Malay rights pressure group Perkasa is distancing itself from the '1Melayu, 1Bumi' movement proposed by Umno-owned Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia .

NONE Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi ( left ) said the group had backed Utusan Malaysia when MCA called for its boycott after the movement was mooted by Utusan columnist Zaini Hassan as a means of uniting Malays.

Irwan said this did not mean that the group supported the movement, which was called after the Chinese community support for BN showed an apparent shift to the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat in the recent Sarawak election.

"We had just defended Utusan Malaysia as MCA had called for its boycott," Irwan told Malaysiakini.

"It is only on that issue that we had voiced our stand for Utusan ," he said.

"About the 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement, we are not sure what it is, it is not ours," he added.

Perkasa is planning a gathering in Kedah tomorrow and on Saturday, after holding similar ones in Kelantan and Perak.

NONE A rally, to be attended by about 30,000 participants, is planned from 2.30pm to 5.30pm after a speech by former prime minister and Perkasa patron Dr Mahathir Mohamad ( left ) speech at the Sultan Abdul Hamid Stadium in Alor Setar on Saturday.

Irwan said Perkasa hoped to attract Malays from all sides of the political divide to the rally.

"We will put aside our political differences, this is about Malay unity, that is all," he added, referring to the group's openness to accept Malay supporters of Pakatan to the event.

Speculation is rife that the group plans to launch the ultra-Malay movement (1Melayu, 1Bumi), at the event, to which Kedah Menteri Besar and state PAS commissioner Azizan Abu Bakar has also been invited.

NONE However, Kedah Perkasa chief Syed Osman Mansor ( right ) denied that '1Melayu, 1Bumi' was on the event's agenda.

He said Perkasa had "nothing to do with it" and that the event would only focus on Malay unity.

He also refuted a Bernama report on Tuesday quoting him as saying that Perkasa would launch the '1Melayu, 1Bumi' movement on Saturday.

Syed Osman had denied making the comment, but declined to state his stance on the movement, saying he was not clear what it was all about.