Mr PM, are only the Chinese “not pendatang”?

If the issue of “pendatang” is to be buried, the PM should have included all who have been called “pendatang” at some time or another.

COMMENT

By Ravinder Singh

The Prime Minister has now, in speaking to a Chinese group, told them that they are not “pendatang” as they have contributed to the country’s development tremendously.

Why did he single out only the Chinese as not being “pendatang”, for the Indians and others have also contributed tremendously to the development of Malaysia.

That he was speaking to an almost exclusively Chinese audience is no excuse to make a policy statement, or a government stand, that that particular community was not “pendatang”, for the statement would be heard and read outside that hall within minutes.

Is the “pendatang” drum still a useful tool to be used for political purposes as and when it suits the occasion?

If the issue of “pendatang” is to be buried, the pronouncement should not have singled out a particular ethnic group, but should have encompassed all who have been called “pendatang” at some time or another, by some bigots and racists.

As Indians are among those who have been called “pendatang”, surely they want to know why they are not included in the PM’s “not pendatang” group.

Politicians must stop playing political games. The PM’s statement is not at all assuring that he is sincere about burying the “pendatang” wedge that bigots and racists use so daringly on Malaysians who have “contributed to the country’s development tremendously”.

The PM could yet redeem himself by now telling Malaysians that his public pronouncement to the nation that Chinese are not “pendatang” should be read as “all Malaysians are not pendatang”.

Since the whole country (and world) has heard what he said, he should now give meaning to them by directing the police to cast a dragnet and pull in all those who have been uttering these words with vengeance and charge them for sedition to convince Malaysians that his words were not mere political rhetoric playing to the gallery of a particular audience to gain some political mileage.

Actually, the police need not wait for a directive. They can with a little imagination interpret the PM’s speech as beseeching them to act against racists and bigots who have been driving wedges between the various ethnic groups by calling them “pendatang” and telling them to ‘balik Cina, balik India’ etc.

Now that the PM has kicked the ball into the IGP’s court, the latter should start acting on all those who have been using the “pendatang” word to drive wedges between the sons (and daughters) of Malaysia.

Ravinder Singh is an FMT reader.