Prove ‘Malays are beggars’ claim in public debate, Kit Siang tells Dr M
(Malay Mail Online) – Opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang today told old rival Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to back up his claim that the Malays have become “beggars” in their own land, challenging the former prime minister to a public debate on the topic.
Describing the assertion as “garbage”, Lim questioned if Dr Mahathir truly believed that the country’s largest ethnic group has suffered despite 57 uninterrupted years of Umno rule under six Umno prime ministers.
“If so, then this is the most powerful reason why the Malays and even Malaysians must throw Umno out of Putrajaya in the (14th general election),” he said in a statement.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir claimed that Umno, PAS and PKR have split the Malay vote three ways and turned the political parties into “beggars” to the Chinese.
The country’s longest-serving prime minister alleged that the Malays are now the weakest ethnic group in the country, despite being responsible for introducing the power-sharing concept among Malaysia’s various races.
Lim today said Dr Mahathir’s claim rings hollow when practically all positions of consequence – from the prime minister to Attorney-General, police and military chiefs and vice-chancellors of all public universities – are helmed by the Malays.
The Gelang Patah MP then cited a recent story by Umno-owned Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, which quoted Public Service Department (JPA) director of organisational development Datuk Norzam Mohd Nor as saying that 60 per cent of chief executives at government statutory bodies had no idea what they were doing.
“Is this fault to be laid at the doors of the Chinese in Malaysia? Mahathir said Malays have lost political power. Have the PM, DPMs, the heavy-weight Umno ministers, heads of civil service, judiciary, police, armed forces, secretaries-general and heads of departments, university vice chancellors become puppets of the Chinese at their beck and call?
“Only crazies would answer in the affirmative, and it is unthinkable that Mahathir, having been prime minister for 22 years, could believe such garbage,” Lim said.
The senior DAP leader also slammed Dr Mahathir over the latter’s continued support for Malay rights group Perkasa, whose members allegedly hurled derogatory terms at Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and state Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim during a protest in Penang on Friday, and also allegedly tore down a Christmas banner and assaulted DAP Tebing Tinggi assemblyman Ong Boon Piow in Ipoh.
Lim said it was unbecoming of a former prime minister to be party to “gangsterish misconduct” and “boorish behaviour” by Perkasa members.
“Whatever my differences with Umno leaders in my 48 years of politics, I have always treated Mahathir and all the other five Umno prime ministers with the greatest of respect, not only as due to their high office, but to set an example of rational and civilised political discourse in Malaysia politics.
“I feel sad that Mahathir has degenerated to a stage where he could look with approval at the gangsterish and boorish misconduct of the Perkasa demonstrators in Penang and Ipoh last Friday,” Lim said.
