Just let Malays rule, says Perak Mufti

Harussani says Najib once told him he accommodated non-Malays because he feared losing elections.

KUALA KANGSAR: Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria has alleged that Prime Minister Najib Razak once told him it was his fear of losing elections that made him accommodate the wishes of non-Malays.

Speaking to reporters after the official opening of a prayer hall in Cenderoh yesterday, Harussani said he had a conversation with Najib about the state of race relations in the country, but he did not say when.

He said: “I asked Najib, ‘Why should we still try to win over the Chinese and Indians if they no longer want to cooperate with us?’ Najib said, ‘We’re afraid of losing.’”

Commenting on Najib’s response, the mufti told reporters: “Even now we’re losing. Why then should we be appointing ministers who are Chinese? There’s no need for Chinese ministers. Just let the Malays rule. We’ll show them.”

Harussani’s remarks were reported in Sinar Harian today.

According to the paper, he also said he once proposed to Najib and other Cabinet ministers to abolish vernacular schools in the belief that it would eventually bring about racial harmony, like in Singapore.

“In Singapore,” he said, “there’s only one kind of school – English-medium schools. As a result, there are no differences between the citizens. They all think alike. And that’s why they have respect for one another.”