‘Tanah Melayu’ remarks not meant to question non-Malay rights, says Sanusi

 The Kedah menteri besar also denies that his speech at a ceramah in Negeri Sembilan was a call for Chinese or Indian communities to leave the country.

PN election director Sanusi Nor acknowledged that non-Malay citizens have full constitutional rights.

PETALING JAYA:

Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor has denied that his recent remarks on Malays and Tanah Melayu were intended to question the citizenship or rights of Malaysian Chinese and Indians.

In a statement today, Sanusi also denied that his remarks at a ceramah in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, on July 23 called for the Chinese or Indian communities to leave the country.

He said non-Malay Malaysian citizens have full constitutional rights, as well as loyalty, and a genuine sense of belonging to the country.

“They are citizens, and Malaysia is their home” he said.

Sanusi said his remarks were instead meant to highlight the historical relationship between the Malay community and Tanah Melayu, as well as his concerns over the community’s current political and economic standing.

To support his position, he cited remarks by three British politicians recorded in the UK Parliament’s Hansard – Oliver Stanley in 1946, Lord Killearn in 1949, and Lord Ogmore in 1957 – who described Malaya as historically linked to the Malay people while also acknowledging the position of other communities living here.

Sanusi noted that Stanley described Tanah Melayu as the “traditional homeland of the Malays”, Lord Killearn referred to it as “the land of the Malays”, and Lord Ogmore said Tanah Melayu was “the one and only homeland of the Malays”.

However, he acknowledged that the three figures had also taken into account the position of non-Malay communities and the need for all races to work together to build the country and uphold the constitution.

He said Stanley rejected the possibility of Chinese and Indian communities who had permanently settled in Malaya being treated as visitors without citizenship.

Lord Killearn, meanwhile, stressed that the interests of other communities needed to be considered, while Lord Ogmore called on all communities to cooperate in ensuring the success of the constitution.

Sanusi said these views showed that two things could be recognised simultaneously – the historical relationship between Malays and Tanah Melayu, and the rights of non-Malay citizens as Malaysians.

“My speech should not have been portrayed as a call to expel, reject, or deny the citizenship of non-Malay Malaysians.

“Such an interpretation goes beyond the words spoken and ignores the overall context of my speech,” he said.

Sanusi sparked controversy after stating during the ceramah that “Tanah Melayu” was the only homeland for Malays, unlike other ethnic groups.

The Perikatan Nasional election director has come under fire from various quarters, including BN chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said he should not campaign in Negeri Sembilan.

Selangor PKR election director Dr N Sathia Prakash also filed a police report against Sanusi, claiming that the speech could incite racial sentiments. - FMT