Ibrahim had singled out Nazri, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor and Khairy Jamaluddin in his admonition to politicians to stop lashing out at the Malay rights group or risk having their “secrets” revealed.
Nazri said that Ibrahim’s threats did not frighten him, but rather it had strengthened his resolve in opposing Perkasa’s brand of “racism.”
“I want Ibrahim Ali to reveal whatever secrets he may have against me. In fact, I dare him to. He better start revealing [these] soon, because I will continue to attack Perkasa and I will continue to fight him,” Nazri told The Malaysian Insider.
The minister in the prime minister’s department has been vocal in condemning Perkasa for what he deemed an erosion of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) support from the non-Malay electorate.
On Saturday, Ibrahim alleged at a Perkasa rally in his Pasir Mas parliamentary constituency that the three Umno leaders’ views of Perkasa differed from that of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s views.
“I know that these three Umno leaders are not talking on behalf of Umno’s president. I can tell you who is Khairy Jamaluddin, Nazri Aziz, Tengku Adnan Mansor because I know their DNA. If I reveal their DNA then we will continue our fighting so let it stop here.
“Don’t be angry at them. Don’t be angry at the government. We are gentlemen. If they want insult then let them,” he told the audience during the Perkasa rally attended by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Nazri, however, scoffed at Ibrahim’s latest remarks, dismissing it as the “rants of the Perkasa chief.”
“Does Ibrahim Ali even know what 1 Malaysia is about? If we don’t speak the same language as the prime minister then why are we supporting his 1 Malaysia concept? How is it that he knows more than me? Please,” said Nazri.
The outspoken Padang Rengas MP said that Ibrahim needed a reality check to understand the difference between running a government and operating an NGO.
“Who is in the Cabinet? Who sits on the Umno Supreme Council, and who is in Umno? Definitely not Ibrahim Ali.
“Reveal whatever you have then, please. Come on, I dare you to,” prodded the minister.
Nazri, along with Khairy and Tengku Adnan have all been reported as having spoken out against the Malay rights group.
Khairy had raised concerns that BN would lose non-Malay support if it does not immediately disassociate itself from Perkasa.
The Umno Youth chief said there was a perception now to affiliate Umno with Perkasa, and that this was “hurting” BN’s bid to gain non-Malay votes, which severely dwindled in the last general election.
Similarly, Nazri had declared that the Umno did not support or recognise the Malay rights group, saying Umno was against any form of racism and that Perkasa’s ideals did not fit in the Najib administration’s focus on plurality and unity.
Earlier this month, Tengku Adnan also recently said his BN counterparts had agreed that distancing the ruling coalition from Perkasa was the best way forward to halt the slide in non-Malay support for BN.
He added that Umno would not back the strident Malay rights group or Ibrahim in the next general election.
Tengku Adnan, however, subsequently denied stating that BN was distancing itself from Perkasa after Najib said that Umno did not want to stir conflict with any non-governmental organisation despite the recent move by Umno leaders to rebuff the Malay rights group.
The Mahathir-backed Perkasa is still seen by many as commanding significant support from within Umno as well as the Malay grassroots.
courtesy of Malaysian Insider
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