Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement that Malaysian Indians are not completely loyal to the country is an attempt to divert the public’s attention from Daim Zainuddin’s corruption investigation, claimed PKR.
PKR deputy secretary-general Sathia Prakash Nadarajah claimed that the former prime minister feared that he would be in MACC’s crosshairs next.
“He’s diverting (attention from) the corruption investigation against Daim, because he was afraid of being called after this,” Sathia told Malaysiakini when contacted.
The graft buster is investigating Daim over revelations regarding his wealth in the Pandora Papers.
Daim served as finance minister under Mahathir’s administration.
The leaks found that in those records alone - Daim’s children, wife, or known business associates jointly held assets worth at least £25 million (about RM141 million).
Daim’s wife and two sons were questioned by the MACC on Wednesday.
Speaking in an exclusive online interview with Indian satellite TV channel Thanthi TV, Mahathir said that one should identify as Malay to have the right to call the country their own.
The interview then moved on to Mahathir’s Indian roots, which the veteran politician completely denied knowledge of.
“No, I’m not an Indian. I’m a Malay because I do not know the Indian language, and that was a long, long time ago,” he said.
‘What is PN’s stand?’
Sathia said that Mahathir’s statement clearly contradicted the Federal Constitution, which clearly protects the rights of all races who are citizens of this country.
“When he became prime minister for the second time, Mahathir once said that a Malay who speaks English does not mean that he is not Malay enough.
“But, in a recent interview, he said the Indian community needs to fully adopt the Malay language and culture to be considered a Malaysian.
“What does he mean? He used to say that Malays need to master English and are still considered Malaysians, but the Tamil-speaking Indian community is considered disloyal to Malaysia. Clearly, he is contradicting himself,” he said.
Sathia also challenged Perikatan Nasional leaders to state their position regarding Mahathir's statement.
“In that interview, Mahathir also rejected the Madani government’s position that Malaysia remains an Islamic country whilst at the same time protecting the rights of all races.
“When the host specifically asked about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s stance, Mahathir continued to reject (the position, stating) that Malaysia is only for Malays.
“That is the person appointed as an adviser to the state government under the leadership of PN. So, I want to ask what is PN’s position,” he said.
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