Malaysia must move away from the 2R (race and religion) sentiment if it wants to become a world-class nation, said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.
“If Malaysia wants to be world-class, we have to talk about the future and (the courage) to dream big; about inter-ethnic, inter-religious ties and understanding, as well as tolerance and harmony,” the octogenarian told reporters after having his statement recorded at the SEA Park police station in SS2, Petaling Jaya this morning.
“We have been wasting a lot of time throughout the year on the 2R narrative and we must break away from it. We must all unite and work together (toward advancing Malaysia),” he added.
The questioning was over Lim's comments about the possibility of a non-Malay being appointed as the prime minister.
On Nov 30, Lim put up a blog post titled “(The) Malaysian (Federal) Constitution provides for a Malaysian Dream and not a mono-ethnic dream as it provides that a non-Malay can (also) be a prime minister”.
He made similar remarks in his speech to Malaysian students in Manchester, UK last month.
Elaborating, Lim reiterated that he was merely stating a fact from the Federal Constitution that non-Malays can become prime ministers.
Under the Federal Constitution, the only requirement for someone to be prime minister, as per Article 43(2)(a), is that the premier be an MP, who, in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's judgement, has a majority of support in Dewan Rakyat.
There are no other criteria attached for an appointment to the top executive post.
Statement given
Earlier, Lim's lawyer Khairul Khalid said that the questioning was done based on a report lodged by a member of the public.
“There was a set of 27 questions, and the session went on for about an hour.
“(Lim) answered all the questions smoothly. Although he's 82, he's steady,” Khairul quipped.
Accompanying the veteran politician today were his daughter Lim Hui Ying, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng, as well as other DAP members. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.