KUALA LUMPUR – In rehashing racially charged comments, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is merely illustrating his detachment from the on-the-ground realities of the nation, said a former DAP leader.
Former deputy Penang chief minister P. Ramasamy, who was today deemed a “racist” by Dr Mahathir, said the latter’s controversial remarks on the racial landscape in Malaysia were “nothing new.”
“Dr Mahathir is saying the same thing, the same old argument on how non-Malays are not loyal to the country supposedly because they still speak their own languages and go to their own schools,” Ramasamy said when contacted by Scoop.
“Coming from Dr Mahathir, this is just a regurgitation of his old arguments. The point is that his comments are completely out of touch with the reality in this country.
“He wants (to find an issue with) something, but that something is not there. I think non-Malays are very loyal to this country, but it’s people like Dr Mahathir and ultra-Malay nationalists who are the ones keeping the people apart through racially divisive politics,” he added.
Responding to Dr Mahathir’s claim that he is a racist due to the formation of his Indian-based United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai), Ramasamy said that this was not the first time the veteran politician had given him that label.
“I’m quite used to him (Dr Mahathir) calling me a racist. It takes a great racist to call me a racist, so if he calls me one then I think I’m doing the right thing, which is not acceptable to him.”
Ramasamy also reiterated his claim that Dr Mahathir was the prime architect of divisive racial and religious policies, saying: “He has completely forgotten what he did when he was prime minister for 22 years and then again for 22 months.
“Having done all that he has done, he cannot turn around and attack others as being racist.”
Besides that, Ramasamy also said that while his yet-to-be registered Urimai was Indian-based, applications would be open to people of all races as it was not a racially inclined party.
Dr Mahathir had earlier today pointed to Urimai in hitting back against Ramasamy’s allegations that the former was the one who first implemented divisive policies in the country.
In an interview with Chennai-based Thanthi TV recently, Dr Mahathir had not only referred to Malaysian Indians and Chinese as immigrants, but also stated that they should not call themselves Malaysians unless they identified as Malays.
He also said since Malaysian Indians did not speak Malay as their mother tongue, nor did they practise Malay culture, customs or traditions, they should not refer to Malaysia as their home country.
He added that his “problem” was when “immigrants” (Malaysian Indians and Chinese) claimed the country as their own while professing their own cultures and customs. – January 15, 2024