Zaid: Forget militants, let's see PM's guts
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should start the ball rolling and show the Malays that he is a brave leader and an example of the kind of courage the country needs, said Zaid Ibrahim.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should start the ball rolling and show the Malays that he is a brave leader and an example of the kind of courage the country needs, said Zaid Ibrahim.
"There are an endless number of things we can do to show the Malays what courage and bravery is all about. There is no need to take them to Iraq or make them interested in becoming suicide bombers. That’s not bravery—that’s stupidity.
"The Malays can still be a useful part of this world, with the right kind of bravery imbued in them,” added the former law minister in his blog.
Zaid was commenting on Najib’s recent statement, calling for the Malays to be brave just like the soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) militant group in Syria and Iraq.
He said the prime minister can help address the fear Malays seem to have that the whole world is against them, which is a narrative fed to them by the likes of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Ibrahim Ali.
"But no one is targeting the Malays. The Christians, the Chinese, the Jews, etc are all busy accumulating and consolidating their economic wealth so they have neither the interest nor the time to single out the Malays and do them any harm.
“The Malays will never learn to be brave if their political and religious leaders only open their mouths to talk about the enemies who are out to destroy them.
“It’s time leaders reassure the Malays that their position is safe, and let them learn to be positive about their future. The PM himself should stop this fear-mongering,” he added.
Zaid ( right ) said the prime minister can also help the Malays to be brave by giving them a proper explanation of the rights of all citizens, as they are enshrined in the constitution.
“Telling the Malays that they can be stronger by working together and learning alongside the other races is an act of courage.
“Ensuring academics remain true to the spirit of scholarship and not become part-time politicians is an act of courage. Recognising and protecting the rights of all minorities under the law is an act of courage,” he added.
The former minister also noted there are leaders who do not want to see the Malays free from all this fear and consequently become brave, because they think that if that were to ever happen their political capital would be gone.
Also taking Najib to task was veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang.
He said the prime minister’s glorification of the exploits of the ISIS terrorists is not only a matter of great concern for local Malaysian politics but for Asean relations and international affairs.
For local Malaysian politics, he it has come at a time of the nation’s worst racial and religious polarisation.
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Zaid: Forget militants, let's see PM's guts
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