PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement about Indians being “disloyal” to the country was nothing new coming from someone who allegedly always had prejudices against races.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the “AI Untuk Rakyat” (AI for the people) programme at Universiti Putra Malaysia today (Jan 16) Anwar sarcastically pointed out that Dr Mahathir is known to label the non-Malays as disloyal except for some of his cronies.
Describing the 98-year-old politician’s remarks as “irresponsible”, Anwar said such remarks should not have been issued by a topmost figure who once governed the country, serving as prime minister for the longest time.
“I do not regard Dr Mahathir’s statements on Indians not being loyal to the country as relevant,” Anwar remarked.
“I find it irresponsible of him to make such statements to insult any race whereas he was a prime minister for many years.
“He is well known for his views – that the Malays are all lazy except for himself, and the Chinese are also not loyal to the country except for a few of his cronies.”
In a recent interview with Indian satellite TV channel Thanthi TV, the former Pejuang chairman claimed that Malaysian Indians are not completely loyal to the country because they still identify with their country of origin.
The former premier also said that non-Malays should fully assimilate and “become Malay”.
Delivering a speech at the event, Anwar did not mince words when he cited “former leaders” who were busy trying to cover their wrongdoings by insulting all races.
While the Pakatan Harapan chairman did not mention names, it was evident that he was referring to the elderly statesman when he quoted the latter’s claims that “Chinese and Indians are not loyal to the country”.
“They are such outdated views and they will destroy our country. I hope the people, especially the younger generation, will not entertain such broken views because we need to focus on raising the dignity of the country,” he said.
“To me, all citizens are loyal. We must respect each other regardless of race and we must embrace the strength of the people.” – Jan 16, 2024
Main pic credit: Bernama
