Umno, Pakatan slam Dr M’s Malay theory as ‘far-fetched’
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — In a rare show of unity, Umno and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have slammed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s argument that the Malays could end up being a minority.
They called the former prime minister’s theory “far-fetched”.
Umno’s Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said statements like these from Dr Mahathir had resulted in the Malays being even more split and unable to assert dominance.
“He (Dr Mahathir) is giving a far-fetched scenario, without really properly looking into finding a way to give out a proper message that young Malays could understand. He is scaring the Malays into becoming more Malay,” said Nur Jazlan.
Dr Mahathir suggested yesterday that future government leaders could open the immigration floodgates to dilute the number of Malays in the country.
He said in a posting on his popular blog that the current national leadership appears to believe that the Malays would continue to account for 60 per cent of the country’s population.
“He’s just being Dr Mahathir. Immigration polices would only be amended to allow more immigrants if the country desperately lacked labour and needed the input a lot.
“Bear in mind that even if immigrants come, they cannot vote. So how are they going to affect the Malays’ position?” Nur Jazlan told The Malaysian Insider.
He said that it was “not right” for the former PM to assume that the Malays were constantly under siege and could not compete with the other races.
“He should realise that it was from his own industrialisation policies which have resulted in the Malays being more progressive. The Malays today are competitive, strong and capable of direct competition,” said the Umno man.
He claimed that the reason why the Malays were not united in the first place was because of Umno’s own policies.
“It is the questioning of Umno’s own policies. If Umno wants their support it has to fight for them. Get them to be on our side,” said the Pulai MP.
“Dr Mahathir is just doing it for Perkasa. Perkasa is not taking off, Ibrahim Ali sounds racist when he opens his mouth. With Dr Mahathir’s position, he hopes to attract moderate Malays.”
But Nur Jazlan admitted that Dr Mahathir’s remarks would still have an “effect on the more rural Malays, who still regard him as a national icon.”
Another Umno member, Johor Baru MP Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad, said that while Umno could take heed of Dr Mahathir’s advice, he personally felt it was too speculative.
“I think that it is purely speculative. I’m not too worried about his remarks.
“He is basing his theory on a perception of Semenanjung Malaysia, on what had happened to Malaya. But we have to view his arguments in the context of Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak,” said Shahrir.
