Johor Sultan also hurt by Mahathir’s ‘Bugis pirate’ remark
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar says he too is of Bugis descent, along with many others in Johor.
(FMT) – Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has become the latest to join in the chorus of those condemning former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his remark on Bugis pirates.
Speaking in an exclusive interview carried by the New Straits Times today, Sultan Ibrahim said he had also felt slighted by Mahathir’s words.
“I am of Bugis descent. The Sultan of Selangor is of Bugis descent. Many Johoreans are of Bugis descent. My ancestry can be traced to Riau-Lingga, where there are many Bugis people. What will the Bugis feel?
“Imagine if I say that Chinese were robbers. Won’t the Chinese feel slighted? If I say the Indians are murderers? The Indians will feel slighted,” he was quoted as saying.
Mahathir, who is Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, was alleged to have sullied Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Indonesian ancestry by comparing him to Bugis pirates in two political speeches last month.
His remark came under heavy criticism from several quarters, including the Indonesian Makassar Bugis Youth Association and the Selangor Royal Court.
In a statement, the palace said the “verbal attacks have directly demeaned the history and heritage of the Selangor sultanate, which is descended from the Bugis”.
On Nov 2, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said Mahathir had “clearly insulted and bracketed the Bugis as a people who originated from pirates, robbers and criminals”.
“The members of the Selangor Royal Council believe the speech was very extreme and could incite feelings of hatred and a negative perception of the Bugis people to the extent of causing disorder.
“This allegation indirectly insulted the ancestral roots of the Selangor sultanate which was founded by the Bugis,” he said in a statement.
Mahathir himself has maintained that he never said anything against the ethnic group, only against Najib.
Najib had many times proclaimed that he was Bugis. The Bugis originate from South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
