No such thing as 'Malay dilemma' - Nik Aziz

"When we talk about the interests of a specific race, it would encroach into the sensitivity of the other race. When the interest of only the Malays is prioritised, the Chinese and Indians will definitely bear a grudge because they want equal treatment,” added Nik Aziz.

Harakahdaily

PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has attacked race-based policies such as the New Economic Policy (NEP), saying that they were destined to fail, and rubbished any discussion of the so-called "Malay dilemma".

"There is no such thing as Malay dilemma in Islam. Islam has given sufficient ingredients to guide our life in achieving peace, security and prosperity in the world and hereafter,” he said, in an apparent response to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest accusation that the PAS chief's cooperation with PKR and DAP proved that he was not fighting for Islam.

On the NEP, Nik Aziz said its failure was well documented.

"The fact is it did not bring much change to the Bumiputera, except a select few," said Nik Aziz.

Saying the policy only managed to achieve 18 percent share of the economy for Bumiputera although it had aimed for 30 percent, Nik Aziz hinted that the person to blame was Mahathir.

"Why fail? Dr Mahathir as the then Prime Minister has the real answer. Why is he hiding the fact?” he said.

Mahathir, in a series of blog posting targeted at Nik Aziz, had earlier defended UMNO against Nik Aziz's criticisms that it was based on narrow nationalism devoid of Islam.

Praise for Ataturk

In his latest blog posting entitled "A

nswering Nik Aziz", Mahathir also praised Turkey's Mustafa Kemal, increasingly despised by a growing number of Turkish Muslims, saying he was successful in restoring Turkey's pride.

FATHER FIGURE?... Mahathir admires Mustafa Kemal of Turkey for "restoring Turkey's pride"

Mustafa Kemal, who forced secularism on Turkey after engineering the downfall of the Ottoman caliphate, was well known for his crass de-Islamisation campaign in Turkey in his eagerness to be accepted by Europe. Among his legacies was banishing any form of Islamic practice, including denying women the right to wear hijab, which until recently had still been in place in Turkey.

The Kelantan Menteri Besar however reminded that Islam strongly forbid preferential treatment for any race as it would create communal conflicts.

"Prophet Muhammad taught us not to emphasis on race.

"When we talk about the interests of a specific race, it would encroach into the sensitivity of the other race. When the interest of only the Malays is prioritised, the Chinese and Indians will definitely bear a grudge because they want equal treatment,” added Nik Aziz.

Nik Aziz pointed out that Islam prohibited any attempt to sow hatred or undermine dignity of other communities.

"Thus, there is no issue of any Malay dilemma or dilemma of any race, when the questions of race and struggle of any specific race are based on the teachings of Islam.

Nik Aziz said debates and anxiety about "Malay dilemma" were due to UMNO's race-centred struggle.

“In the end, it has misled its own race because their people no longer believe in the good brought by their own religion,” he stressed.