Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email This is the kind of statement that puts off people. I suppose he is above detention centers đŸ™‚
I’m not surprised with these statements. The milder versions will appear in the papers later, but since he is talking in a pro-Malay forum, what else can one expect?
The whole world is moving on, and its so sad that some segment of our population still thinks like this. If this was some country bumpkin, then we can forgive. But this is coming from a royalty, an educated (I assume) person, someone whom the community is expected to respect,….very embarassing indeed.
He also talked about “islamic country” – a already sticky issue that threatens to divide the communities even further.
I guess what he saying is that non-malays are third-class citizens, living on welfare and charity of the malays in this country. He seems to imply that only Malays need to protect the country and constitution, while the rest no need to do so. 50 years after Merdeka…and this is the thinking….so sad.
He goes on to say that election results show Malays “are disunited and facing challenge from other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically”. Does he mean all Malays must only vote for one party? Where is the freedom and right to vote? And which group is more politically dominant than the malays’ UMNO? Economically, we can say chinese community are quite dominant, but politically there only one dominant party.
The prince also neglected the bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak, plus the aborigines in the country. How convenient.
Well, the world is moving forward, and these kind of people will soon be forgotten.
Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/81279
Andrew Ong | Apr 12, 08 2:10pm
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 “Malay unity is the core of national unity” 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.
“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.
“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” 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 “not be provocative towards Islam”.
“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,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.
‘Dominance’
He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored.
“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,” he said.
In his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority. “The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” 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.
“We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.
“Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state… confuses the people… Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added.
let’s read the milder version in the Star:
Tengku Faris: Don’t question Malay rights
By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN
KUALA LUMPUR: The special rights and privileges of Malays should not be questioned but the community should make every effort to improve and stay united, the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan said. Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra reiterated that nobody should challenge Malay rights and privileges, adding that these developments were becoming apparent following the recent general elections.
“The Malay Rulers will act as a source of unity and loyalty among all the people as stated in the Constitution and Rukunegara. “As such, the people should be united and no one should question the special rights and privileges of the Malays because it is quid pro quo in return for providing citizenships to 2.7 million people of other races who joined the Malay Federation.
“It is not appropriate for the other races to demand equal rights and privileges after they had already acquired their citizenships,” he said in his opening address at a Malay unity gathering held in conjunction with the Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.
The theme of the event, organised by a group of Malay NGOs named Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu (BBPM), was “Malay Unity is the Core of National Unity.” The NGOs included the National Writers Alliance (Gapena), Federation of Peninsula Malay Students, Pekida and the Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association.
Tengku Mohammad Faris, however, reminded them that while they pursued stronger Malay unity, they should not ignore the rights of other races, such as freedom to practise their religions.
