Hadi’s claim of ‘non-Malay dominance’ misses the mark - Anwar

 

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that the federal administration is unfit to govern because it is dominated by non-Malays is incorrect, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the stability of a government is not based on its racial majority but on the policies it implements.

“He (Hadi) has miscalculated. What matters is not whether it is Malay-majority, but the policies.

“Don’t use outdated and narrow-minded narratives. This country is a multi-ethnic nation.

“But we protect the rights of Islam. This guarantees the security of our nation. So, I am not inclined to have the people misled with such sentiments,” he said.

Anwar was speaking to reporters after launching the ‘Oriental Paintings’ exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said this when asked about Hadi’s (above, right) statement that the Pakatan Harapan-led coalition government is unfit to lead the country because Harapan is dominated by non-Islamic parties.

According to The Malaysian Insight yesterday, Hadi claimed this makes Harapan weak because it doesn’t suit Malaysia with its Malay-Muslim majority.

Hadi reportedly cited DAP as having 49 parliamentary seats after the 15th general election while PKR won 39, of which 11 were supposedly won by non-Malays.

The TMI report made no mention of other Harapan parties such as Amanah, or the other seats held by parties like Umno which is also part of the federal government.

In contrast to Hadi’s claims, DAP holds 40 seats in Parliament compared to PKR’s 31. Taken as a whole, however, most MPs backing Anwar’s administration are bumiputera Muslims including some of those from PKR and DAP.

Meanwhile, Anwar, who is also the Harapan chairperson, challenged the opposition to prove the government sidelines the Malays and Islam.

“In what policy have we abandoned the Malays? Where we betrayed the Malays, stole Malay assets, shares, and projects? This is what we emphasise. Ask where in the language, culture, Islam, and arts have we neglected.

“For me, success lies in defending the Constitution, enhancing the meaning of language, culture, Islam, eradicating poverty, fostering racial harmony, and most importantly, stopping the practice of using power and position to plunder the people’s wealth.

“This is what should be emphasised by parties in the unity government and the opposition,” Anwar said.

‘It’s okay, Mahathir is tired’

Meanwhile, Anwar appeared dismissive when asked another question regarding a potential collaboration between Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“It’s okay. He is tired,” he said, referring to Mahathir’s political career.

Mahathir was the fourth prime minister of Malaysia representing Umno and became the prime minister again in 2018 after Harapan won the 14th general election.

However, the planned transition of power from Mahathir to Anwar did not go smoothly, resulting in the collapse of the previous Harapan federal administration after just 22 months in power.

Earlier, Mahathir expressed willingness to work with Muhyiddin for the Malay-Muslim cause – a remark that Muhyiddin welcomed. The duo previously parted ways following the Sheraton Move in 2020 when Muhyiddin replaced Mahathir as prime minister.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Bersatu president, said the current political situation puts the Malays and Muslims at a critical juncture.

Yesterday, the MalaysiaNow portal quoted Mahathir saying that efforts to fight for the fate of Malays should be made a top priority, besides rejecting individuals involved in corruption or criminal wrongdoing.

He said that the Malays have become weaker despite being the majority and faced difficulties remedying the situation because the community has become divided into disparate political parties. - Mkini