Kit Siang's 'non-Malay PM' - PAS cries 'poison'

PAS has rapped DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s statement regarding the issue of non-Malays being able to become prime minister, deeming it “poisonous propaganda” that has the potential to create an atmosphere of disharmony.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said it was common knowledge that several DAP leaders raised the matter for decades, including in 2012 by the late Karpal Singh and in 2017 by Lim himself.

“This time by hiding behind the Federal Constitution, Rukun Negara, and Vision 2020, Lim deliberately gave a wrong picture of the Malays or the political image of the Malays by mentioning all those documents aimed at the ‘Malaysian Dream’ which is multi-ethnic, religious, and cultural, not a mono-ethnic dream.

“He also seemed to take the opportunity to raise this matter when Umno, as a party of the Malays, was stuck as a member of the Madani government, causing the party to be silent,” said Takiyuddin in a statement.

“According to Lim, his statement is also supported by the fact that the Constitution provides that non-Malays can become prime minister,” he added.

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 majority support.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang

There are no other criteria attached for an appointment to the top executive post.

A DAP source told Malaysiakini today that Lim will go to a police station in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday morning to give a statement over the matter.

‘Lim ignoring conventions’

In today’s statement, Takiyuddin said Lim acted as if he was ignorant of the law without looking at the conventions practised since independence.

He said, not only has no non-Malay been prime minister, but none have been appointed deputy prime minister either.

Takiyuddin, who is also the Kota Bharu MP, said Lim could not hide his “prejudice” against the role of the Malays.

According to him, Lim seems to think that only by having a non-Malay prime minister can Malaysia be considered achieving its dream of being a successful country.

Takiyuddin said that Lim’s ‘Impian Malaysian’ (Malaysian Dream) narrative was not too different from the Malaysian Malaysia that was conceived by the former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, once upon a time.

“The trick of hiding behind sweet words by both Lee and Lim cannot hide their true intentions, which is to raise polemics and questions about the position and privileged rights of Malays and bumiputera as provided for by the Constitution,” he claimed.

He added that Lim’s speech about Malaysia’s opportunity to become a great country or “divided, failed, and kleptocratic” is not at all different from Lee’s speech to Malaysian students in London in 1964.

“Therefore, PAS warns any party that is still stubborn in raising this kind of matter to stop feeding the anger of the Malays and bumiputera because it also means inviting the recurrence of tension in the community that has caused incidents of racial strife in this country over 50 years ago,” said Takiyuddin, in an apparent reference to the May 13 racial riots. - Mkini