Implement ‘family concept’ at home first, Ramasamy tells PM

 

P Ramasamy says Ismail Sabri Yaakob should focus more on implementing reforms based on the MoU he has signed with Pakatan Harapan.

PETALING JAYA: It is fine to preach to the world about the usefulness of the family concept but Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob must ensure it is implemented in the country first, says a DAP leader.

Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy said there are just too many divisive policies and practices in Malaysia that need to be rectified before Ismail brings the concept to the world stage.

“It is perfectly alright for Ismail to preach about the family concept, but he must ensure that it must first be implemented in the country.

“Only then can Ismail preach to the world through the United Nations. Until then, he should focus on bringing about reforms that were promised to the opposition in the Memorandum of Understanding with Pakatan Harapan,” he said in a statement.

In his inaugural speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday, Ismail said that the necessity of togetherness or family is paramount in resolving the problems of the world.

He said that the concept of one global family has its utility in stemming the tide of the Covid-19 pandemic or the problems that are rooted in the glaring economic differences between the wealthy, the middle-income and poor countries.

Citing the recent diatribe involving the finance ministry’s ruling that an equity of 51% must be set aside for Bumiputera companies in the freight forwarding sector, Ramasamy said such a blatant and racist directive was a direct challenge to Ismail’s family concept.

“In other words, non-Bumiputera freight forwarding companies must give up 51% of their share equity to Bumiputera companies if they have obtained customs licenses.

“Ismail cannot talk about Malaysians being one great family when government agencies are hell bent on discriminating against Malaysians on racial lines in the provisions of licenses. The requirement has only been postponed and not removed,” he said.

In this context, Ramasamy said Malaysians have always looked upon the government to do the right thing and not to divide ‘family’ members by race and religion.

“Past governments failed because race and religion became the handy tools for political dominance.

“Only time will tell how far the present government under Ismail will go with the family concept despite the deep ethnic and religious divisions,” he said, adding that even Ismail has had his share of making racial and bigoted utterances in the past.- FMT