chen
SAW THIS IN WAG. BELOW IS MY REPLY
SITI KASSIM's REPLY
This is a false dilemma. Accountability is part of democracy:
This is exactly the kind of argument that keeps Malaysia trapped in mediocrity.
No one is saying that UMNO, PAS or PN are the answer. That's a straw man. The real question is: what has DAP actually achieved with the political capital entrusted to them?
DAP asked Malaysians to support them because they promised reform, meritocracy, institutional independence, local council elections, freedom of expression and an end to race-based politics. Those promises were not conditional on only if everything is easy.
Instead, we have watched the Madani government, expand race-based policies rather than reduce them.
Continue restricting free speech through investigations and prosecutions. Delay or abandon institutional reforms. Fail to recognise UEC despite holding significant influence in government. Continue treating local council elections as something too politically inconvenient to implement.
Then we're told to be grateful because the alternative is worse. That's not democracy. That's political hostage-taking.
Every election we hear the same script: Don't criticise us because UMNO is worse. Don't criticise us because PAS is worse. Don't criticise us because PN is worse.
At what point do we judge DAf P by its own promises instead of by the failures of its opponents?
Accountability is not betrayal. Holding DAP to the standards it campaigned on is precisely what democratic voters are supposed to do.
As for e-Invoice, taxes and subsidy rationalisation, those policies affect all Malaysians, not just Chinese businessmen. To dismiss legitimate concerns by calling people "selfish Chinese" is itself divisive and unfair.
Finally, the choice is not between blind loyalty and voting for PAS. There is a third option: demanding that parties earn our votes instead of assuming they own them.
Politicians should fear disappointing voters more than voters should fear changing politicians. That is how democracies improve.
Quoted and adapted from Siti Kassim's Facebook account today, Thursday 11 July 2026.
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