INTERVIEW | Restoring political stability by reuniting a fractured Malay community is one of the cornerstones guiding Hamzah Zainudin’s new political venture, said Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah.
Stressing that Malay unity should be anchored to more than just mere political rhetoric, the former Bersatu supreme council member said the fragmentation of the Malays must first be addressed before any attempts to consolidate the nation’s other ethnicities.
As such, he said the new party to be led by Hamzah, who was similarly sacked from his position as Bersatu’s deputy president earlier this year, is seeking to form a “consensus” with other entities that are willing to develop an understanding based on certain principles and values.
“You cannot talk about Malaysian unity without first talking about Malay unity. That is what Hamzah is doing - he is talking to each and every Malay party, including smaller ones, with a clear message: join us.
“(Such parties) don’t have to be dissolved; everyone has their own reason for having their own party and brand, and that’s fine, (but) at the very least, we have a form of understanding,” Saifuddin said during an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini yesterday.
The former minister also hinted that Parti Wawasan Negara, as previously announced by Hamzah, could evolve its branding further.
Saifuddin’s remarks came as Hamzah and other Wawasan Negara figures gather in Petaling Jaya today for an extraordinary general meeting, with several matters set to be revealed to the public following the approximately 2.30pm event.
At a Reset convention on June 13, Hamzah revealed Wawasan Negara, with the party’s name said to have been given by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
The following day, BN chairperson and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said any platform should be supported if it ultimately brings people together in support of the national and Islamic agenda, as well as the interests of the Malay community.
During the Umno annual general meeting in January, Zahid said the party would form a new committee dubbed the “Rumah Bangsa Unification Committee” as part of efforts to restore Malay political unity.
Malay supremacy and siege mentality
Disclosing to Malaysiakini that Hamzah’s party is hoping to establish cooperation with the BN linchpin, Saifuddin said Malay unity should be based on “real stuff” such as common goals, shared prosperity, and compassionate governance.
Sincerity, he stressed, must be as foundational as the shared goals themselves in any soon-to-be-established cooperation.
“When I say ‘principles’, it must include fairness and justice - there cannot be any ‘ketuanan Melayu’ (Malay supremacy) (as) you must be inclusive and fair.
“To know each other means to work together and to celebrate our differences,” he said.
Saifuddin cautioned that in any fragmented society, there is a tendency of a “siege mentality”, where a community believes other groups have hostile intentions towards them.
“Malays have to be able to nurse our own psychology and whatever baggage we have had in the past (to restore a sense of togetherness) within ourselves… The non-Malays will then find it easier to talk to Malays when the Malays themselves are united,” he explained.
Noting that the constitution for Hamzah’s party will emphasise the principle of moderation to ensure that non-Malays feel “comfortable” in holding engagements with Malays, Saifuddin said the party will also uphold the Larut MP’s approach to nation building.
“We must make sure that unity is done in a certain way - Malays have to improve (the governance of) institutions that are supposed to help them.
“Hamzah always says ‘correct what’s wrong, improve what’s right, and change what is broken’. This is how we define the ‘Reset’ movement,” he affirmed.
Hamzah’s move with Wawasan Negara came amid fracturing ties between Bersatu and PAS, with the latter terminating its six-year political cooperation with the former at a time when other parties solidified their forces to face upcoming state polls and the 16th general election.
Other signs of internal rifts within Perikatan Nasional have also emerged, with the coalition chaired by PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar removing two Bersatu leaders from the coalition’s top leadership and replacing one of them with a PAS member. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.