Mat Sabu tells of UMNO's '3R' strategy

Harakahdaily

Oct 27: PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu (pic) has cautioned the people about what he termed as UMNO's “3R” strategy, using the racial, religion and royalty cards, in order to win the next general election. Addressing some 3,000 people at the party's 60th anniversary even held in Kerdau, Pahang last night, Mat Sabu said the strategy was adopted after UMNO lost confidence about ever regaining lost support after the 2008 election. “In the present political situation, to win the election, UMNO only banks on four groups: rural Malay votes, Felda settlers, postal votes and Sabah/Sarawak."Their strategy is to play issues related to 3R. And the three top states they are gunning for are Selangor, Penang and Perak,” said Mat Sabu, who warned that such a method would heat up emotions in the country's politics although the public was well aware of this deliberate strategy by UMNO. Mat Sabu cited how the palace was dragged into politics over alleged remarks by Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng about public safety in Johor. Similarly, the same strategy was applied against law lecturer Dr Abdul Aziz Bari for disagreeing with the Sultan of Selangor over his comments in relation to the controversy involving the Selangor Islamic Religious Department and Damansara Utama Methodist Church, added Mat Sabu. “All these to show UMNO is behind the palace. Let me remind them, in 1993, when I was a member of parliament, the speaker suspended a rule in Dewan Rakyat prohibiting any discussion about the royalty. That was the time they attacked all Malay rulers and their legal immunity,” he stressed.