Bangkitlah orang Melayu
Translation by Zedeck Siew, The Nut Graph
BETWEEN 13 and 19 April 2009, the Malay language press wrung its hands over the welfare of the Malay race, the inevitable Penanti by-election, and the vagaries of history lessons.
The headlines for Utusan Malaysia's 15 April edition was Bangkitlah Melayu, a clarion call that was not softened by the front-page photograph of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tossing capati with Sikh Malaysian women in celebration of Vaisakhi.
Subheaded Unite to face the demands of other races that are increasingly extreme, the article quoted Pasir Mas parliamentarian Datuk Ibrahim Ali as saying that the total number of seats in Parliament occupied by Malay Malaysians was enough to form government. Therefore, the government should fulfil all the wishes of Malay Malaysians because they were the majority, and not keep on co-operating with non-Malay Malaysians.
Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim went on to urge Umno to return to a hardline position. "Malay parties are strong when Malay [Malaysians] are taken care of. So Umno has to focus on Malay [Malaysians]. Umno doesn't need to fear because I see that when Umno is strong, non-Malay [Malaysians] will automatically support the Barisan Nasional (BN), as before," he said.
The article received wide public attention. DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang took Najib's silence in the Umno-aligned newspaper's article as evidence that the BN was still trapped in an "ethnic prison".
On 17 April, when quizzed by Malaysiakini in a report titled PM elak ulas 'Bangkitlah Melayu' about the Utusan Malaysia report, Najib said that whether it was contrary to his 1Malaysia concept or not was up to individual interpretation.
"Generally, I don't want extremist attitudes in our country," Najib continued. "Doesn't matter where that extremism comes from. We must be moderate. Islam is a religion that encourages moderate thinking and practice."
