Both sides should stop excessive politicking, says Mohd Shafie

Both sides should stop excessive politicking, says Mohd Shafie by Kong See Hoh PETALING JAYA (Jan 23, 2011): IN spite of the many changes made by Umno, including political transformation, the majority of the Chinese still hold the notion that the party has not changed much. Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal This, according to Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, is because the Opposition has politicised a lot of issues. Speaking to Sin Chew Daily in an interview published today, Mohd Shafie said for Malaysia to progress, parties from both sides of the political divide should not play politics too much, instead they should work towards better governing states and the country. They should not politicise everything or use political activities to achieve their aim on issues that concern the interests of the people, he said. Mohd Shafie, who is rural and regional development minister, said currently there is too much politicking for personal interest. He said the Chinese community should not believe in what these politicians say, including their claims that the government has not managed the country’s economy well, which is not true. He pointed out that the majority of those who benefited from the stock market are Chinese, and had government not implemented various measures that favoured economic growth, the Chinese businessmen would not have benefited the way they did. He said that in everything the government has done, the government hoped to see the results benefit all races. The government’s policies are not aimed at pleasing a particular community but to benefit all, and everything is done to ensure they are fair to all communities, he said. On excessive politicking, he cited the Selangor state secretary saga as an example how the Opposition politicised issues resulting in a change in people’s perception of the federal government. “(If we) use political activities to achieve our aims in everything, no one will benefit in the end. “We hope parties from both sides of the political divide would reduce political play, and serve the country and the people (instead). Mohd Shafie also urged non-Malays not to be overly sensitive to certain remarks uttered by some Umno leaders, saying it does not help the situation if they over-emotionalise matters. Of course, he said, leaders should mind their language and be mindful of other races’ feelings. Asked if the Chinese community should not be too serious over certain extreme remarks, Mohd Shafie said such remarks should be viewed seriously but not over-emotionalised. “We must, at all times, consider what is most important to the people. We can take other people’s warnings as reminders,” he said. http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=56670