Are you suggesting Samy Vellu was disloyal, Kit Siang asks Dr M

 

Lim Kit Siang has censured Dr Mahathir Mohamad for casting aspersions on the loyalty of Chinese and Indian Malaysians.

Pointing out that the former premier was the founder of both Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia, he accused the 98-year-old politician of doing the “greatest disservice” to both concepts.

He also reminded Mahathir of the non-Malay ministers who served in his cabinets, namely the former MIC president, the late S Samy Vellu.

“Is he suggesting that Samy Vellu, who was in his cabinet for 22 years during his first premiership, was not loyal to Malaysia?” the DAP leader asked in a statement.

“Were Lee San Choon, Dr Ling Liong Sik, Lee Kim Sai, Ting Chew Peh, Lim Ah Lek, Neo Yee Pan, Chong Hon Nyan, Chong Siang Sun, Ng Cheng Kiat, Richard Ho, Dr Lim Keng Yaik, Paul Leong, Ong Kee Hui, Stephen Yong, Law Hieng Ding, who had served in his cabinets, were not loyal to Malaysia?” he added.

Lim said another fundamental question is whether Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia were nothing more than a national fraud.

The late S Samy Vellu

He added that during Mahathir’s 22-year and 22-month tenures as prime minister, he had never raised the question of loyalty.

Lim then quoted Mahathir’s speech in 1985 where the latter said: “There was fear among the people that they have to give up their own cultures, values and religions. This could not work, we believe that Bangsa Malaysia is the answer.”

He said it was clear that Mahathir offered Malay nationalism and multiculturalism as the basis of the construction of Bangsa Malaysia.

In 1996, the DAP leader said, Time Magazine quoted Mahathir on ending the policy of assimilation as stating: “The idea before was that people should become 100 percent Malay in order to be Malaysian.

“We now accept that this is a multi-racial country. We should build bridges instead of trying to completely remove the barriers separating us.

“We do not intend to convert all the Chinese to Islam, and we tell our people, the Muslims, 'you will not try to force people to convert'."

‘Classic failures’

Lim said both Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia were “classic failures” because all the nine challenges listed failed to materialise, in particular to create a united Malaysian nation.

“Malaysia has never been so divided as in the recent past, where it had five prime ministers in five years and 3R issues were exploited with the help of the lies, falsehoods, fake news and hate speech in the social media to divide instead of uniting Malaysians.

“However, another minister during the entire span of the 22 years of the first Mahathir premiership, Rafidah Aziz redeemed the situation when she pointed out that Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia encompassed the diverse racial and hereditary origins of all Malaysians and that there was no need for Malaysians to question one another on their loyalty and love for the nation.”

Rafidah Aziz

Lim said Malaysia now required a new vision to unite its people and has no time for Mahathir who is “engrossed with a long-forgotten past”.

“Malaysian must find its destiny in a new common vision for the future,” he added.