By S Rutra - Free Malaysia TodayKUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat supremo Anwar Ibrahim fails to understand why Umno has gone berserk over his suggestion to have a Chinese deputy prime minister.
“I don't know why Umno is so hysterical about this issue,” the opposition leader told FMT.
“That was my personal view. It's not Pakatan's stand. The issue will be discussed further and only if there is agreement at all levels, will the matter be considered,” he said.
Anwar said the system has worked well in Penang, which has two deputy chief ministers, and he sees nothing wrong in extending it to the federal level if Pakatan forms the government.
The PKR leader also said that he has explained the matter to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who was reported to be in the dark about the issue.
“Like I said, it was my personal view and I have clarified the matter with Hadi,” he added.
Karpal is also puzzled
Concurring with Anwar, DAP chairman Karpal Singh is also puzzled as to why this issue is being blown out of proportion.
“There is an understanding among Pakatan parties that the prime minister will be a Malay Muslim. So I don't see how this (Anwar's view) can be a controversy.
“When the PM is a Malay Muslim, how can Malay rights erode just because there is an additional non-Malay deputy prime minister?” he told FMT.
Meanwhile, Anwar also stressed that PKR does not neglect issues concerning a particular race, and warned the party's grassroots leaders not to be baited by Umno on this.
He was responding to the unhappiness of PKR grassroots leaders that Indian issues were not raised during the recently-concluded party convention.
“We always take heed of legitimate demands regardless of race. We are not running away from such issues, we just need more time to address them,” he said.
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