KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) has strongly denounced former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed’s remark that – “if all ethnic Chinese in Malaysia were to use Malay as their mother tongue, the country would have no racial politics.”.
Its President Tan Sri T.C Goh described such a remark as unbecoming, a gross insult to the Chinese community in Malaysia, blatant disregard of Malaysia’s long-established setup as a multiracial and multicultural nation, and very damaging to national unity and harmony.
He added that Dr Mahathir’s delusional remark was grossly disrespectful of the position of the Chinese Malaysians under the Federal Constitution.
“In fact, whether the Malays, Chinese, Indians, bumiputeras of east Malaysia, the minority like the Baba and Nyonya, or the Muslim Indians, and their offspring through inter-marriage, we are all Malaysian citizens who have been working hard together to build this beautiful nation since its formation!”.
“Although our ancestors came from China, we were born in Malaysia and we are Malaysian Chinese!” Goh asserted.
He reminded that, under the Federal Constitution, Malaysian Chinese were given the right to adopt and to develop Chinese education, and together with the Chinese organisations and Chinese media, they formed the three main pillars of the Malaysian Chinese community, and they were internationally recognised as a unique characteristic of the Malaysian Chinese community.
In a statement issued today, Goh who is also President of The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) thus quipped that Dr Mahathir’s recent contradicting and provocative remarks were clearly a hard slap on himself who was the Prime Minister of Malaysia twice, first time for a period of 22 years, and for a period of 22 months the second time.
He observed that amidst the campaign period of the state elections of six states, the two-time former Prime Minister has been making a series of public statements which were hostile and unfair to the Chinese community, and were clearly intended to incite discord among Malaysians of different races, and to disrupt peace and harmony in the country.
He thus opined that the ‘unity government’ should not continue to remain silent about it, and to take immediate and appropriate measures to stop such an unscrupulous act.
He pointed out that, among Dr Mahathir’s recent provocative acts/statements include 12-point ‘Malay Proclamation’, “promoting Malaysia as a multiracial country is against the Federal Constitution”, “non Malays are the immigrants”, “majority of the Chinese become bosses living in bungalows, while the Malays become street hawkers”, “the Chinese wanted both wealth and power!”.
Goh underscored that being a multiracial, multicultural democratic nation, the government has a duty and responsibility to safeguard such unique characteristics which is essentially the foundation of nation-building, and to effectively prevent attempts by any individuals or groups to demolish the culture and traditions of any ethnic group in the country.-pr/BNN
