Proposed Malay umbrella body only symbolic, says Ramasamy

An umbrella body of Malay NGOs, proposed by Muhyiddin Yassin, is unlikely to yield significant results, said Urimai chairman P Ramasamy.

PETALING JAYA: 

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s call for an umbrella body comprising all Malay and Bumiputera societies is more symbolic than practical, says P Ramasamy, the chairman of the Indian-based Urimai party.

He said Muhyiddin’s proposal was made to shore up Bersatu’s political standing due to the party’s waning influence.

“However, it is unlikely to yield significant results, given Bersatu’s fractured internal dynamics and its dependence on PAS,” Ramasamy said in a social media post.

He cited Bersatu’s disagreement with its ally PAS, on the choice of a Perikatan Nasional candidate for prime minister as an example of the political friction.

Ramasamy, a former deputy chief minister of Penang, said that even if Malay NGOs were to unite, such an alliance would not automatically benefit Bersatu or PN.

He said Muhyiddin lacked an understanding of the socio-political dynamics that enabled Chinese NGOs to consolidate under the Dong Zong education group.

Muhyiddin had cited Dong Zong as an example of a giant umbrella representing various groups fighting for common interests when he called for Malay and Bumiputera NGOs to unite under a common cause and more effectively promote the development of Bumiputeras.

However, Ramasamy contended that Chinese NGOs had come together in response to what they perceived as existential threats to their cultural and language rights.

On the other hand, Malay NGOs existed within an entirely different paradigm. “As the dominant ethnic and cultural group in Malaysia, Malays face no comparable existential threat,” Ramasamy said.

He said it would be better for Muhyiddin to focus on more inclusive strategies to strengthen Bersatu, instead of pursuing “the unlikely goal of unifying Malay NGOs”. - FMT