Wong Choon Mei, Alaa Soleiman,
Korean superstar Psy handed Malaysia's ruling party a slap in the face
when he declined to come onstage to toss the traditional 'yee-sang' with
Prime Minister Najib Razak and other top members of his BN coalition on
Monday.In Penang to sing his signature Oppa Gangnam-style, Psy lived up to his fame and his purported RM2mil fee. He had the crowd singing and shouting along to with him and his troupe of really sharp and good-looking dancers.
For four minutes, the tens of thousands of Penangites who came to watch him at the Han Chiang school field simply went crazy. They demanded an encore and he gave them what they wanted. More Gangnam!
But sadly for the BN, Psy wisely swerved away from being used to promote Najib's 1Malaysia brand of politics. The Malaysian leader had moments earlier announced to the crowd that Psy had a surprise for them - Oppa BN style.
However, it was not to be. Najib, wife Rosmah Mansor, son Norashman, former premier Abdullah Badawi, Gerakan chiefs Koh Tsu Koon, Teng Chang Yeow and Tourism minister Ng Yen Yen were among those left red-faced on stage after Psy's aide told them he would not join them for the 'yee-sang' tossing ceremony.
Yee-sang is a raw fish salad tossed by Malaysian Chinese during the Chinese Lunar Year to signify good luck and success. The BN's 5-year mandate to rule will end on April 28, 2013 and Najib is widely expected to call for the 13th general election within weeks.
However, the signs so far are that BN may well lose its 55-year stranglehold on the federal government, with the Pakatan Rakyat led by Anwar Ibrahim rated as having an even chance of pulling off the country's first-ever regime change.
To survive an ouster from within his own Umno party, Najib needs a convincing victory and to ensure this, he needs to claw back the lost support of voters, in particular the Malaysian Chinese community, who have been disgusted and frustrated by the endemic corruption and scandals of the BN elite.
In the countdown to psy's much-awaited performance, many ordinary Malaysians had pleaded with Psy on his Facebook to turn down the BN's invite as they viewed as a 'election gimmick' to get Psy to 'recommend' voting for the BN.
"Psy's response shows he is on the ground with the Malaysian people. They want to come to his concert but do not want to be used by Najib and Gerakan to show support for BN. Who to vote for is a serious matter not a public relations circus for Chang Yeow to show off his organizing skills or to butter up to the Najibs," Tan Kee Kwong, a former senior Gerakan leader who is now part of Anwar's key team, told Malaysia Chronicle.
"I am glad Psy was smart and fair. There is no reason for him to support the BN, it is not known for decent politics or for reform. They tried to use him, so why should he support such insincere politicians."
Indeed, Gerakan leaders as well as Najib's advisers had tried their best to use the occassion to shore up Najib's dwindling pouplarity. At 63%, Najib has the lowest approval rating of all prime ministers so far going into a general election.
Just a day ago, Najib had told the press he wanted to do something new this year. Indeed, his strategy of wearing a crimson red Chinese jersey in CNY banners hung across the nation raised eyebrows among the conservative faction in his umno party. The fact that Najib was photographed alone and brought along his son Norashman on his CNY functions also did not pass un-noticed.
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