Perkasa says will lead ‘1Melayu, 1Bumi’ movement

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — Perkasa has announced its spearheading of the “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement, warning Malays that the Chinese were seeking ultimate political power.

In backing Utusan Malaysia’s call for a movement to “unite” all Malay parties, Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said that Malay rights group did not have the “luxury of time” to wait for Malay political parties to initiate action.

“Perkasa will take on the responsibility of spearheading the “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement, where it is obvious the Chinese, through the DAP are trying to take over the political power of the Malays.

“This movement will be a part of Perkasa’s 3rd “Perhimpunan Melayu” in Kedah this April 30 at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium,” Syed Hassan told The Malaysian Insider.

The Perkasa leader said that the Malay rights group had invited representatives from various Malay NGOs to attend the gathering next weekend.

“I understand that even the Kedah Mentri Besar will be coming,” he said in reference to PAS’s Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak.

Utusan yesterday called on its owners Umno to spearhead a 1 Melayu, 1 Bumi movement involving all Malay parties, claiming that the DAP was intent on toppling the country’s Malay leadership.

“What Umno needs to do now, in this pressing time, is to launch a wave of racial unity — 1Melayu, 1Bumi. Launch 1Melayu, 1Bumi immediately with other Malay parties,” assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in the Malay daily yesterday.

Zaini said that while the DAP had united the Chinese politically, the Malays had so far done nothing in response.

Syed Hassan echoed Zaini’s remarks, and said today that Malays risked losing their rights and privileges to the Chinese unless they unite.

“The Chinese been monopolising the country’s economy for so long...now they want political control..Malays must unite, we need to preserse our political rights,” Syed Hassan added.

He said that he did not understand why the Chinese community in Sarawak voted for Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

“What is the problem of the Chinese in Sarawak? They have it better than those in the Peninsular,” he said.

Although Barisan Nasional (BN) won 55 out of the 71 seats in the recent Sarawak state elections, PR won a 15 seats, 12 of which were urban-majority seats consisting of mainly Chinese voters.