KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — Lim Guan Eng rubbished talk today of amending the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister, claiming Malaysians have accepted the “political reality” that the post “must” be given to the country’s largest ethnic community.
He said suggesting such amendments was “racist and superfluous” as it treated non-Malays as if they were second-class citizens.
“No non-Malay political leader has even talked about wanting to be prime minister because Malaysians accept the political reality that the prime minister of Malaysia must come from the Malay community,” he said in a statement here.
On Friday, PKR Youth challenged Umno to amend the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister but Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later clarified that this was neither his party’s stand nor that of Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Lim (picture) pointed out that the highest political posts now available to non-Malays were ministers and the Penang chief minister’s position, which he now holds.
But the DAP secretary-general said that although the Malays dominated top leadership posts, including positions in the civil service, police and army, his party and the Penang government had never threatened to usurp power from the community.
“DAP has never carried out such a campaign because DAP considers all Malays as Malaysians who have an equal right as any other Malaysian to be in these sectors,” he said.
“This is evident in the open tender system where 70 per cent of Penang government contracts are won by Malays, proving the Malay contractors are competitive; only Umno crony contractors are useless,” he said.
Lim also recalled Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s controversial “Malay first and Malaysian second” declaration last year, saying it showed that “1 Malaysia” was an empty slogan designed to win votes.
Lim claimed the slogan would be rapidly discarded after the next general elections.
“What is surprising is that Muhyiddin does not consider illogical or inconsistent with pursuing a strictly racial Malay agenda with the agenda of other non-Malay Malaysians,” Lim said, adding that the deputy prime minister “even pursues DAP leaders are Chinese chauvinists even though DAP has fought for all Malaysians”.
“DAP is no threat to Malays. Only Umno is a threat to Malays and Malaysians with its open acceptance and defence of repressive violation of basic human rights, corruption and abuse of power.”
Lim accused Umno of using such threats to justify and cover up its numerous financial and corruption scandals.
He cited the latest exposes of excessive expenditure of RM3.7 billion by government departments in the 2010 Auditor-General’s report and the National Feedlot Centre scandal, where a company related to a minister was accused of misusing public funds to buy luxury condominiums.
“Umno has consistently undertaken a remorseless campaign of lies and fear against the DAP to scare the Malays that their rights and interests are being threatened,” Lim said, adding Malaysians did not “need a corrupt and racialist party like Umno to protect them”.
Umno has repeatedly accused PR of selling out the Malays to Chinese and foreign interests, insisting that the Malays can only be protected if Barisan Nasional (BN) remains in power.
Since the landmark Election 2008 where PR denied BN its customary two-thirds majority in parliament and five state governments, the Malays have swung back towards the ruling coalition even as Chinese support for the federal opposition has increased.
Racial tension has also heightened over the past few years especially with repeated allegations that Muslims are being proselytised.
He said suggesting such amendments was “racist and superfluous” as it treated non-Malays as if they were second-class citizens.
“No non-Malay political leader has even talked about wanting to be prime minister because Malaysians accept the political reality that the prime minister of Malaysia must come from the Malay community,” he said in a statement here.
On Friday, PKR Youth challenged Umno to amend the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister but Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later clarified that this was neither his party’s stand nor that of Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
Lim (picture) pointed out that the highest political posts now available to non-Malays were ministers and the Penang chief minister’s position, which he now holds.But the DAP secretary-general said that although the Malays dominated top leadership posts, including positions in the civil service, police and army, his party and the Penang government had never threatened to usurp power from the community.
“DAP has never carried out such a campaign because DAP considers all Malays as Malaysians who have an equal right as any other Malaysian to be in these sectors,” he said.
“This is evident in the open tender system where 70 per cent of Penang government contracts are won by Malays, proving the Malay contractors are competitive; only Umno crony contractors are useless,” he said.
Lim also recalled Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s controversial “Malay first and Malaysian second” declaration last year, saying it showed that “1 Malaysia” was an empty slogan designed to win votes.
Lim claimed the slogan would be rapidly discarded after the next general elections.
“What is surprising is that Muhyiddin does not consider illogical or inconsistent with pursuing a strictly racial Malay agenda with the agenda of other non-Malay Malaysians,” Lim said, adding that the deputy prime minister “even pursues DAP leaders are Chinese chauvinists even though DAP has fought for all Malaysians”.
“DAP is no threat to Malays. Only Umno is a threat to Malays and Malaysians with its open acceptance and defence of repressive violation of basic human rights, corruption and abuse of power.”
Lim accused Umno of using such threats to justify and cover up its numerous financial and corruption scandals.
He cited the latest exposes of excessive expenditure of RM3.7 billion by government departments in the 2010 Auditor-General’s report and the National Feedlot Centre scandal, where a company related to a minister was accused of misusing public funds to buy luxury condominiums.
“Umno has consistently undertaken a remorseless campaign of lies and fear against the DAP to scare the Malays that their rights and interests are being threatened,” Lim said, adding Malaysians did not “need a corrupt and racialist party like Umno to protect them”.
Umno has repeatedly accused PR of selling out the Malays to Chinese and foreign interests, insisting that the Malays can only be protected if Barisan Nasional (BN) remains in power.
Since the landmark Election 2008 where PR denied BN its customary two-thirds majority in parliament and five state governments, the Malays have swung back towards the ruling coalition even as Chinese support for the federal opposition has increased.
Racial tension has also heightened over the past few years especially with repeated allegations that Muslims are being proselytised.
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