Dr M says political divisions make Malays weak

Dr Mahathir said the Malays seem to be afraid of saying ‘Melayu’ in their own land. — File pic

ALOR STAR, April 30 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the Malays today they must unite under the Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional (BN) because division into three parties has made them weak.

The former prime minister said a general election, expected to be held within the year, was an important test for the Malays.

“If we are swayed by fairy tales then we will reject BN and vote for the opposition.

“These days, I find that the cry of ‘Hidup Melayu’ (long live the Malays) does not get a lot of support. Malays seem to be afraid of saying ‘Melayu’ in their own land,” he said to over 1,000 Malays in his birthplace.

“When we say ‘Melayu’ we will be called racist,” Dr Mahathir said at a gathering here dubbed Perhimpunan Melayu Perkasa Kedah.

Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister said that in the past, the Malays were only loyal to their respective state Rulers and were easily controlled by other nations such as the Chinese and Siamese.

He said Umno had united the Malays and gained independence from the British.

However, PAS’s emergence split the Malays into two and caused the Malays to fight among themselves, he said.

Dr Mahathir said when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim formed PKR after being sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998, it further divided the Malays into three groups.

“He doesn’t care about Malay unity, he just wants to be prime minister,” he said.

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