Calling Onn Hafiz Ghazi a racist for refusing to work with DAP is lazy, intellectually bankrupt rhetoric from a party and coalition desperate to equate political rejection with ethnic hatred. DAP is a political party, not a race. It is not synonymous with the Chinese community, nor does it own the moral high ground on inclusivity. Onn Hafiz’s stance is sharper, more pragmatic, and demonstrably more progressive than the performative multiculturalism peddled by Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani government and its PH allies.
DAP: Party of the Elite, Not the Community
Recent Sabah state elections delivered a brutal verdict. Chinese support for DAP plummeted from around 76% to just 27%, with the party wiped out in all seats it contested, including traditional strongholds. Chinese voters didn’t suddenly embrace extremism — they rejected broken promises, arrogance, and a party that lectures about representation while its leaders enjoy federal ministries, GLC positions, and influence, as ordinary Malaysians grapple with cost-of-living struggles.
DAP does not “represent the Chinese community.” It represents itself. The community’s declining support exposes the gap between DAP’s rhetoric and delivery. Onn Hafiz understands this. Rejecting a coalition with them in Johor is respecting the distinct mandate of Johor voters, not hatred. Johor BN has governed without DAP before — successfully — and sees no need to import the federal formula that has delivered more division than progress.
Actions Over Slogans: Johor’s Record vs. PH’s Hot Air
Onn Hafiz’s administration has been more inclusive in practice than the Madani regime or PH-led states:
- Hindu temples and Tamil schools: Johor approved land for 17 Hindu temples and two new Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) schools. These address longstanding grievances over security and recognition for places of worship and education. Compare this to PH states or federal level — where are the equivalent approvals? Silence.
- Dedicated Chinese community funding: Johor allocated RM17.06 million specifically for Chinese affairs — covering Chinese education, SJKC schools, independent schools, Southern University College, lion dance troupes, non-Muslim houses of worship, and Chinese New Villages. This is concrete support, not empty “Madani” branding.
- Fair play in politics: Opposition parties in Johor received equitable constituency allocations. Contrast this with the selective patronage and policy flip-flops elsewhere.
Onn Hafiz’s “Bangsa Johor” is not mere slogan — it puts all races under one pragmatic roof focused on development, not identity grievance.
Progressive Governance, Not Discriminatory Nonsense
Critics hurl “racist” while ignoring PH’s own record:
- No 30-50% Bumiputera land sale quotas forced on Johor developers under Onn Hafiz.
- No traumatising non-Malay students with confusing or exclusionary policies.
- No agricultural bans or university entry that lure Chinese students with false promises, only to limit them to a handful of courses.
- Contrast with Selangor under Amiruddin Shari, where non-Muslim religious policies have been mired in inconsistency and controversy.
Onn Hafiz’s Johor has delivered tangible inclusivity for non-Muslims without sacrificing core principles or Johor’s distinct identity. This is governance by results, not by coalition arithmetic or federal pressure.
Rejecting DAP Is Rejecting Racism and Hypocrisy
The real racism lies in conflating criticism of a political party with hatred of an entire ethnicity. DAP weaponises Chinese support when convenient but fails to deliver broad-based upliftment. Its federal partnership with Anwar’s government has produced elite comfort for party insiders while ordinary citizens — across all races — face the same economic pressures.
Onn Hafiz’s refusal is principled: Johor BN won a strong mandate previously without DAP, and voters deserve a government that puts Johor first, not national PH horse-trading. He’d rather forgo the MB post than compromise that. That’s conviction, not arrogance.
Malaysians deserve leaders judged by outcomes — fair allocations, school and temple approvals, targeted community funding, and unity without erasing state identities — not by how loudly they scream “inclusivity” while presiding over declining support and policy failures.
Onn Hafiz isn’t rejecting the Chinese community. He’s rejecting a political model that has repeatedly disappointed it. In Johor, results speak louder than DAP’s slogans. Bangsa Johor is working.
