Ibrahim Ali says he’s a ‘victim of jealousy’

Perkasa president claims he is a victim of the media, which he says are too eager to sensationalise his statements. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, July 2, 2015.

Perkasa's headquarters is located in an unassuming, cramped shoplot near Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, surrounded by Chinese automobile repair shops – an ironic centre of operations for a Malay rights group that has been labelled racist and extreme.

But the irony is lost on Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa's infamous president, simply because he firmly believes Perkasa is not racist.

Suaram is racist, and so is DAP, and definitely Dong Zhong – but not Perkasa, Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider during an interview at his office.

And the right-wing group is taking pains to prove this. On June 25, Perkasa held a multi-racial buka puasa event in Kampung Baru that saw 30 non-Muslims from three different organisations in attendance.

"Of course, there would have been more non-Muslims if we had more money.

"If we have enough funds, in the future, we will make sure one-third of our guests for buka puasa are non-Muslims," said Ibrahim, his face breaking into a grin that revealed several front teeth missing.

With his signature tall black songkok stowed away, his gap-toothed smile – the 64-year-old had left his dentures at home that day because of a dentist appointment – and a tissue held self-consciously to his mouth, Ibrahim certainly did not look like a harbinger of hate speech.

But that was all just perception, fueled by people jealous of his successes, he declared.

"I am a victim of jealousy. Since my days in Umno until now, I was misunderstood because of jealousy. Because when I do things, I am very focused and extremely successful," he said, pointing to Perkasa's rapid growth as an example.

"The opposition are jealous of me because they think I am Umno's tool. Ministers are jealous of me because they are not as popular as I am. In Malaysia, if you go to the more rural areas, they don't know all the ministers' names. But everyone knows my name."

He was also a victim of the media, he added; a media that was too eager to sensationalise his statements and pull them out of context just so that it could get more clicks.

"I know that if I want to reduce all these accusations, then I should keep quiet. But if I keep quiet, Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider will not be happy. I get calls 10 times a day asking for a response on certain issues.

"So I have to respond. And when I do, they like to make my speeches sensational. So it goes on. But my image has been tarnished. How I have suffered," he said mournfully.

Weary of the media's "spin", Ibrahim said he has taken matters into his own hands and personally contacted non-Muslim, non-Malay groups to clear Perkasa's name.

"For the last few months, when Perkasa was at the peak of being accused as racist, I tried to engage with other communities on a more personal level, through the phone, through face-to-face meetings.

"That's why you can observe, slowly, these non-bumi organisations are getting to know Perkasa more, slowly our image is getting better," he said.

Ibrahim said this had culminated in the buka puasa event last week, attended by members of the Christian for Peace and Harmony Malaysia, Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Amal India Baru Malaysia (Perinnbam) and Malaysia New Era Chinese Association (Percisma).

Perhaps Ibrahim's most notorious statement was his call to burn Bahasa Malaysia Bibles in 2013. How could the non-Muslim community accept what he had said and happily dine at the same table with him?

"They accept my explanation: that I was being respectful when I urged Muslim parents to burn any Bahasa Malaysia Bibles given to their children," Ibrahim said

"This is what we do with Qurans in bad condition – we burn them, rather than have them thrown into the drain or in the rubbish bin where rats will gnaw at them. The same respect should be accorded to the Bible.

"So you see, that was a real misunderstanding. I did not call for all Muslims to hunt down the Bahasa Malaysia Bibles and burn them."

Last week, human rights group Suaram singled out Perkasa and Isma as sources of "racial and religious hate speech", which had been "silently tolerated by the authorities".

Ibrahim was particularly stung by the report, and any insinuation that the party was extremist.

"That's a big joke! Perkasa never goes down to the street. We hold our activities and make demands in proper congresses. When we hold gatherings or protests, it is always in one location and not disturbing the public.

"Other groups march into the city, cause havoc, knocking cars down. But we are the ones branded extremists. Why me? Why not Ambiga Sreenevasan? Tian Chua?" asked Ibrahim.

He added that if Perkasa were truly hateful and extreme, police action would have been taken against the group.

Yet, the authorities could not find a single reason to take them to court, because Perkasa always worked within the law and the constitution, said Ibrahim.

"Not only DAP, but MCA and Gerakan also accuse Perkasa as being racist and costing them votes in the election.

"But Perkasa was formed after 2008, after MCA and Gerakan were already badly defeated in the 12th general election. So where is the logic? Baskets!" he said in disgust.

Even the group's defense of Malay supremacy was "not racist, but defending the constitution", he said, and likened it to other race-based parties or organisations already in existence.

He said Perkasa had national security on its mind as it strived to correct the imbalances among the races – a legacy of the British colonial masters.

"Malaysia is now like the Malay proverb, 'seperti telur di hujung tanduk'. How would you translate that? 'Like an egg at the edge of a bull's horn?' We are multi-racial, we have so many differences, any time we can explode.

"So we have to correct the economy. Help the Malays. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't help the Chinese and the Indians, too."

- TMI