Anwar says Ketuanan Melayu only benefits a minority

Anwar: Only a small group benefiting from ketuanan Melayu. — Picture by Choo Choy May

IPOH, Nov 3 — The “ketuanan Melayu” or Malay supremacy concept as advocated by certain groups, benefits and enriches only a small group of Malays, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

“I believe that the Malays and Bumiputeras should not be sidelined,” he said.

“We should do all we can to help them together with the Chinese and Indians,” Anwar told reporters after a talk at the Bangunan Darul Ridzuan today.

He said, however, that fighting for Malay supremacy to enrich a small number of Malays while a larger section of the community were still in deplorable condition, was unacceptable.

On the remark by former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim recently that the Malay supremacy concept had failed, Anwar said, the statement should be studied by all.

At the 21st LawAsia Conference in Kuala Lumpur last week, Zaid said the Malay supremacy concept had failed and distracted from the real issues confronting the country.

The remark irked several Umno leaders, including Perlis Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim who described Zaid’s statement as excessive, while Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar called on Zaid to apologise to the Malays.

Meanwhile, Anwar said that certain media had been manipulating the appointment of Low Siew Moi as the acting general manager of Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) and turned the matter into a racial issue.

He said the appointment was only temporary until a new one was made by the Pakatan Rakyat. — Bernama