Unless Najib rebukes Mahathir, Ibrahim and the likes of them for creating ill-will among Malaysians of various faiths, only then will the rakyat take 1Malaysia seriously.
“Why do you ask? Of course I use the meter. Don’t take offence but I must tell you it is the Indian cabbies who are the culprits. They never use the meter. This makes me very angry. It also makes me very angry when the Malay rights are questioned. We the Malays are very sensitive when it comes to our privileges.
“If bloodshed is necessary to defend what is ours, we will do so,” the cabbie retorted.
When I reached home, the meter showed RM8.10 and in the blink of an eye it increased to RM10. Curious, I questioned the cabbie.
“Oh! I thought you had a big purchase so I decided to charge you extra.”
This despite the fact that the stroller was resting on the back seat of the cab and not in the luggage compartment. I reminded him it was merely a stroller and upon hearing this, the already embarrassed cabbie asked for RM8.
Somehow the cabbie’s words served as a déjà vu when the following day I read in the newspapers the caveat coming from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the Malays – that they must be united if they want to have a Muslim prime minister.
“It is up to Malaysians… if you do not want to choose a Muslim PM, you will get a non-Muslim one.
“We hope Muslims here get to decide on the PM because they are the majority. If they (Muslims) are split, then we cannot do anything,” one of the newspapers quoted Mahathir as saying.
The good doctor felt compelled to comment after law expert Professor Abdul Aziz Bari said the Federal Constitution does not require a Muslim prime minister to lead the government and that any such provision would be against Malaysia’s law of equality.
Threats and more threats
Both the cabbie and Mahathir have something in common – both unabashedly go about shouting that Islam is superior and any move to thwart what the dominant race is enjoying will incur severe repercussions.
What is happening here? Why the fixation that only a Muslim is most qualified to lead this country? Is an Indian or a Chinese leader, should there be any of such calibre, a no-no all because Muslims make the majority in Malaysia?
Three months ago, on Feb 1, Mahathir warned the non-Malays not to get carried away thinking Malaysia is their homeland as the “rightful” owners are the Malays because Malaysia was once called Tanah Melayu.
It does seem that no effort is being spared to put the non-Malays down, one way or another. To send the message out that only a non-Malay will never be tolerated as a prime minister says that all is not well when it comes to professing Malaysia as a united nation, in the true sense of the word.
To Mahathir, the “defenders” of Malay rights are no less heroes and it disturbs him why they are labelled as bigots. Indeed, when it comes to changing his tune, Mahathir is a regular natural.
Asserting the claim that only the majority race has the right to helm the country raises the question that Mahathir should answer with sincerity – where do the non-Malays really feature when it comes to “negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku, rakyat hidup bersatu dan maju” (my country, the land where my blood has spilt, the people living united and progressive) as declared by the national anthem “Negaraku” (My Country)?
Why the insecurity and worry over the idea that a non-Malay could some day make his way to Putrajaya, the nation’s administrative centre and call the shots?
What does Mahathir and the like risk losing should a non-Malay make history as the nation’s prime minister?
How about the fact that Mahathir who holds the record for having led Malaysia for 22 years is not a true-blue Malay, keeping his Indian-Muslim roots in mind? So why then does he harp on the fact that only a Muslim must lead Malaysia?
Mahathir’s malignant remark asking the Malays to stay united to prevent a non-Malay from taking over as premier smacks of bigotry. And there is no denying that this former prime minister has turned racist to the core, sparing no opportunity in putting the other races down.
Now, the ultra Malay-group Perkasa has jumped on the bandwagon, insisting that the prime minister’s post is reserved only for a Malay-Muslim. Its women’s wing Youth chief Zaira Jaafar stubbornly insisted that the sovereignty of the Malay rulers was made clear in the Federal Constitution – hence the PM’s post could only be filled by an individual from the majority race.
“It is implied,” was Zaira’s counter reply to the arguments coming from independent constitutional experts that there are no provisions stating that a premier must be a Malay-Muslim.
When leaders incite hatred
With so much dislike for the non-Malays, doubt has started creeping in as to whether harmony and unity will remain the bedrock of this country which is home to people of various races and faiths.
What is sad is that it is the leaders who keep inciting hatred among Malaysians of different beliefs, continuously warning the non-Malays to be thankful to the Malays for the chance given to call Malaysia home.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said that national peace is important and no one is at liberty to meddle with it. That being so, why are Mahathir and Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali never taken to task each time they hit out at the non-Malays with their seditious remarks?
Until and unless Najib rebukes Mahathir, Ibrahim and the likes of them for creating ill-will among Malaysians of various faiths, only then will the people take Najib’s 1Malaysia seriously.
Creating racial crevasse has become an agenda for former leaders like Mahathir and if this continues, there is no saying to what extent and how quickly peace and unity among the people is going to erode.
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