THE Bugis community today demanded that Dr Mahathir Mohamad apologise and retract his statement allegedly describing them as pirates.

The call was made by Persatuan Perpaduan Rumpun Bugis Melayu Malaysia, an association representing the community, which held a peaceful protest in front of the Perdana Leadership Foundation building in Putrajaya.

“Police reports will be lodged throughout the country if Dr Mahathir refuses to withdraw his statement and apologise for hurting the feelings of the Bugis community, which has long been a part of Malaysian society,” said the group.

“The racist statement is unacceptable, and we will make sure the entire Bugis community does not support Dr Mahathir and his party when the time comes (14th general election).”

The gathering was held following the Pakatan Harapan chairman’s speech during a rally in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, where he allegedly said Prime Minister Najib Razak might be a descendant of Bugis pirates and should return to the Bugis community in Indonesia. – Bernama, October 18, 2017.