PETALING JAYA: Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has clapped back at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whom he once called his mentor, over comments that it was unconstitutional to promote Malaysia as a multiracial country.
“The new generation of young Malay leaders from Muda will prove you wrong. We believe that embracing multiracialism will not weaken but instead strengthen us as a country.
“Embracing meritocracy will not ‘kill’ the Malays but build a more resilient generation instead.
“Instead of dividing Malaysians, we should focus on uniting and not looking back at past historic differences,” the Muar MP said.
Syed Saddiq was responding to the former premier’s statement that it was unconstitutional to promote a multiracial country as the Federal Constitution never mentioned that Malaysia was multiracial.
“I’m just raising the provisions of the Constitution. Is it against the law to defend the Constitution?” Dr Mahathir said in a statement on Monday.
“Instead, what is against the Constitution is promoting a multiracial country. Is the government going against the rule of law – including the Constitution – which does not mention that Malaysia is a multiracial country? Instead, the Constitution stresses a Malay- Malaysia,” he added.
Syed Saddiq said an attack on non-Malays or non-bumiputras is equivalent to an attack on all Malaysians.
“The same goes for attacks against Malays, which is an attack against all Malaysians. Our lives, fates and futures are interconnected with one another,” he said.
He said enough was enough when it came to continuous division or the perpetual politics of division.
“We should focus on making Malaysia a great and developed country that all Malaysians can proudly call home.
“The Chinese and Indians here treat Malaysia as their motherland – just as the Malays do. You’re looking at the second, third and fourth generations who were born here, lived here, studied and worked here, and will most likely shut their eyes for the last time in this blessed land.
“We need the politics of changing hearts and minds,” he added.
