KUALA LUMPUR – It is futile to meet with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over his recent “disloyal Indians and Chinese” remarks, unless to get a monologue, said former Penang deputy chief minister P. Ramasamy.
“While I welcome the meeting between Mahathir and Aaron, I seriously doubt that such a meeting would have a significant impact on Mahathir,” said Ramasamy, referring to Dr Mahathir’s offer to meet with Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
“Mahathir, given his vast political experience, thinks that he knows the answers as to what ails the Malaysian society.
“I think the meeting will be one in which Mahathir will be doing the talking with Aaron listening. In brief, it would not be a dialogue, but a monologue.”
Aaron previously called out Dr Mahathir for remarks made during an interview with a South Indian satellite TV channel.
Ramasamy has also been criticising the former prime minister, accusing Dr Mahathir of only seeking membership with ethnic Malay political parties, without having initiatives to form Malaysian ones.
He also blamed Dr Mahathir for perpetuating the assimilationist model for national integration, saying such ideas had long been rejected in many multicultural societies.
“The credit should be given to ordinary Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians and others for peace and stability. If only we have leaders who are statesmen rather than ethnic and religious champions, the country would have made remarkable progress, especially in intercultural relationships.
“By the way, my new party, Urimai (United for the Rights of Malaysians Party) is not an ethnic party, but a multiracial one with the focus on the Indian underclass,” said Ramasamy in a Facebook post today.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir had also questioned the existence of race-based parties in Malaysia as a response to the barrage of criticism hurled at him in the last few days.
“Why isn’t there just a Malaysian party? There are parties that claim they are multiracial, but their former leader says it is a fake multiracial party,” he said on X, without naming names. – January 18, 2024