KUALA LUMPUR: A local university professor, highlighting recent remarks by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has urged fellow academics to counter the racial rhetoric of politicians.
Tajuddin Rasdi, a professor at UCSI University, said: “You heard what Mahathir said about Malaysia not being multiracial. Who is answering him?
“Mahathir is a politician, and if (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim) answers that … that’s how they play tennis.
“It can’t be that way, we have to answer,” Tajuddin said in a public lecture on the Death of the Malaysian University.
He said academics had failed to explain the country’s sociopolitical setting to the public as those in academia did not engage with the public.
“They are supposed to explain our Islamic outlook, our economic (development) … But they don’t. They only talk about these topics at conferences – and nobody goes to conferences.”
Tajuddin said academicians should be setting the narrative for the country’s social and economic development.
“If you have good professors, the professors should be the ones determining the country’s narratives,” he said.
Last week, Mahathir claimed that people “from other countries” were trying to change Malaysia from being a “Tanah Melayu” (Malay land) into a multiracial country.
He also claimed that the Federal Constitution “emphasises the ‘Malayness’ of Malaysia” and that it does not explicitly state Malaysia is a multiracial country. He said the country is not a multiracial nation just because it is made up of citizens of different ethnic groups.
His comments have received widespread criticism. - FMT
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