PETALING JAYA: Authorities should take stern action against people who make public statements that incite racial sensitivities, says the G25 group of eminent Malays.
The group was responding to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent claim that Malaysia is a Malay country and that it would be unconstitutional to promote it as multiracial.
It said that racist statements can be dangerous as such statements can lead to people, especially extremist groups, to use them as a reason to act against other races and flare-up racial tensions.
It also said it fully supports Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's recent statement that the welfare of all citizens should be protected and the future is for all Malaysians.
"As such, we in G25 urge the authorities to take stern actions against persons who make public statements that have a tendency to incite racial sensitivities, regardless who they are - indeed, all the more so if they are political leaders - without fear or favour.
"It is imperative that the rule of law must prevail without exceptions," it said in a statement on Wednesday (July 12).
The group encouraged people to actively promote and nurture inter-racial harmony, and optimise the benefits that could be gained from a multi-cultural society.
"Malaysia was indeed once looked upon by some countries as a model multi-racial society. We should aspire to be so once again," the group said.
"We, G25, therefore call for an immediate end to all provocative statements, such as the one made by the former prime minister, that will lead to racial tensions among our people.
"Let Malaysia be a country we can all be proud of, where we uphold the rights of all the citizens irrespective of race and religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, and continue to build a unified, fair, and just society for all races as espoused in the Rukun Negara."
The G25 group comprises senior and eminent former civil servants and civil servants.
