PETALING JAYA, Aug 26 – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) accused the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) today of stoking racial sentiments to divert the nation’s focus from the missing RM52 billion in Bumiputera equity but itself dodged questions over its stand on hudud.
“We now seem to be talking about Malay interests, Bumiputera interest. Where is the RM52 billion? Were these allocations given to ministers and their children?” Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) raised in a media conference after chairing the PR leadership meeting here.
But he was not forthcoming over the issue of hudud, the divisive Islamic criminal law that once buried the precursor to PR – the Barisan Alternatif (BA) in late 2001 despite some success in the 1999 general elections.
“What’s wrong with hudud law? The Muslims know what hudud law is. If anyone raises this, it is Umno. What is their stand on hudud?” he fired back after being repeatedly quizzed on PR’s stand.
“In the context of Pakatan Rakyat, we are reminded that we are living in a consensus … If any specific proposal is raised, we should not deny their right to represent their case.
“There is space for us to dialogue and discuss … no problem,” Anwar added.
PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who were also present readily echoed Anwar’s view.
“PAS has issued a statement and its stand on the policy of mutual respect, despite the differences in opinions ... We know each other’s agenda but we can sit together and fight for the common interest of the rakyat,” said Nasharuddin.
“The parties do have their different views but it has never stopped us from fighting … against the [challenges] reflected by the BN. The bigger the threat, the more they try to fan racial sentiments … to cover up the RM52 billion share scandal,” said Lim, who is also Penang chief minister.
The trained accountant repeated his claim last week that the BN coalition had “stolen” RM52 billion worth of Bumiputera shares from poor Malays.
Lim said the numbers cited were supplied by the prime minister himself.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak had reportedly admitted in June last year that only RM2 billion out of the RM54 billion of Bumiputera shares given out since the inception of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971 remained in the hands of the Malays.
“Now there’s only RM2 billion left, who will grab it? Certainly BN leaders. Is that why they don’t want to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate it?”
The NEP, which officially ended in 1990, has frequently been attacked by PR politicians and businessmen alike for failing its original goal of curbing poverty and instead enriching well-connected Malays.
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