MCA, Gerakan call Dr M’s Tanah Melayu remarks divisive

Leaders from Barisan Nasional’s (BN) non-Malay parties have described Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement urging other communities to accept the sovereignty of the Malays as divisive.

MCA vice-president Senator Gan Ping Seiu said the former prime minister should have used his status as an elder statesman to unite the nation.

“As a senior statesman, the rakyat expects Tun to be a fatherly figure and his remarks should be more unifying and constructive. Any selective and unproductive remarks only serve to divide the people,” said the deputy minister for youth and sports last night.

In a speech on Tuesday, Dr Mahathir told Malaysians to admit that the country belonged to the Malays and that they had to accept the culture and language of the dominant community.

The former prime minister for 22 years said that the country’s forefathers gave the Chinese and Indians citizenship because they expected the communities to respect Malay sovereignty.

Dr Mahathir also urged everyone to be sincere and accept the fact “that the country is Tanah Melayu.”

Gan, however, argued that the term was only a geographical reference and should not be taken out of context.

“Tanah Melayu was a geographical name for peninsular Malaysia in its historical context. No reason to argue otherwise, just like the independence of this country was fought by all ethnic communities’ leaders,” Gan told The Malaysian Insider.

“History cannot be rewritten. Any overzealous reading into history to suit one’s own pride and prejudice is an affront to intellectual honesty.

“Similarly, 1 Malaysia must be read within the instrument of our Federal Constitution. The inclusiveness and mutual respect enunciated in 1 Malaysia are the key spirit of our federal constitution,” he added.

In his speech on the future of the Malay race, Dr Mahathir also said that non-Malays must place country before race to make the Malays feel less threatened.

Dr Mahathir pointed out that former Philippine President Corazon Aquino and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra are Chinese but adopted the Filipino and Thai culture respectively.

“No one country in the world is identical, there are also countries in the world that have more than one official language. Such an argument leads us nowhere,” said Gan.

“We should preserve and value the social order that our forefathers fought hard to build. Our nationality is Malaysian and Malaysians that I have met love Malaysia, but when a foreigner asks me whether I am a Chinese, I will say yes, as I am an ethnic Chinese, just like if a Malay is asked whether he is a Javanese, Sumatran or Bugis, it doesn’t make him any less Malaysian,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn also expressed similar sentiments, saying Dr Mahathir’s argument was a waste of time.

“There is no point arguing about this. This is waste of time, we should look at the future and focus on nation building. No one should justify what’s happening now by citing history,” Chang told The Malaysian Insider.

“Of course, we must learn from our history, but our energy must be focussed on our future.

“His remarks will only further divide the various races,” he said.

Chang also described Dr Mahathir’s comparison of the local Chinese with those in the Philippines and Thailand as unfair.

“Every country is unique; it is not a fair comparison. I don’t agree with his way of comparing with other countries,” said Chang. - Malaysian Insider