Report lodged against Najib over 'racist' statement

Sarawak DAP today lodged a police report against Prime Minister Najib Razak over his statement that Malay survival depends on the 13th general election.

DAP Serian chairperson Edward Luak lodged the report over what is claimed to be a racist and seditious statement by the PM last Sunday.

Bernama last week reported the PM saying during the Pekan Umno division delegates' meeting, “This is not about winning or losing, this is a question of thesurvival of the Malays.”

Luak said, “I lodged the report because I believe the statement is racist in nature and even seditious, as it could arouse the sentiments of our peaceful citizens and could incite mistrust and hatred among the Malaysian people, who are multi-racial and multi-religious.

“That statement has hurt my feelings, the feelings of my friends and many Malaysians. It makes us feel insecure and uncared for.”

He said as the population of non-Malays was significant, the statement could be perceived that Najib is only concerned with one segment of Malaysians.

“It is racist because Malaysians are made up of various races, of various creeds and having different customs and traditions.

“The non-Malay segment of the Malaysian population is about 50 percent. Therefore I believe that statement could arouse ill-feelings and hatred among the people as it can be perceived that the prime minister is only concerned about only one segment of the Malaysian people.

“The prime minister should apologise to the Malaysian people,” he said, urging the police as an independent government body to investigate the matter.

‘Another May 13 unlikely’

Meanwhile state DAP Secretary Chong Chieng Jen (below), who accompanied Luak to lodge the report at the Simpang Tiga Police station in Kuching, said that he did not believe that the May 13, 1969 racial riots would recur as the conditions were no longer there.

“Why I say the conditions are no longer there, is because in 1969 before May 13 happened, and in the days that followed, there was a total blackout of news, whereby the (only) source of information was through TV and radio, which was controlled by BN to spread the news to scare the people.

“Because of the new technology that we have now, anything that happens will be known within seconds in the whole Malaysia, and the whole world will know through the Internet and Youtube. 

“All these scare tactics of the BN through news blackouts are no longer effect anymore,” said Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching MP. 

He said another factor against a recurrence of a May 13 was that in Pakatan Rakyat a Malay-dominant  party such as PAS would be able to dispel any notion that the Malays were being mistreated, a common BN bogeyman.

“After the 2008 election when Pakatan took over Penang, there were more than 300 Umno members who were trying to create racial tension by getting all the Malays to come out to say that they had been mistreated.

“PAS came out with a statement to clear the air, and the situation was pacified. Umno and BN’s intention was not successful,” he said.

He added that the number of Malays trying to create racial tension has decreased since Pakatan formed the Penang government.

Meanwhile, said Chong, BN parties are trying to tell the Chinese that their survival would also depend on the next GE.

“On the other hand the MCA and SUPP said that if the Pakatan wins the next election, the Chinese will be dead.  

“It is a clear case whereby the Barisan has run out of political capital so much so that it resorts to racial issues, trying to scare the people to vote for them.

“It is the biggest irony of the century, when on one hand Najib is talking about 1Malaysia and on other he is talking about the survival of the Malays, trying to scare the Malays into voting  for BN.  

“This is the biggest irony of Najib. It makes 1Malaysia a joke,” Chong added.