Saturday November 1, 2008
Zaid: Malay supremacy concept has failed
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government should practise a more transparent form of democracy to accommodate the rights of all Malaysians.
In making the call, former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said the Government must embrace a fresh perspective based on discussions and agreements made in good faith with all the com–munities.
The ketuanan Melayu or Malay supremacy concept, he pointed out, had failed and distracted from the real issues confronting the country.
“It is time for us all to practise a more transparent and egalitarian form of democracy and to recognise and respect the rights and dignity of all the citizens of this country,” he said in his address on “Malaysia – A Lost Democracy?” at the 21st LawAsia Conference 2008 here yesterday.
He said the “restructured social contract” marked the advent of ketuanan Melayu or Malay supremacy, resulting in the country’s current state of affairs.
Stating his stand: Zaid (left) acknowledging the applause after delivering his speech at the 21st LawAsia Conference 2008 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Looking on are conference organising committee chairman Christopher Leong (centre) and chairman Glenn Ferguson. “The non-Malay Barisan component parties were perceived by Umno to be weak and in no position to exert influence.
“Bandied about by Umno ideologues, the social contract took on a different, more racialist tone.
“Affirmative action and special status became a matter of privilege by reference to race rather than of need, and questioning of this new status quo was not to be tolerated,” he said.
Since Malays were effectively represented in government, there was no way the interest of the Malays could be taken away other than through their own weakness and folly, he stressed.
“It was, and still is, impossible to reconcile the principles of equality and civil rights of the people of this country with the primacy of one group over all others,” he said.
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