Decade after 'Malay first', Kit Siang asks if PM is now 'Malaysian first'

 

Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang wants to know if Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is prepared to declare that he is "Malaysian first", a decade after the latter declared himself "Malay first".

This was after Muhyiddin yesterday launched the National Unity Policy and National Unity Blueprint 2021-2030.

"When Muhyiddin cautioned Malaysians against politicians who play on racial sentiment to gain political mileage, describing them as challenges faced in multiracial countries, all Malaysian eyes were on him as the classic example.

"After 64 years of nationhood, is Muhyiddin prepared to lead Malaysians throughout the country to declare he is 'Malaysian first' to spearhead the 10-year National Unity Blueprint, where every Malaysian can declare he or she is 'Malaysian first, Malay/Chinese/Indian/Kadazan/Iban second'?" Lim said in a statement.

Lim said on March 18, 2010, he made the same challenge to Muhyiddin, who was at the time the deputy prime minister.

At the time, he noted that then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia concept was "the vogue of the day".

"I declared in Parliament that I was Malaysian first and Chinese second and challenged every cabinet minister to make a similar declaration to show that they have the 1Malaysia DNA.

"But no other cabinet minister dared to take up the challenge. Instead, Muhyiddin declared that he was 'Malay first, Malaysian second'.

"He even challenged me to declare that I was Malaysian first and Chinese second until he was told by reporters that I had already made such a declaration in Parliament during the debate on the royal address on March 18, 2010," the DAP lawmaker said.

Lim pointed out that at the time, the government had the "1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap", which professed the goal of having Malaysians perceive themselves as "Malaysian first".

"I maintain my position 10 years ago that just as a Malaysian who declared that he was Malaysian first and Chinese second did not make him or her less of a Chinese, similarly a person who declared that he was Malaysian first and Malay, Indian, Kadazan, or Iban second did not make him or her less of a Malay, Indian, Kadazan, or Iban.

"Is Muhyiddin prepared to admit he was wrong 10 years ago?

"In the present era, in launching the 10-year National Unity Blueprint, are Muhyiddin and every cabinet minister prepared to publicly declare that he or she is Malaysian first and Malay/Chinese/Indian/Kadazan/Iban or Muslim/Buddhist/Christian/Hindu/Sikkhist/Taoist second?" he said.

Lim also asked Muhyiddin to have all ministers declare fealty to the Rukun Negara, which he claimed some do not appear committed to.

"Malaysia’s strength is in our diversity. Nobody will lose his ethnic, cultural, or religious characteristics, whether as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh or Taoist,. But every citizen in Malaysia must first or foremost be a Malaysian," he said. - Mkini