Anwar hits out at moves to stir Malay sentiment

Anwar hits out at moves to stir Malay sentiment
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today came out fighting against what he called an orchestrated move by Umno to whip up fear over the future of the Malays and their political power in the country.

His rebuttal comes in the wake of a campaign by 200 non-governmental organisations, including some influential groups such as Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim), to force Malay political parties to bury their differences and work together to preserve the supremacy of the race, language, religion and constitutional monarchy in a more challenged political environment.

The groups, lumped together under the Council of Malay Solidarity, feel that a weakened Umno will not be able to fend off demands from the Chinese and Indian communities, which have become increasingly vocal since Election 2008.

This Malay consciousness campaign is being given wide coverage in the Malay-language media, and Umno, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) are coming under some pressure to come to the negotiating table — a situation which Anwar fears could lead to the dissolution of the Opposition alliance of PAS-PKR-DAP.

Also, the de facto leader of Pakatan Rakyat knows that he is personally vulnerable in this climate as he has championed for more space to be given to non-Malays and also pushed for the dismantling of the New Economic Policy, the affirmative action programme aimed at lifting the economic standards of Malays.

Anwar today lashed out at the Malay survival campaign, saying that it was run by Umno, intelligentsia on its payroll and the Biro Tata Negara, the government agency tasked with the job of imbuing civil servants and Malay politicians with the love of race and country.

He noted that on April 14, he spelt out clearly Pakatan Rakyat’s commitment to defend the Constitution and Malaysia’s position as a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

“In line with those principles, the position of the Malay language, Islam as the official religion, the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras are protected along with the guarantees for the rights of other races and religions.

“All this noise about the position of Malays being under threat is nothing more than a diversion by some corrupt people from being attacked by the Malay community for allowing the NEP to be used to enrich their families and cronies,” he said on his blog.

Anwar added that under the proposed Malaysian Economic Agenda, the rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras will receive even more protection.

Anwar’s response suggests that he believes that the sentiment being whipped up by the Council of Malay Solidarity is having some traction among members in the community, who fear that the non-Malays are now a growing force in the political sphere.

They point to the representation of races in Selangor, Perak and Penang — states which are now in the hands of Pakatan Rakyat. In 2008, there are 4 Malay representatives in the Penang state government, down from 14 in 2004. In Selangor, the number dropped from 36 in 2004 to 18 in 2008 while in Perak, the number dropped from 36 in 2004 to 9 in 2008.

Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, a political commentator, said: “Any political party which is seeking support from the Malay community cannot ignore the issues being raised by the Malay NGOs, especially on protecting the role of the Malay Rulers. The single most important factor after the election is the role of the Malay Rulers. The community sees them as the protectors of Malay rights and Islam now that the Malay political power seems dispersed.’’

Anyone who tries to challenge the position of the Malay Rulers today is stepping on a political minefield as the DAP’s Karpal Singh is finding out. A raft of police reports has been lodged against the veteran lawyer for saying that the Sultan of Perak overreached when he ordered that Datuk Jamry Saury be reinstated as the Perak Religious Department director. The latter had been given his marching orders by the Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Nizar Jamaludin.

Karpal said that he had not done anything seditious but even colleagues in PAS and PKR are not pleased with his confrontational approach towards the respected monarch. They know that the Malay community is watching this episode carefully, wanting to see if they will rush to his defence or chastise him.

PAS spiritual head Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat said that Karpal had to appreciate that the Malay Ruler was the head of the state, akin to parents being the head of the household. Speaking up publicly against the Sultan could be viewed as an act of treason, he reasoned.

But the Opposition is not the only ones facing pressure to demonstrate their Malay credentials. Umno is also in a similar tight spot. When Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said that the phrase “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy) should be dropped, he opened a Pandora’s Box.

The MCA politician argued that the phrase creates the impression that one race is the master while the others are slaves. Ong said the phrase had nothing to do with the Federal Constitution and was not something that needed to be said any more considering the special position the Malays already have.

Reacting, Umno Youth chief Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein told his colleague in the Cabinet that he was using the incorrect interpretation of the phrase “Ketuanan Melayu” and urged him not to get trapped by the games which the Opposition politicians were playing.

Within Umno, there is a growing concern over the manner MCA politicians are trying to outdo the DAP and win back support from the Chinese community.

With the eyes of the Malay NGOs and the community on them, they could be forced to match MCA’s tough talk.