KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Stung by mounting criticism of racism, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today hit the damage-control button and moved to put his comments about the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in context. In doing so, the former prime minister has nudged himself closer to the government’s hardline position on demands made by the Indian group.
Dr Mahathir has been slammed by many Malaysians for comments he made while delivering a speech in Johor Baru on May 17 and a posting he put up on his popular blog on May 16. His critics argued that in his attempt to oust Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from power, he was willing to play the race card and toss out the concept of Bangsa Malaysia which he promoted while in office.
In Johor, he asked the audience if they had read the memorandum put forward by Hindraf to the British government, and then cautioned: “What does it say? Malaysia for Malaysians! This is the reality of the present situation. If we do not speak up, if we choose to keep quiet, we will lose our rights and the other races will take over. When that happens, it will be like Singapore. Do you think we will still have control?’’
A day earlier he posted on his blog that political power no longer was in the hands of the Malays and noted that non-Malays no longer respected Malays or their institutions. “Everything that is considered to be Malay special rights is questioned and challenged. And the Malays are not doing anything about this.’’
His long-time sparring partner, former United Nations official Datuk Param Cumaraswamy, suggested that Dr Mahathir be detained under the Internal Security Act while Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Syed Husin Ali warned that the increasingly racist flavour of the former PM’s recent comments could be a harbinger of dark days for race relations in Malaysia.
Dr Mahathir did not anticipate the gush of criticism in the media and blogosphere. He moved to explain himself today, admitting that he made certain comments in Johor but saying that they were made in a different context.
For example, when he spoke about Malay supremacy, he reminded the Malays that it would be hollow to talk about supremacy when they were lagging behind the others races in education and other areas.
Touching on the Hindraf memorandum, he said that it contained extreme demands including saying that Indians were victims of a “Government-backed Islamic extremist violent armed terrorist who launched a pre-dawn violent armed attack and destroyed the Kampung Jawa Mariamman Hindu temple”.
“I will not quote other highly inflammatory remarks found in the Hindraf memorandum. However I would like to mention the threat made by Hindraf in its conclusion: 'We fear that the peace-loving Indian community of Tamil origin having been pushed to the corner and the persecution getting worse by the day may be forced into terrorism in a matter of time as what has happened to the Sri Lankan Tamils'.”
“Is Hindraf planning to make Malaysia a Southeast Asian Sri Lanka? I don’t believe the majority of the Tamils in Malaysia would agree with the picture painted by Hindraf. Unfortunately, like the Malays, few of them read the actual memorandum. And so they support Hindraf blindly.
“But if you read what I have quoted would you not conclude that Hindraf and Param Cumaraswamy, who objected to their detention under the ISA, as racist especially as his desire to have me detained under the Act for telling the Malays to realise that they are not ‘Tuan’ when they have to clean the shoes of others,” he said on his blog.
Dr Mahathir’s tough stand on Hindraf is a shade different from the one he took in January after the government detained five Hindraf leaders under the ISA. The government alleged that the five were behind the demonstration which rocked Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 and were inciting trouble in the community with their nationwide road show.
Dr Mahathir said then: ''No, I don't think they should have thrown the leaders (into detention), they should have met these people first and had proper discussion.''
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