Umno leaders only talk about promoting 1Malaysia but the truth is they are narrow-minded

Referring to the case where Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar called for a debate on Article 153 of the Federal Constitiution with Perkasa, Syed Husin said Nurul's challenge was spot-on as it sent shockwaves to the right-wing group.

“She hit the jackpot as three senior ministers, including Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, criticised her challenge as they felt threatened by it,” Syed Husin said.

On Aug 31, Nurul Izzah invited Perkasa for public debate over Malay rights, but her invitation was rejected by Perkasa.

She was also criticised by senior Umno leaders like vice-president Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and its Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil for her calls.

Syed Husin said he agreed with Nurul Izzah when she said there is no such thing as “special rights” written in the Federal Constitution.

“She was right when she said there is no such thing as 'special rights' in the constitution; rather it is stated as 'special position'. Plus, there is no such thing as 'Malay supremacy' in the constitution as well,” he said.

Syed Husin added that what Nurul Izzah said was in line with what PKR and Pakatan Rakyat stand for: they uphold the spirit of the constitution.

“It includes clauses pertaining to the position of Islam, the rulers, Bahasa Melayu and the special position of the Malays as long as the clauses are not abused by a certain priviliged group,” Syed Husin said.

08/09/10

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