KEDAH Amanah chief Ismail Salleh has lambasted Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor for stoking up racial sentiments in response to Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming’s call for Malaysia to emulate Singapore in building better housing for the people.

Ismail called Sanusi a “shallow-minded” and malicious rabble-rouser working to protect PAS’ political interests. This was after Sanusi accused Nga of trying to subjugate the Malays by bringing back local elections.

“Sanusi is trying to poison the minds of the Malays by saying the minister wants to bring back local government elections when Nga really just wants (the government) to follow Singapore’s housing development ideas,” said Ismail.

“Everyone knows that Singapore’s Housing Development Board provides high quality public housing compared to Malaysia’s.

“What’s wrong with us learning from Singapore? Just because we want to copy Singapore’s housing development doesn’t mean that we want to copy everything they do.”

In a speech last Monday, Sanusi said Nga was hoping to revive local government elections.

Sanusi said that should Nga achieve his alleged objectives, the local councillors would be of a single race who would then enact the bylaws to discriminate against the Malays.

The Kedah PAS chief also said that that DAP was working on a “New Silk Road” agenda to China through the Local Government Development Ministry.

Ismail reminded Sanusi that the Kedah leader had just signed a memorandum of understanding with Jangka Bakat Minerals Sdn Bhd and China’s Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd, to mine rare earth deposits in Sik.

“Sanusi and PAS cannot move on. The Sultan of Kedah has decreed (for the state government to work) with the federal government for the benefit of the people, but Sanusi is still race-baiting. – January 26, 2023.