Perkasa urges Pak Samad to return national laureate title himself

Malay rights group Perkasa has called on national laureate A. Samad Said to return the honorific bestowed by the government to prove that he would not be bothered if it was stripped off him.

Perkasa President Datuk Ibrahim Ali said he was impressed by Samad’s stand but said if he was sincere, he should just return the title.

“I applaud Samad’s bravery, but he should return the national laureate title himself if he is sincere. Many people will criticise the government if it revokes the title,” he said in a press conference at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman today.

Earlier today, Samad said he was not bothered by calls to strip off his national laureate title.

He was reported to have even welcomed the move.

National Laureate 2013 Datuk Baha Zain said it was wrong to strip Samad off the honorific for his actions now.

“The honour was bestowed for his literary work and has nothing to do with his politics. His contribution to the arts is immeasurable. The government would not do something stupid like that,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

However, the former Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka deputy director said Samad does not enjoy immunity from the law.

"National laureates are just that… national laureates. We do not enjoy immunity from the law. If we commit a crime, we have to face the consequences,” he said.