Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.


 He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled &ldquo;Malay unity is the core of national unity&rdquo; organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.


 Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.


 <img align="left" alt="bbpm tengku faris 120408 tengku faris" height="203" src="https://i.malaysiakini.com/120/bd45ed678ca9d40923797e738047cd93.jpg" title="bbpm tengku faris 120408 tengku faris" width="250"/>
 &ldquo;Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (
 
 beri-paksa kerakyatan
 
 ) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.


 &ldquo;Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,&rdquo; said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.


 However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.


 As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and &ldquo;not be provocative towards Islam&rdquo;.


 &ldquo;The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (
 
 negara Islam
 
 ), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,&rdquo; he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.


 
 
 
 


 &lsquo;Dominance&rsquo;


 He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored.


 &ldquo;In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,&rdquo; he said.


 <img align="left" alt="bbpm tengku faris 120408 crowd" height="199" src="https://i.malaysiakini.com/120/156e74cd01ccef6737f0bd859587d4d4.jpg" title="bbpm tengku faris 120408 crowd" width="300"/>
 In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being &ldquo;challenged&rdquo; and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.


 &ldquo;The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and are only seeking temporary material gains,&rdquo; he said.


 As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (
 
 penduduk asal
 
 ) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity.


 &ldquo;We have to make an effort to unite. Don&rsquo;t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.


 &ldquo;Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state... confuses the people... Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,&rdquo; he added.

The crown prince of Kelantan says the special position of Malays is a quid pro quo for citizenship rights of non-Malays in the country.


Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality

~RM12

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