Perkasa laments it continues to be treated as punching bag

Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali - saddened!

KUALA LANGAT — Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) has lamented that the non-governmental organisation (NGO) continues to be treated as a punching bag by certain quarters just because it is defending Malay rights.

Its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said Perkasa was not a racist or extremist group as labelled by some quarters as it also rejected racism.

“As far as we are concerned, we are only defending Article 143 of the Federal Constitution, besides speaking up on economic issues as this is part of the democratic process,” he told reporters after launching the Kuala Langat chapter of Perkasa, here, today. Also present was Kuala Langat Perkasa chairman Datuk Abdul Fatah Iskandar.

Ibrahim was earlier asked to comment on the call by MCA Youth for the Barisan Nasional leadership to separate itself from extremists or extremist groups in the country.

The movement’s head Datuk Wee Ka Siong said this move was important in BN’s effort to lobby for the people’s support and in fulfilling its responsibility of looking after the interests of all communities, so that no group would be marginalised in the development process.

On Wee’s statement that MCA Youth respected the social contract and Federal Constitution, Ibrahim asked Wee to give his own definition and explain his understanding of the matter.

Ibrahim who is also Pasir Mas member of parliament, also questioned Wee’s stance of only criticising Perkasa’s struggle but did not do the same over Hindraf’s London-based chairman P. Waythamoorthy questioning the words of caution from the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, on Oct 4 over the issue of raising sensitive issues.

“He (Wee) also did not pressure the government to set up a royal commission of enquiry into claims that DAP leaders had benefited in terms of timber concessions when the opposition pact governed Perak.

“We were also called primitive which we don’t mind, as it can also mean ‘original’ and also because we are only defending Malay rights,” the Perkasa leader said.

Asked whether Perkasa had any plans to field a candidate in the next general due to increasing support for the NGO, Ibrahim said they did not think about it as Perkasa was not a political party and its focus was on uniting the Malays. — Bernama