MIC, MIPP rebuke Sanusi for ‘Tanah Melayu’ remark

 MIC chief SA Vigneswaran says PAS should learn from Amanah as it does not make statements that ‘hurt the feelings of Chinese and Indian communities’.

Rival party leaders SA Vigneswaran of MIC and P Punithan of MIPP have responded to remarks by Sanusi Nor of Perikatan Nasional.

PETALING JAYA:

Perikatan Nasional election director Sanusi Nor has come under fire from MIC and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) over remarks suggesting that different ethnic groups in Malaysia can fall back on ancestral homelands outside the country.

MIC president SA Vigneswaran urged Barisan Nasional to review its electoral alliance with PN and consider contesting future state elections on its own, as repeated statements by certain PAS leaders on race and religion could affect BN’s appeal to multiracial voters.

“When BN continues to be associated with such narratives, it becomes difficult for us. That is why BN would be better off standing on its own strength to defend the principle of moderation,” Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini.

Vigneswaran also said PN leaders should not treat Malaysian Chinese and Indians as foreigners, stressing that their loyalty belonged to Malaysia.

He urged PAS to learn from Amanah, which he described as adopting a more inclusive approach in promoting Islam. “Amanah does not make statements that hurt the feelings of Chinese and Indian communities. That is why Amanah is more easily accepted by a multiracial society,” he said.

MIPP president P Punithan rejected the suggestion that Malaysian Indians viewed India as their homeland, saying Malaysia was the only country he considered home.

“It has never crossed my mind to return to India, except as a travel destination or to fulfil a pilgrimage,” said Punithan, whose party is a PN component. “Malaysia is not merely the place where I live, but the homeland that I love with all my heart,” he said.

Last night, Sanusi, who is also Kedah menteri besar, said that “Tanah Melayu” was the only homeland for Malays, unlike other ethnic groups. A DAP MP has called on the authorities to investigate Sanusi, stating that his comments had insulted millions of Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent. - FMT