Who loves Parti Cinta Malaysia?

By Pak Bui

The new Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM), based in Penang, has one of the weirdest names in the history of Malaysian politics. Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (Thais love Thailand) has a better ring to it, but then Thai has the advantage of being a charming, melodious language.

Parti Cinta Malaysia has the awkward feel of a name translated directly from a different language. It creates unease, reminiscent of our grey RTM news readers enunciating ‘teknologi’ or ‘universiti’ in the Bahasa Baku style: all hard consonants, and pronouncing each word as it is spelt.

A rough English translation for the PCM would be the “Malaysian Love Party”, which veers uncomfortably close to the neighbourhood of “Malaysian Orgy”.

The sheer strangeness of the name brings to mind more colourful names like the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (Britain), the Beer Lovers Party (Russia and the Ukraine), the Imperial British Conservative Party (Australia and New Zealand), the Guns and Dope Party (United States) and the Death, Dungeons and Taxes Party (Britain).

It also brings back memories of a Monty Python sketch on Election Night, showcasing the comedy troupe’s creations: the Silly Party tussling against the Sensible Party, and fringe parties the Slightly Silly Party and the Very Silly Party.

Any new political outfit approved swiftly by the Registrar of Societies, as the PCM was on August 6, must have some backers in high places in the BN government. Most observers in the electronic media have described the PCM as a BN-friendly “multiracial” party to be used as a vehicle by the likes of Chua Soi Lek, Tiong King Sing and Huan Cheng Guan, unhappy with their respective BN parties, the MCA, SPDP and Gerakan.

Ong Tee Keat, the hapless captain of the sinking MCA ship, has accused his rival Chua Soi Lek of setting up PCM as an alternative party in which to play boss, if Chua fails in his bid to lead MCA. In reply, Chua called Ong “the father of all nonsense”.

So now that Gabriel Adit Demong, the turncoat Ngemah state assemblyman, has thrown in his lot with PCM, can the party argue it is truly multiracial? The President, a Penang businessman named Tang Weng Chew, insists the party is “neutral”, and not made up of disenfranchised MCA members.

But there are plenty of references to “1Malaysia” peppered throughout the PCM statements. Any mention of this empty and insulting slogan gets most Chinese annoyed, but not the new Penang party people.

Malaysiakini reported in September that it visited the registered address of the PCM in Perai or Bukit Mertajam and found it was a closed former bistro. The ramshackle new party appears to have a fair bit in common with the “1Malaysia” concept: bright lights and a new façade on the outside, but hollow and dusty inside. Love don’t live here no more, it would seem.

It certainly appears that this ridiculous party is trying to confuse and deceive credulous voters, including the less educated and sophisticated voters of Sarawak and Sabah. Any BN attempt at splitting the Pakatan Rakyat vote may be worthwhile.

Even so, the BN effort may not be as effective as the PKR and DAP squabbling over seats, and appearing to be trying their level best to achieve this split themselves!

Gabriel Adit loves to serve

Gabriel Adit’s appointment as head of PCM Sarawak verges on the bizarre. If the PCM is anything like the MCA, it would be hard to imagine Gabriel Adit commanding much attention among the party faithful, no matter how multiracial the ex-MCA members say the new party is.

It is virtually impossible for party members who have cut their political teeth on racist rhetoric to embrace a plural constituency. Many PKR members have had their difficulties adjusting to life after Umno. Just ask Ezam Mohd Nor, who returned to the gleeful xenophobic embrace of Umno after almost a decade in the multiracial wilderness with PKR.

Gabriel Adit has again pressed the self-destruct button by deserting PKR, and by hoping to head his own Parti Rakyat Malaysia or some such contraption. Eventually, he has ended up leaving the PKR to be the head of a branch of a laughable party in Sarawak. He seems to have painted himself into a corner – but perhaps he may still profit from his multiple defections, come election time.

“After watching PKR, I don’t think they can take over Sarawak. I hope we can serve the people of Sarawak better,” Gabriel Adit said during his maiden speech as Sarawak Love Chairman.

It is intriguing that words like “love” and “serve” can be bandied about in this cynical fashion.

End