AMANAH AGM | Amanah president Mohamad Sabu today said the party was ready to deal with conflicting demands from two extremes comprising "ultra ethno-nationalists" and "hyper-liberals" in Malaysia.
In his speech at the 4th National Amanah Convention, he said this was as the party itself was formed in 2015 only after successfully negotiating for peace amidst conflicting demands.
"This approach, however, must be differentiated from a populist political approach devoid of principle and with no direction," said Mohamad, addressing close to 1,000 delegates, top Amanah leaders, representatives from other Pakatan Harapan parties and guests gathered at the Ideal Convention Centre in Shah Alam.
He also cautioned that the country was now faced with a clash between these two contradicting views.
"One of our biggest challenges today is a clash between these two groups (with opposing views) that can drag the country into a state of uncertainty.
"The ultra ethno-nationalists are propagating the narrative that Malays are being threatened, while the hyper-liberals are bringing ideas that erode traditional elements which form the core values of nation-building," he said.
Without mentioning any names, Mohamad said the "threatened Malays" narrative was used by failed politicians who leveraged on the people's uncertainties for support.
He further noted how this narrative had led to divisiveness and sparked various heated issues surrounding race and religion.
"This narrative has been renewed by various actors who come and go, for the political survival of failed politicians, he said.
On the other hand, Mohamad said there were parties who hid behind liberal democratic values to erode national identities formed since independence.
"They speak in the name freedom and justice but its only for the benefit of their own group. This situation is no different from groups which use race, religion and other elements that have a market for high political mileage," he noted.
At its core, Mohamad said any unrest within society stemmed from a feeling of otherness or a community sidelined from society.
The situation, he said, is then made worse by a dichotomy based on differences over similarities.
As such, he said Amanah will take up the role to strengthen a national identity that represented a balance of core traditional values and modern views, also known as a neoconservative stance.
In his speech, Mohamad noted that the government today has been "a victim of its own success" in promoting freedom of speech and opening up room for criticisms from the opposition.
The defence minister then outlined various achievements by five ministries held by Amanah ministers and pledged the party's commitment to continue supporting Pakatan Harapan's "Shared Prosperity" vision.
Harapan leaders present during the opening ceremony today included DAP chairperson Tan Kok Wai, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shaari on behalf of PKR and Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir. - Mkini
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