Reshuffle ‘hijacked’ unity council, Perkasa chief tells PM
(Malay Mail Online) – Malay rights group Perkasa has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to reshuffle the membership of the National Unity Consultation Council (NUCC) as it has allegedly been “hijacked” by “evil” parties.
The group also accused the Malay-Muslim members of the council of being manipulated and ineffective, as they number less than the other parties.
“We’re confident that the Malay-Muslim representatives in NUCC do not have an effective role, in addition to being deaf and manipulated,” Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said in a statement.
“Their number is smaller than those with certain agendas. The PM should overhaul and reshuffle the NUCC.”
Thirty members were appointed into the council by Najib last year. 13 of them are Muslims, while 11 out of them are also Malays.
This comes as Perkasa and the coalition National Unity Body (BPN) expressed relief that Najib has insisted that the proposed harmony bills will need Putrajaya’s approval before they get implemented.
They also praised Najib’s guarantee to defend the position of Islam, Malay language, the royal institution, and the special rights of the Malays and the Bumiputera.
The NUCC is proposing three laws: the Racial, Religious and Hate Crimes bill, which outlaws hate speech; the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill, which prohibits discrimination; and the National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Bill, which details the functions of the commission that will inquire into complaints of discrimination.
The Bills have since been opposed by right wing government supporters who claimed the proposed laws were created by “atheist liberals” to undermine Malay rule.
Ibrahim also requested for Perkasa to join the newly-formed coalition Negara-Ku today, claiming it has “the right to be heard” as a legitimate organisation.
On Thursday, Negara-Ku was launched by lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreneevasan and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, who were both previously co-chairmen of the electoral reform watchdog Bersih 2.0.
The two touted the group as a “people’s movement to reclaim the country”, and is endorsed by over 60 civil society groups and NGOs.
“This is to keep the credibility of Ambiga so that she would not be labelled as having ‘double standards’ when dealing with Perkasa,” said Ibrahim.
“Where is the democracy, human rights and transparency which are championed by Ambiga?”
Perkasa is the latest to criticise the formation of Negara-Ku this week, following Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).
Isma accused Negara-Ku of being against Islam as the religion of federation and the rights of the Malays, alleging it was a new front for humanist, liberal and religious pluralist movements in the country.
