Syed Ali: Don’t trample on Malay heads

The Umno man says that the Chinese and Indians should not take advantage of the Malays' kindness thus far.

PETALING JAYA: The Chinese and Indians should know their place by not taking advantage of the Malays as they have been kind enough to share the country with them.

“The Malays are the majority in the country so they (the Chinese and Indians) should not trample on our heads,” Umno Cheras division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee told FMT.

“Malaysia is Tanah Melayu. We’ve been kind enough to share it with them, so don’t take advantage of us,” he said.

Syed Ali was commenting on calls for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to boycott the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Najib would attend the meeting from Nov 15 to 17 which will be held in Colombo.

There have been calls for Malaysia to boycott the meeting following Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes against its Tamil population.

Although the two million strong Malaysian Indian population is made up of various ethnic groups, Tamils are the majority.

Several Commonwealth member countries namely Canada and Kenya have confirmed that they will not partake in the meeting.

Indians too emotional

“Sometimes these people are too emotional. Just because everyone is boycotting something, why should we follow suit?” added Syed Ali.

He rationalised that Malaysia should not boycott something that would be good for the country.

“The Prime Minister knows what’s best for the country. I’m sure he won’t sell off the country.

“Also, the issue has nothing to do with the Indians here, so why do people always like to turn things into big issues?” he said, citing the demolition of the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyamman temple.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy yesterday lambasted Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor over the latter’s remarks in defending the demolition work at the temple, stating that Tengku Adnan has “no business in interpreting what amounts to a shrine or temple”.

“What kind of attitude is this, insulting a minister?” Syed Ali asked.

Syed Ali then hit out at certain quarters, saying that they should not harp on racial issues.

“I hope they realise soon enough not to engage in this type of politics or they will regret it one day.

“We live in harmony, so do not make things chaotic. People have to realise that they should not politicise everything,” he stressed.

On Perkasa’s president Ibrahim Ali urging Najib to boycott the CHOGM summit, he said: “Don’t champion a certain race just for your own benefit.”

“We are an independent country. We should not take the country’s dignity lightly,” he said.

Perkasa on Saturday had advised Najib not to attend the meeting as it would offend Malaysian Indians.

Ibrahim said that Najib should cancel his plans taking into account the strong opposition voiced out by Indian-based organisations in Malaysia against the prime minister’s trip to Sri Lanka.

Establish the facts

Meanwhile, Titiwangsa MP Johari Abdul Ghani said that the true facts surrounding the meeting must be established first.

“We cannot simply boycott the meeting just because one or two countries refused to participate.

“I suggest Malaysia should use this meeting to clarify and raise the matter internationally as it will be more effective to put the pressure to the country (Sri Lanka),” said the Umno man.

Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Trade Minister Hasan Malek also questioned the need for a boycott.

“If we sympathise with them, then why should we boycott the meeting? By boycotting the meeting, it will only complicate matters,” he said.

Hasan added that Malaysia should therefore participate in the meeting to share the country’s stand and policies to ensure the country becomes an example to other countries.