Malays 'lost power' because they were not united, says ex-IGP

Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan believes that it is disunity that led to Malays purportedly losing their grip on power.

"Unity overall does not exist if the Malays do not unite," he told the Gerakan Pembela Ummah convention in Kuala Lumpur today. 

"Sometimes, we have to see what our mistakes were. Because we made mistakes, we lost power, and now we are governed by a government which does not put race and religion as its core."

Claiming that history shows that the country belongs to the Malays, Musa said that certain quarters are trying to provoke those in the community by calling them racist and using "reverse discrimination."

"Today, they use the 'reverse discrimination' tactic... they claimed to have been oppressed by the Malays.

"But when the Malays demand our rights, we are labelled as racist. They provoke us so that we will react (melenting)," he said.

Musa advised the public to refrain from reacting to these apparent provocations, and use legal channels instead, such as by filing police reports.

"The (current) inspector-general of police has to be stern in keeping the peace and order in the country.

"Malays have to keep their composure and don't be quick to react by wrongful means."

'Critical state'

Former Universiti Teknologi Mara vice-chancellor Ibrahim Shah Abu Shah (photo), meanwhile, believes that Malays are in a "critical situation."

"If we don't unite, something bad will happen," he cautioned.

Ibrahim said that he had warned, as early as in 2010, of the threat of Christian evangelists, whom he believes have a strategic plan to bring down Islam around the world, including in Malaysia.

"They want to contain the economy, politics, and culture of Muslims. The plan was meant for Muslims.

"But (unfortunately) we are not concerned enough. Many Malays today are educated, but they don't dig deep to understand the implications (of the Christian evangelical movement)," he said.

Ibrahim echoed Musa's sentiments and lamented the split of Malays into may factions, despite making up 68 percent of the population.

"There's a book that describes the bravery of Muslims in the history of Andalucia. They were knowledgeable and educated, and enlightened Europe which at the time, was in the Dark Ages.

"But they fought among themselves. They split into multitudes of smaller groups.

"In society, we are the majority. In politics, we are the minority. Today, we see Malays have divided into several groups," he said.

The former don added that Malays are too tolerant.

"We tolerate others. But when other parties insult us, we continue to tolerate it." - Mkini