FMT EXCLUSIVE KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali has a flair for treading hard on many toes each time he speaks up in defence of Malay rights.
Of late, the independent Pasir Mas MP seems to be intent on earning himself a less than palatable reputation by issuing statements that both shock and infuriate politicians and ordinary people alike with their propensity towards racism.
It's no small wonder then that Ibrahim is constantly asked whether he has any non-Bumiputera acquaintances.
But one had better be prepared for his answer for Ibrahim will tell you with a straight face that not only does he have non-Bumiputeras as friends but also as fans of Perkasa.
“Most non-Bumiputeras hate Perkasa and me,” he chuckled in an FMT exclusive interview. “But there are a few rational ones who are interested in being members of Perkasa.
“These are the non-Bumiputeras who understand that Perkasa is not a militant, chauvinist or racial group but one that is simply protecting the Federal Constitution. We've not thought about it as yet but we may introduce an associate membership for non-Bumiputeras in the future.”
Ibrahim also dismissed the notion that the inclusion of non-Bumiputeras would dilute Perkasa's mission. Instead, he envisioned Perkasa acting as a bridge to integrate the Bumiputeras and the non-Bumiputeras.
“It would be a very positive approach and I would personally support it very strongly,” he declared.
Samy Vellu holds key to MIC harmony
Perkasa has always positioned itself as a non-partisan organisation but that hasn't stopped it from playing a role in the political affairs of the country.
Almost every political party has, at one time or another, found itself scorched by Ibrahim's tongue for either overstepping boundaries or playing safe.
But one party that seems to have escaped his attention is the MIC. When asked where he thinks the party is headed after recent events surrounding it, Ibrahim's appraisal was gently critical.
“The Indians' only issue is the fact that (MIC president) S Samy Vellu has been at the helm for too long,” he stated. “Nothing more than that. If he steps down today, their nightmare will be over.”
Ibrahim also shared that he has studied the Indian culture and finds the Indians “very easy to handle”.
“The Indians are like the Malays,” he observed. “They like to make a lot of noise and when they get together, they start unions. Hindraf was just a bunch of lawyers who wanted to be heroes.”
He predicts that once Samy Vellu steps down and his successor is more accommodating to the community's needs, the issues among the Indians would be settled. In the same breath, he warned that the Chinese are the “difficult ones” because they hold their cards too close to their chest.
New media can be critical but factual
Many of Ibrahim's views have found a space on new media of which he doesn't harbour a particular fondness but acknowledged them as “very influential”.
He also emphasised that the danger of new media is not the media itself but those using it.
“The younger generation isn't interested in mainstream media,” he pointed out. “I don't think they read The Star or The New Straits Times, what more Utusan Malaysia. But problems arise when these young people write without proper knowledge of history or government policies.”
“The government should introduce regulations or a law to ensure that the new media is responsible. Being critical is good, but they must have facts.”
“So if a new media writer wants to say that Ibrahim Ali is involved in a RM100 million graft case, then print it if it's true. But don't make false accusations. That is my only caution.”
When asked if he has a Twitter account, he laughed and said he doesn't have time to tweet and would have nothing interesting to say anyway.
“But I am on Facebook,” he said. “And I have 4,000 friends so I think that is enough. I don't need Twitter.”
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