KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12: “Only the police know why they wanted to see me but not Mahathir Mohamad although he said the same thing as me that a non-Malay can be Prime Minister of Malaysia,” veteran DAP man, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang said today.
In a statement issued here today, he said that a social media query on why former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was not hauled up by the police as he had said the same thing as he had done about “a non-Malay can be the Prime Minister of Malaysia” had led him to do some research.
“I found that the social media question was based on facts – that Mahathir had more than once said a non-Malay could become a Malaysian Prime Minister.
“But I also found that Mahahtir mentioned this constitutional fact to frighten the Malays on the ground they had lost economic control of the country and risked losing their political power as well.
“In March for instance, he said a non-Malay could become Prime Minister as early as the next two general elections – which is less than 10 years away.
“I differ greatly from Mahathir as I do not expect a non-Malay to become Malaysia’s Prime Minister in the next 100 years although I expressed the hope that Malaysia will not take 230 years like the United States for a Black American to be US President.
“This will come about when “the majority of Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and Dayaks dream the Malaysian Dream and not a mono-ethnic dream.
“I was stating what is in the Malaysian Constitution that any Malaysian regardless of race or religion can be Prime Minister of Malaysia – not to frighten the Malays or non-Malays or as a provocation to anyone.”
Nevertheless, Kit Siang added that there was no race or competition for a non-Malay to be Prime Minister of Malaysia, whether by Malaysia’s Centennial in 2063, which would be four decades from now, or after the next 100 years, which will be after the year 2123.
“No non-Malay will become Prime Minister of Malaysia without significant support of all the ethnic groups, in particular the Malays.
“Only the police know why they wanted to see me but not Mahathir Mohamad although he said the same thing as me that a non-Malay can be Prime Minister of Malaysia
“The PAS Secretary-General, Takiyuddin Hassan deemed my statement that a non-Malay could become a Malaysian Prime Minister as “poisonous propaganda”.
“But this provision is in the Constitution.
“Is Takiyuddin saying on behalf of PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN) that the Malaysian Constitution contains “poisonous propaganda”?
“Does this mean that PAS Members of Parliament have taken false oaths when they swore that they will “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution during the swearing-in ceremony of MPs?
“Let PAS be truthful with the people of Malaysia: What are the provisions in the Malaysian Constitution which PAS rejects, which justified the PAS President Hadi Awang to call it a “kafir constitution” in the past.
“Takiyuddin was quick to comment on my remarks in Manchester.
“Why did he keep silent on Hadi’s “thunderous silence” to substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations that the DAP and I were anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-Royalty, communist, and spreading Islamophobia.
“Does Takiyuddin agree with the PAS President?
“Furthermore, why was Takiyuddin silent on the lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech of the PAS MP for Kepala Batas, Siti Mastura, that I am cousin to the Singapore founder Prime Minister, (changing his name to “Lim” Kuan Yew) and the Malayan Communist Party secretary-general Chin Peng?
“What is Takiyuddin doing as PAS secretary-general to ensure that PAS leaders, including the PAS President, do not spread lies, falsehoods, fake news, and hate speech?”
Kit Siang said he had posed these questions to Takiyuddin when he was in Scotland last week and that he was still waiting for his answers.
“As I have said, I do not expect a non-Malay to become a Prime Minister in the next 100 years…but the focus of all patriotic politicians must be on Malaysia’s Centennial in 2063, whether Malaysa can rise up again to be a great world-class nation and be a role model of the world of inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony.”
–WE