‘NUCC undermines the Malays’

Perkasa forms National Unity Front to counter NUCC, which they claim does not represent the Malay voice and made 'seditious' views and comments

COMMENT

Malay rights-group Perkasa thinks it has found the answer to safeguard the nation’s peace and unity which has taken a beating from racial and religious bigots.

The ‘antidote’ according to the newly minted National Unity Front (NUF) which acts as an umbrella body for Perkasa, Isma and Pekida, all three known for their non-Malay bashing stance and 53 other “credible Malay-Muslim non-governmental organisations,” lies in ‘Malay dominance’ over the other races, the logic being that Malays form the majority in Malaysia.

Rejecting the Barisan Nasional (BN) government’s initiated National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) on grounds that it does not represent the Malay voice, made “seditious” views and comments and fought for issues that were offensive to the Malays, the NUF insisted that since Malays are the majority in Malaysia, they should make up the thrust of the NUCC.

“We are united to find a way to bring about national harmony for all, not just the Malays. But we have to remember that Malays are the majority in Malaysia.

“We (Malays) are the backbone of unity among the rakyat. So we are returning to the original plan, which is the core of Malaysia’s survival,” retired Navy vice-admiral Mat Rabi Abu Samah, a member of the NUF council said at its launching two days ago.

The NUF claims it will lobby for the unity of all races, an assurance that is outrageous going by the fact that it was Perkasa’s founder Ibrahim Ali who last year called on Muslims to seize and burn copies of Bibles which contained the term “Allah” or other Arabic religious words.

Adamant that he was in no way instigating communal tension, the Pasir Mas MP then insisted that it was the only way to stop non-Muslims from stirring the sensitivities and sentiments of the majority of population in the country.

“Muslims must unite to protect their religion. They must seize those Bibles, including the Malay editions, which contained the term Allah and other Arabic religious terms and burn them.

“This is the way to show our anger against disrespect to our sensitivity,” Ibrahim had said.

Did his racially inflamed comments send a chill down the spine of the non-Malays? You bet.

Now, he and his fellow anti non-Malay buddies have gone on to create the ‘NUF’ which is simply an extension of these ‘seditious’ Malay NGOs.

That being the case, how does NUF plan to act as a pressure group for the good of all races in the country when its real agenda is all about promoting Malay dominance, rights and privileges, the very issues that had shaken the nation’s foundation  of peace and unity?

Ibrahim claimed that based on a Feb 22 transcript of the NUCC’s meeting, “everyone who spoke up made seditious comments that would offend the sensitivities of the Malays,”.

But then as the rakyat know, it is Ibrahim’s Perkasa which has a track record of threatening and intimidating them.

So why should Malaysians give any thought to NUF and consider lending support to it, given that Perkasa, Pekida and Isma have never at any point shown respect for the other races?

The NUF’s leadership will comprise presidents or representatives of Malay-Muslim NGOs. It will also set up a secretariat led by one chief who will organise the council’s activities and programmes.

Ibrahim had said that the meeting to decide the leadership and activities would be conducted “soon”.

Previously, it was Perkasa that posed as a threat to the nation’s peace and harmony. Now there are over 50 Malay-Muslim NGOs out to do the same.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.