Malay rights group Perkasa conceded there are no legal provisions barring a non-Muslim from becoming prime minister, but insisted today that it still wants to ensure that only Malays can lead the nation.
Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said while Perkasa’s stand means that it respects the Federal Constitution, it does not mean that the group supports the notion of a Christian prime minister.
“We concede that anyone can become prime minister, if they are given the mandate to do so by the winning party in the general elections.
“Umno also has non-Muslim members on Sabah, Sarawak. If anyone there becomes Umno president, he can also become PM. There is nothing we can do about it,” Syed Hassan said.
Dompok's brave remarks
The Perkasa leader’s remarks come in response to Barisan Nasional (BN) Cabinet member Tan Sri Bernard Dompok’s statement that there is nothing wrong with a Christian prime minister.
Dompok said yesterday the country’s highest law has never made race or religion a criteria for an individual to assume to post of prime minister, and he is the first member of the Najib administration to point out the obvious fact.
“But this does not mean we support the notion of a Christian prime minister. Perkasa as a Malay rights group still wants a Malay prime minister to represent the interests of a majority race,” Syed Hassan explained.
The federal constitution does not expressly specify race or religious requirements for the position of prime minister.
Article 43(2)(a) of the constitution states only that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint as PM a member of Parliament who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.
Likewise, Article 3(1) of the federal constitution does not position Islam as the “official” religion of the country.
It only states that “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.”
But Syed Hassan said that it is “understood” that Islam is the official religion, even though it is not specifically expressed within the country’s laws.
“The religion of the Federation means it is an officially recognised religion of the country, it is official ... for years politicians, leaders have accepted this as fact,” added the Perkasa leader.
The controversy first started when Utusan Malaysia reported a presumed secret plot by Christian groups to install a Christian as prime minister.
The Malay daily carried a front-page article on Saturday claiming the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to take over Putrajaya and abolish Islam as the country’s official religion.
The report, based entirely on unsubstantiated blog postings by several pro-Umno bloggers, charged the DAP with sedition for allegedly trying to change the country’s laws to allow a Christian prime minister, pointing to a grainy photograph showing what they described as a secret pact between the opposition party and pastors at a hotel in Penang on Wednesday.
Christian groups and the DAP have repeatedly denied the allegation, and have slammed the Umno daily for printing “dangerous lies.”
- Malaysian Insider
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