By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia TodayKUALA LUMPUR: Since creating Perkasa one year ago, Ibrahim Ali has been making headlines with his controversial quips that have now branded him as an “ultra-Malay” and an “extremist”.
But the Perkasa president isn't losing any sleep over his fast spreading notoriety. He is instead amused at how easily he is able to raise hackles by simply being a “misunderstood man”.
According to him, he has been pushed into an unofficial leadership seat because his statements are being given more weight than they deserve.
“Look at how people reacted when I said the government should delay allocations to the Chinese community in Hulu Selangor,” he said. “I am just the Perkasa president. Najib Tun Razak is the prime minister. The choice to delay or not was in his hands yet people reacted like it was in mine.”
“Yes, some of my statements are controversial but people can choose to ignore me because in truth, I am no one. I am just a local boy who doesn't even belong to a political party. Why are they paying so much attention to me?”
“I just speak my mind and suddenly everyone is talking about me. People hate me and accuse me of this and that which has made me even more misunderstood. I am actually a victim of popularity!”
The Perkasa president explained that the core misunderstanding is over Perkasa's mission which he clarified is to fight for Malay rights as stated in the constitution. However, he noted that this has been misinterpreted as a fight against other races and communities.
“Perkasa's fight is on policy matters,” he stated. “We are defending Malay rights within the constitution because we know that the Malays are still lagging behind. They still need affirmative action to get ahead. To deprive the Malays of their constitutional rights is a crime.”
“Look, I share the same opinion as everyone else that if not for corruption and the wastage of billions of ringgit, the government would be rich enough to help every single Malaysian. Unfortunately, that's not the case. But I am not against the government helping other communities. Just make sure the Malay rights are fulfilled first.”
The independent Pasir Mas MP also said that accusations of him being a “chauvinist” are purely politically motivated. He pointed out that he had never faced such accusations when he was an MP during Dr Mahathir Mohamad's era.
“After the 12th general election, there were 200 police reports filed on seditious issues but none of them implicated me. I wasn't a chauvinist, then why am I being called one now? I'm not stupid. I know why this is happening now.”
When asked whether his controversial statements are designed to elevate Perkasa's standing in the political world in preparation of taking it to the next general election, Ibrahim vehemently denied it.
“Perkasa will never be a political party,” he affirmed. “Maybe in the future its members would like it to be one and then it's up to them. But it will never happen under my watch.”
On the same note, he also warned MCA and Gerakan that they have become “victims of DAP”.
“DAP plays a lot on Chinese sentiments, and Gerakan and MCA have been forced to play the same game. But in doing that, they risk losing Malay support.”
Ibrahim went on to share his views on being Malay or Malaysian, Perkasa's role in a globalised world and his friendship with (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim. Here are excerpts from the interview:
What is Mahathir's role in Perkasa?
He doens't have one. I never consulted him when I formed Perkasa and I swear he never contributed a single sen to the group. He isn't even an adviser. All he did was officiate at our first AGM and you know him – he accepts invitations to all functions. When Chinese groups ask him to attend their functions, no one says anything. When he attends a Perkasa event, all hell breaks lose. But that's fine. All these criticisms are building my resilience and making Perkasa more appealing to Malays.
Are you Malay or Malaysian first?
I am Malay first. Everyone has their own race but we share the common destiny of 1Malaysia. When Najib introduced 1Malaysia, he made it clear that it would not change anything in the constitution. 1Malaysia is a unity slogan. But who turned it into a political one? (DAP supremo) Lim Kit Siang! DAP has twisted it around to say that if you want 1Malaysia it means putting your race aside and subscribing to a “Malaysian Malaysia” policy. This is not right.
What is Perkasa's role in a globalised world?
(Laughs) Let's solve the country's problems first before thinking global.
Anwar and you were once partners in campus, in political struggles and even in the Kamunting detention camp. Is that friendship still alive?
We were friends before. I don't share his political view because it is only focused on him becoming the next prime minister.
The conservative Malays are concerned that Najib is pandering to the non-Malays.
No la, this is only a perception. But despite that, the Malays still voted for (Hulu Selangor MP) P Kamalanathan. The Malays are very good. You will never find Malays in this world like you find in Malaysia. Betul saya cakap!
No comments:
Post a Comment