If any ruler puts a single one of his subjects to shame [member' aib], that shall be a sign that his kingdom will be destroyed by Almighty God. Similarly it has been granted by Almighty God to Malay subjects that they shall never be disloyal or treacherous to their rulers, even if their rulers behave evilly or inflict injustice upon them.

During my entire political career, when I visited every corner of the country, at any gathering, I felt confident of the support of the Malay society for UMNO. On the other hand, it was difficult to be certain of Chinese support or even be sure of their stand. Now the situation has changed. … My experience was extremely peculiar, one that I had never experienced in my entire life. In Malay-majority areas, BN leaders and workers looked weary and exhausted as well as pressured. This was because in a very open, fearless and unhesitant manner, so many Malays — young, old, labourers, the learned, the rich, the poor — worked hard and earnestly for the opposition parties, no matter whether it was PAS, DAP, Parti Rakyat, or KeADILan. Only in Chinese-majority areas were the BN and UMNO leaders and workers relaxed.