Parti Wawasan Negara president Hamzah Zainudin has accused DAP of being the “real racists” after he was asked whether PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang should tone down his use of the term “pendatang” to attract greater non-Malay support for Perikatan Nasional.
Speaking at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today, Hamzah (above) claimed that DAP was guilty of exploiting racial sentiments despite portraying itself as a multiracial party.
“Sometimes, when we interpret a party’s ideology, we assess it as though it represents a particular race. Take DAP, for example.
“When it fields non-Chinese candidates, it appears to portray itself as a multiracial party,” he said after officiating Indian NGO Pertubuhan Perpaduan Puratchi’s congress.
However, Hamzah alleged that DAP leaders would condemn Malay political leaders and accuse Malays of racism when speaking in Chinese.
“If you speak in Chinese to condemn Malays and say Malays are racist for defending Islam, I think that is more wrong than those who merely speak before a Malay audience about the interests of Muslims.
“Is it wrong for Malays to talk about Islam?” the parliamentary opposition leader asked.
On Thursday, Hadi, through his regular “Minda Presiden PAS” writings on Facebook, described DAP members as being “pendatang brought in by the colonialists”.
The PAS leader claimed that Islamic teachings should be properly understood in the context of Malaysia’s majority Malay-Muslim population, whom he described as the country’s natives.
“If Islamic teaching were understood academically and morally with a mind that is healthy and free from fanaticism, while also understanding the narrative that Malaysia is a diverse society dominated by Malay Muslims as the original inhabitants of Nusantara, and not pendatang (outsiders)who were imported by colonisers, a large number of whom are passengers on DAP’s ark which has its own destination which is also boarded by some Malay Muslims who have lost themselves, then Islamophobia would not arise,” he said.
‘Hadi was targeting DAP’
Commenting further, Hamzah said Malaysians should not be divided through such issues, adding that Hadi’s remarks were directed specifically at DAP.
“In my view, what Hadi tried to explain was focused solely on DAP’s misuse of racial issues in our country,” the Larut MP added.
At the press conference, which was also attended by Puratchi leaders, Hamzah reiterated his offer for the association to nominate a candidate whom he would appoint as a Wawasan Negara supreme council member.
There is currently one Indian representative among the council’s 35 members.
On his party’s electoral debut as a PN component in the Negeri Sembilan polls, Hamzah said the coalition’s cooperation with BN was primarily aimed at wresting the state government from Pakatan Harapan.
He said the alliance would present voters with a narrative centred on replacing the Harapan administration and prioritising the people’s interests.
“The narrative we will bring is to make the people understand that the PN-BN cooperation is, first and foremost, aimed at taking over the government from Harapan.
“How will we do this? We will ensure that the main agenda is focused on the people’s interests,” Hamzah said.
He added that the cooperation would provide Negeri Sembilan residents with an opportunity to develop the state in a manner that better suited their needs.
Unique strategy
According to Hamzah, PN and BN would tailor their strategies to the different characteristics of each parliamentary and state constituency.
“We will make adjustments according to the parliamentary and state constituencies because some are in rural areas while others are in urban areas. All of them require strategic assessment.
“Once the BN and PN leaders sit down together, rest assured that we will be able to develop Negeri Sembilan,” he added.
Asked whether Wawasan Negara had a specific strategy for seats where its candidates would face Bersatu, Hamzah dismissed his former party as “politically inconsistent”.
“In my view, they are a group that we do not need to take into account because they say one thing today and something else tomorrow. So, I do not want to mention that party.
“What is important today is that PN is cooperating with BN to safeguard the interests of the people of Negeri Sembilan and develop the state more effectively,” said the former Bersatu deputy president.
His remarks come amid a widening rift between Bersatu and PN after the former announced that it would contest the Negeri Sembilan election under its own logo.
Bersatu has fielded candidates against PN in several constituencies after objecting to PAS’ cooperation with BN, while Wawasan Negara has emerged as one of the parties underpinning PN’s new alliance with the coalition. - Mkini
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