Asyraf says BN doesn't play race, Wee asks for UEC report

Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki last night slammed Pakatan Harapan for allegedly playing race politics, saying unlike them, BN does not say one thing to the Chinese and something else to the Malays.

Meanwhile, in a Chinese-language statement last night, MCA president Wee Ka Siong questioned when Harapan would be tabling its report on the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). The statement was not released in Malay or English.

The UEC is a key issue for the Chinese community who want the certificate to be recognised for public universities and government jobs. 

Umno leaders including Asyraf (above), however, are against UEC recognition.

Speaking to a crowd of 500 in Pekan Nanas, Tanjung Piai last night, Asyraf said Harapan must realise that in this day and age, people can translate what they say.

"There is a minister who looks like the Doraemon character Nobita (Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng), he speaks in Mandarin to the Chinese.

"He thinks in this current age people can't translate (what is said), he spoke in a very racist, very chauvinistic manner, fanning racial sentiments and belittling civil servants," he said.,

It is believed that the Umno Youth chief was referring to a claim by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak that Lim had threatened to withhold civil servant's salaries if they don't vote for Harapan in the Tanjung Piai by-election. Lim has denied this allegation and demanded proof.

Meanwhile, Asyraf in his speech also said that Chinese and Indians should not be referred to as pendatang (foreigners).

"Malays have accepted our friends, Don't call them pendatang. They have been here for three-four generations, we accept them wholeheartedly. This is their land too," he said.

However, he said repeatedly in his speech that Malays are the core-race of the country.

Elsewhere, Wee (above) in his statement last night lamented Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's track record of treating the Chinese as pendatang, and labelling Chinese education group Dong Zong as racist.

He said Mahathir and Harapan are dropping lots of goodies in Tanjung Piai for the by-election, and wondered if the UEC report would be one of them.

"While he is desperate to win the by-election, will he announce the UEC report?

"The report was supposed to be announced in July, then October, November. Everybody said there will be a good news during the by-election.

"But at last, Mahathir did not want to announce the UEC report. Instead, he will spread money and goodies in certain areas," the MCA president said.

Recognising the UEC is one of Harapan's election manifesto promises.

A special task force on the recognition was supposed to submit its final report at end of October but there Education Minister Maszlee Malik said last week it is still being finalised. - Mkini