MALAYS need not feel oppressed or as if their rights are being affected if they uphold what the Federal Constitution says about their position and Islam, said Sungai Kandis assemblyman Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni.

The PKR representative told a forum today that Malays should not heed any rhetoric aimed at scaring them, such as the narrative that the Attorney-General must be a Muslim.

“People say that when a non-Muslim A-G is chosen, we are done for. It is only rhetoric to scare the Malays.

“This is an example of how Malays are ridiculed, as if they need a certain party to protect them or else they are dead,” Zawawi said at a forum on whether Malay identity and Islam were under threat in Petaling Jaya.

He said people should be judged according to their skills and not whether they are Malay or not.

“To uphold Islam and the Malays, one just needs to follow the Federal Constitution which is clear that Islam is the official religion of the country.

“We practise this by (ensuring) Islam can bring peace and harmony to the different races in Malaysia, and not to take over (other races).”

With a panel of Pakatan Harapan speakers, the forum today had plenty of criticism for Umno which was described as an oppressor of Malay minds.

Bersatu Youth member Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Minir said Umno had used the Malays for their own gain.

While the community genuinely needed socio-economic help, the party’s politicians encouraged a mindset that prevented competitiveness and promoted dependency on Umno.

“That is why from then until now, you hear things in Umno general assemblies like the Malays of today cannot live without Umno, they cannot eat without Umno, they can only breathe because of Umno.

“That is the mindset planted in Malays that only Umno can fight for their rights,” Mohd Ashraf said. – August 25, 2018.