Dr M views all non-Malays as disloyal except for his cronies: Anwar

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has taken a swipe at his former ally-turned-foe Dr Mahathir Mohamad following the latter’s statement that Indian Malaysians are “not completely loyal to the country”.

Taking on a sarcastic tone, Anwar said Mahathir is known to label the non-Malays as disloyal except for some of his cronies.

“He is known for that… All Malays are lazy, except for himself.

“It’s irresponsible for a former prime minister for many years to say such things, to insult any race.

“We strongly oppose his statement,” Anwar told reporters on the sidelines of the “AI Untuk Rakyat” (AI for the people) event at Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Arts and Cultural Centre in Universiti Putra Malaysia today.

During a recent exclusive online interview with Indian satellite TV channel Thanthi TV, Mahathir said one should identify as Malay to have the right to call the country their own.

He further asserted that Indian Malaysians are not completely loyal to the country as they still identify with their country of origin.

The two-time premier’s comments have since drawn brickbats from various quarters.

‘Outdated views’

Delivering a speech at the event, Anwar did not mince words when he cited “former leaders” who were busy trying to cover their wrongdoings by insulting all races.

Although he did not mention names, it was evident that Anwar was referring to Mahathir when he quoted the latter’s claims that “Chinese and Indians are not loyal to the country”.

“They are such outdated views and they will destroy our country. I hope the people, especially the younger generation, will not entertain such broken views because we need to focus on raising the dignity of the country,” he said.

The Pakatan Harapan chairperson added that all citizens are loyal in his eyes.

“We must respect each other regardless of race and we must embrace the strength of the people,” Anwar said.

No confidence vote

Separately, the prime minister said he did not put much thought into the opposition’s rejection of his “advice” to file a no-confidence motion against him before the Dewan Rakyat commences next month.

This came after Bersatu’s Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan rejected PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim’s calls for Perikatan Nasional to file a motion of no confidence if it wished to test Anwar’s legitimacy as prime minister.

“This is just something that has been made viral by the desperate opposition. Even for the Dubai Move, I did not comment.

“If there is a solid foundation (on such claims), I will take notice, but this has no basis,” Anwar added.