Perkasa to spread beyond Malaysia, beginning with London branch

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali is taking along 33 senior leaders to London where he is to launch its first overseas branch. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 27, 2014.Malay rights group Perkasa is looking to spread its wings abroad, starting with its first branch in London opening on Saturday in response to requests from Malays who have rejected political organisations like Umno, says its secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali.

The right-wing group was formed in 2008 after Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) lost badly in the general election that year. Perkasa claims to have up to 500,000 members, mostly from Umno.

"The Malay community in London has asked Perkasa to open a branch there," Syed Hasan Syed Ali told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the Malays in London were not interested in joining political organisations or clubs like the Umno Club, hence the request for Perkasa to open a branch in London.

Umno’s Overseas Club has 72 branches in 18 countries with a total of 14,000 members.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali is expected to launch the London wing this Saturday in Southwick St, Paddington, with 200 members already signed up.

Media invitations sent out for the occasion stated that more than 275 members have registered with the Perkasa UK and Europe Club.

Syed Hasan said Perkasa membership abroad was open to any Malaysian, who was Malay and practised Islam, whether working or studying.

He said there were also plans to open branches in Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and Australia.

"Some of the activities lined up for Perkasa clubs abroad include forums and discussions."

For this purpose, Ibrahim is expected to be accompanied by 33 senior Perkasa figures when he leaves for London on May 29.

Perkasa is among a few prominent Malay rights group and has former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a patron.

The group has often attracted criticism for its racist views and for its controversial statements.

However, Perkasa has often maintained that it was merely defending the special rights of Malays and Bumiputeras as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Syed Hasan courted further controversy when he said Muslim group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) was its "brothers-in-arms".

"I will not hesitate to say that we are like siblings. Perkasa is not jealous of Isma, in fact, we welcome more like-minded groups.

"Perkasa has no problem cooperating with like-minded groups so long as they were fighting for the same ideals," he said.

Isma made the headlines in recent weeks, arousing the anger of the Chinese in Malaysia by labelling them as "pendatang" or trespassers.

Umno and Perkasa are not the only political organisations attracting Malaysians overseas to their cause and ideology.

According to PKR’s Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, thousands of Malaysians who worked and lived abroad returned to vote for Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election (GE13) in May last year.

Between 75% and 85% of eligible Malaysian voters living abroad voted for the opposition, she said in June last year.

This prompted PR leaders to travel abroad to garner support. PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has travelled to Australia for forums and discussions with Malaysian students there while Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng spoke at Oxford University's Merton College.

In July last year, former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin led a PAS delegation to Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne to raise funds for the election petitions which Pakatan Rakyat wanted to file in the aftermath of GE13.

Only a few of those who attended the forums organised by PAS in Australia were Muslims, but the Islamic party was pleased with the response and donations.

The number of Malaysians moving to Australia has increased considerably, jumping from about 1,350 a year in the 1970s to about 5,400 annually (from 2006 to 2011).

The 2011 census shows that 116,196 permanent residents or citizens in Australia were born in Malaysia and 7,224 (4,200 in the 2006 census) of them declared Islam as their religion.