'Ketuanan Melayu could erode non-Malay rights'

A PAS leader has warned that, if Malay supremacy continues to be upheld, the rights of other ethnic groups in Malaysia may not be guaranteed.

This is because ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ is intended to ensure the longevity of Umno rather than to defend Malay rights, argued PAS central committee member Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

“PAS has been ruling Kelantan and the majority there are Malays. The federal government ruled by Malays does not give the state their right to oil royalty payments,” Mujahid said, citing an example.

“If they cannot fulfil even this, how are they to defend the rights of non-Malays?”

He was speaking at the three-hour forum themed ‘Masih Relevankah Ketuanan Melayu?’organised yesterday by the Islamic Renaissance Front and Liberty Centre, Penang. It drew about 40 participants.

The question of Malay supremacy has been thrust into the limelight as pressure groups like Perkasa claim that Malay rights are under threat, especially in Penang where the state government is led by the DAP.

Mujahid, the son of PAS founder Yusof Rawa, said his party is very clear in that Islam requires all ethnic communities and minorities, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, to be protected.

He noted that the defence of Malay supremacy has often resulted in incidents of “corruption, slander and narrow perspectives”.

This is why, he said, PAS will not abandon its move toward the creation of an Islamic state based on the principles of “fairness for all”.

‘Not Ketuanan Islam’

He was quick to add, however, that this does not mean that PAS practises “Ketuanan Islam”.

“The guarantee (fairness for all) in Islam is not in the (federal) constitution but in the Al-Quran. The Prophet (pbuh) says we are all sent to give blessings and mercy to the world,” he explained.

“None of this (saying) is found in the manifesto of any political party. But that is the way the Prophet has taught us. I can betray the manifesto, but I cannot betray the Prophet. PAS’s promises are with the Almighty, not with human beings.”

Mujahid further noted that Malay supremacy becomes a problem when political parties like Umno want to rule forever.

“So, they will defend it .... Even if there is blood, they will defend. Come on, this is a democracy. You lose one day, you win another day and vice-versa,” he said in lighter vein.

“For us in PAS, power is God-given. We may have it or lose it but God has asked us to uphold justice. Malay supremacy is just a concept to justify the National Economic Policy to continue Umno’s struggle.”

Other panellists at the forum were USM lecturer Fadlullah Jamil and Institute Al-Qaiyyim president Abdul Rasyid Idris.