Will DAP will defend bumiputera rights in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement? This is what the president of the Malay rights NGO Perkasa, Ibrahim Ali, wants to know.

"I have yet to read any official statement from DAP (on TPPA).

"I want to know what the stand of DAP is, especially whether the party will voice its concern on bumiputera rights in the TPPA," Ibrahim told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

He clarified that defending bumiputera rights would be part of maintaining national security, which is his main concern.

"If the core population, the Malays, are united, then Malaysia will be united. That is what I mean," he said.

That was why, Ibrahim added, he hopes DAP would oppose the TPPA, for the sake of national security.

He clarified that he was not entirely sure if DAP had released a statement on the TPPA but he had not found any statements from them in the news.

"Maybe they (DAP) already issued a statement and I overlooked it," he admitted, adding that other political parties had already stated their opinions on the TPPA.

Regardless, he said, he is less interested in other political parties' stand on the TPPA.

"I am more interested in DAP. I want to know DAP's stand," he said.

DAP has often been described as a Chinese chauvinist party.

They have been trying to change that perception lately with more notable Malay figures joining them, such as national laureate A Samad Said and former law professor Aziz Bari.

Push for government to withdraw

Tok Him noted that whenever there are individuals who said or did things that provoked the Malay Muslim community, DAP kept silent.

"Perkasa is not anti any race. We don't blame the Chinese. We are angry at people like (controversial sex blogger) Alvin Tan ( photo ), not the Chinese.

"The problem is when individuals make statements that provoke or hurt the Malay Muslims, I don't see DAP condemn them. They keep quiet," he said.

Ibrahim was speaking at a press conference as the spokesperson of the Majlis NGO-NGO Malaysia, which announced that they are firmly against the TPPA.

They will also push for the government to withdraw from the TPPA, which is a sweeping trade agreement between 12 countries.

The negotiations for the TPPA concluded on Oct 5 in Atlanta, though final approval from each country's government is still required.

The agreement is supposed to be tabled in the Parliament in two months, according to International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed.