MP SPEAKS Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has shocked the nation in threats published by Umno’s mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia that Malaysia could see another bloody May 13 incident if no efforts were made to preserve inter-ethnic harmony, especially when Malays and Muslims continue to be insulted.
By blaming the non-Muslims and non-Malays if there is to be death and violence in any future May 13 riots, Muhyiddin is first dehumanising them should there be any violence on non-Muslim and non-Malays.
Such inflammatory remarks are not only irresponsible but shows that Muhyiddin is only fit to be a role model for right-wing NGOs like Perkasa and Isma as a bigot and extremist but completely unfit and unqualified to be a deputy prime minister for all Malaysians - Malays, Indians, Chinese, Ibans and Kadazans.
Muhyiddin has unfortunately built a reputation as a poster boy for Perkasa and Isma when he renounced Prime Minster un Razak’s now discredited propaganda of 1Malaysia by stressing that he is a Malay first and a Malaysian second.
Muhyiddin has adopted a hostile attitude towards non-Muslim and non-Malays to the extent that one can only arrive at a conclusion that he is not only disrespectful but intolerant of non-Muslims and non-Malays.
For the first time in history since May 13, 1969, a deputy prime minister is recklessly blaming non-Malays and non-Muslims for causing ethnic ties to be strained and unhealthy as well as threatening them with May 13 riots and violence.
Repugnant and repulsive
Many non-Malays told me that Muhyiddin’s violent threats are so repugnant and repulsive that they want to give up, emigrate and leave this country. I responded that we must not surrender to racists and extremists but fight for the country we love to remain moderate, law-abiding and peaceful as envisaged by our first Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Malaysia must be a secular country for all in accordance with our Merdeka federal constitution.
Muhyiddin Yassin's May 13 threats empower the racial bigots and extremists, and make him responsible not only for any repeat May 13 bloody incidents but also accelerates brain drain and loss of human talent.
Muhyiddin obviously lied because he is unable to show proof where is the provocation by non-Malay or non-Muslim groups against Malays and Muslims? Instead there are repeated provocations from pro-Umno NGOs that go unpunished or without any protest from the BN government.
Examples include in February 2014, a group of individuals calling themselves the Majlis Jemaah Islam slaughtered two chickens and offered monetary reward to any individual willing to slap DAP vice-chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok for RM 1,200.
In May 2014, a group of Umno youths gathered before the DAP headquarters and DAP Kuantan offices and threatened to burn it down, but no action was taken against them.
Even though Christians’ rights have been eroded, including use of the word 'Allah' has been taken away and their Malay language Bibles seized, Christians have protested peacefully and according to proper legal channels.
The Christians are easy targets because they are among the smallest of the minority religious groups.
Malaysia has an estimated 30 million people now with Muslims making up 61.3 percent, Buddhist 19.8 percent, Christians 9.2 percent, Hindus 6.3 percent, Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions 1.3 percent and others (either no religion, other religions or no information) at 2.1 percent, according to the 2010 census.
Similarly non-Malays are easy targets because they are a minority, with the three major groups comprising Malays (60.3 percent), Chinese (22.9 percent) and Indians (7.1 percent). The Chinese population of 22.9 percent has shrunk to half from its peak in 1957 when it was 45 percent.
Non-Malay BN parties to blame
So where is the threat to Malays and Muslims from non-Muslims and non-Malays? The real threat comes from abuse of power, mediocrity, corruption and cronyism.
MCA, MIC, Sarawak United People’s Party(SUPP), Parti Bersatu Sabah(PBS), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Gerakan must bear full responsibility for Muhyiddin taking the racist and extremist route.
Their eight ministers must give Muhyiddin two choices to either withdraw his words of hate and language of threats or else the two MCA, two MIC, one Gerakan, one PBS, one PRS and one SUPP minister would resign from the cabinet in protest.
Failure to do so will only means that the six BN component parties and their eight ministers condone Muhyiddin racist and extremist remarks against non-Muslims that is not only disrespectful of their dignity by intolerant of their rights as citizens of Malaysia.
LIM GUAN ENG is DAP secretary-general and Bagan MP.
