Najib: Malay future at risk under Pakatan

Najib today picked up the race card that his deputy had played during the recent Umno assembly. — File pic

SHAH ALAM, Dec 5 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak warned today the future of Malays would be in doubt if his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) does not remain in power after a general election expected soon.

After presiding over an Umno general assembly last weekend that saw delegates and leaders accusing Pakatan Rakyat (PR) of being anti-Malay and Islam, the prime minister today told a Malay NGO that claims a membership of over two million that their “responsibility is to defend the current government.”

“The alternative choice, are they better than what is already in place? Can they guarantee our power is not dissolved or our position eroded? What about the dignity of Islam and Malays?

“We will not allow our people to be insulted. We will not back down by even an inch. We are warriors,” he said to cheers at Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia’s (Pekida) gathering here before leading cries of “Hidup Melayu (long live the Malays)!”

Umno had sounded the alarm last weekend, warning that only BN will ensure that Islam remains an important aspect within the government administration.

Party delegates had cited events such as claimed proselytisation of Muslims since Election 2008, when PR took power in five states, as proof that the faith among Malays would be in jeopardy.

Najib said today if the Umno-led BN lost power, “all our ambitions will be buried and our future will be full of darkness.”

“What will happen to Muslims if the government changes? What will happen to Islam if we lose our strength?

“What will happen to the Malay rulers if we are no longer there to honour them? What will happen to our descendants if we cannot fight for policies that protect them?” he said.

He accused PR of trying to “demolish what we have built.”

“Without having power, they have defiled the Malay rulers. Without power, they have questioned policies to help Malays and Bumiputeras, which are always questioned by them.

“Without power, they can say they want to halve the civil service. Who will be affected? If hundreds of thousands of civil servants are sacked, who will be the victims?” he said, referring to recent suggestions by DAP to trim the majority-Malay civil service.

Najib also cited DAP assemblyman M. Manoharan’s call for the Malaysian flag to be redesigned as another example of PR questioning “things that should not be discussed or renegotiated.”