Ku Li calls for Malay identity to be used as basis for citizenship

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 29 Sep 2018 2:46PM · 9 Comments

Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah says adopting the proposal will enable Chinese and Indians classified as Malays to be considered for citizenship. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, September 29, 2018.

TENGKU Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah has called for a review of a proposal, made some 10 years before Merdeka, that allows for the Malay identity to be used as the basis for securing Malaysian citizenship.

He said adopting the proposal, made by Parti Kebangsaan Melayu (PKMM) leader Dr Burhanuddin Helmy when he opposed the Malayan Union in 1946, would enable Chinese and Indians classified as Malays to be considered for citizenship.

The proposal is also contained in the 1947 People’s Constitution jointly drawn up by PKMM’s Pusat Tindakan Rakyat (Putera) and the Joint Action Council of Malaya (AMCJA) formed by Tan Cheng Lock.

Tan was the founder of MCA. 

“If the PKMM proposal is accepted, I am convinced race relations, which have blighted us so much in the past, will not resurface,” he said in his address at the 7th annual general meeting of the Malay Civilisation Board (Adab) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Ku Li said only a handful of few countries had successfully assimilating various ethnic groups through such a way, without specifying which countries.

“I believe it is not too late to develop a united country made up of many races. It might be timely for us to consider the PKMM proposal again,” he said.

The pre-Merdeka coalition had suggested the idea so that all people in the country would be known as Malays since they had “broken their ties” with their original country.

In his address, Tengku Razaleigh said this proposed method to inculcate national unity had long been on “everyone’s lips”.

“Actually, we don’t have national unity,” he said, adding this was because non-Malays, particularly the Chinese and Indians, refused to not accept Malay culture as the basis of national culture, the reason being that their own culture was better and older than Greek culture.

“That is why the Malays are looked down on,” he said.

Tengku Razaleigh, who was recently appointed chairman of the Umno advisory board, also spoke on the misconceptions by, not only non-Malays, but Malays as well, about Malay values.

“Malay values are ignored and often ridiculed, even among the educated,” he said.

Citing the keris in Malay custom as an example, he said it had been intentionally misinterpreted “to smear the Malays”.

Tengku Razaleigh also spoke on the concept of Malay supremacy, which he said was no longer as it originally intended to be when it was brought up in the 1960s in a row between Umno leaders and Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. – September 29, 2018.

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Comments

  • Beware twisting of Burhanuddin's words. Was converting to Islam a requirement back then in order to be Malay? If not mistaken I think not. Also, where does this leave the indigenous people, who are 13% of Malaysia's resident citizens?

    Posted 7 years ago by Anak Kampung · Reply

  • What is the purpose? Why undermine the strength of our diversity?

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • It's not the Malay cultures and values that are looked down. Remember the Babas and Nyonyas. Except for religion, they communicate themselves in Bahasa, wear Kebaya and many other local practices. What is the outcome? They are still been treated as second class citizens, worst than million of Indonesians, Filipinos and Bangladeshi who arrived barely a generation ago who became citizens. Malays are confused lot whether they want to be Malays, Malaysians or Arabs.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • GOD ALMIGHTY will take care of you soon Kuli for this hatred of yours.....

    Posted 7 years ago by Hantoo Blacklord · Reply

  • Kuli, then according to your proposal we can have Malay Christians, Malay Hindus, Malay Buddhists?..

    Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • Or what?..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • There should be freedom of religion for all regardless of his proposal.

      Posted 7 years ago by Anak Kampung · Reply

  • Onset of dementia?

    Posted 7 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply