Nazri scolds Umno, MCA leaders for public spat
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz today scolded his own colleagues in Umno and MCA leaders for their open squabbling, claiming that they were not acting in the spirit of 1 Malaysia.
Instead of joining the ongoing spat between the two Barisan Nasional (BN) parties, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department chose to play the role of peacemaker and called on both allies to play nice.
The outspoken Padang Rengas MP even blamed the sparring leaders for the public’s lack of respect for politicians.
“I realise now why there is so little respect for politicians... because they say one thing and then they do another.
“I do not blame all of you if you have no respect for politicians. Sadly, I belong to this group,” he told a press conference after meeting representatives from the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia in Parliament building here this afternoon.
Nazri (picture) chastised the BN leaders involved in the spat, who include Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, for allowing their verbal war to reach the public.
“How are we going to convince the people that we stand together under the 1 Malaysia concept when we fight each other in public?
“I certainly do not condone this and I think it is not good for the BN. In public, you say we are 1 Malaysia and then you say we are the BN and we have a spirit of our own and then later, you show that that you are quarrelling. What message are you giving to the public?” he said.
Nazri agreed that both sides were equally to blame for the spat and said that all BN component party leaders should be more careful in the future.
“We should be more careful. Like the Malay saying – you cannot clap alone. Or for young people like you – you cannot kiss alone. When you kiss, there has to be somebody else there,” he said, smiling.
The Umno-MCA war escalated recently after the Chinese-based party attempted to push hard for the abolishment of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target.
During MCA’s Chinese Economic Congress over the weekend, the party had also called for economic liberalisation and a merits-based and needs-based system to enhance Malaysia’s competitive edge in the global arena.
This raised the ire of several Malay leaders, including Malay rights group Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who warned that Umno would lose Malay votes if it bent to the MCA’s will.
Both Muhyiddin and Hishammuddin joined the fray later, sternly reminding MCA’s Dr Chua not to forget the BN’s struggles when fighting for the rights of the Chinese community.
Muhyiddin also reminded MCA that the unfair distribution of wealth had resulted in the 1969 racial riots, the worst in the multi-racial country’s history.
Without missing a beat, Dr Chua shot back with a retaliation of his own, citing his disappointment with Muhyiddin for using the 1969 riots to warn him.
He also said that Hishammuddin’s response was an indication that “some BN leaders” had failed to learn from the coalition’s failures in Elections 2008, which saw it lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Dr Chua also said he was not afraid to share views with its political foe DAP, provided it was for the good of the community.
When asked if he agreed with MCA’s demands, Nazri refused to say yes or no, stressing that he did not agree with the ongoing spat.
He claimed that instead of abolishing the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target, businesses should opt for a “genuine partnership” as once mentioned by the Prime Minister.
“If they are asking to abolish and they want a fair share, then that means its a 50-50 partnership. I would rather go for a partnership that is Malaysian in nature – Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera,” he said.
Nazri today also continued to express his disdain for the constant controversial statements made by leaders in Malay rights group Perkasa and reminded the public that the non-governmental organisation had nothing to do with the BN.
“It is an NGO not supported by BN even though there are Umno members who have joined them. It is only normal for some members of political parties to join NGOs but it does not represent BN when it comes to racial harmony.
“Perkasa is entirely in opposition to what the Prime Minister wants to see in 1 Malaysia and I have said before – this body does not help us at all and I am totally against it,” he said.
He accused Perkasa leaders of making controversial statements to boost their own political careers.
Nazri also came to the defence of the non-Malays, claiming that they never questioned the rights of the Malays.
“It is not true that the non-Malays question the Constitution. They are only asking for what they feel they ought to have, that is all. Can it not happen when you want to just ask for something for yourself?” he said.
He noted that it was often misconstrued that the moment a non-Malay tried to ask for something, they were questioning the special rights of the Malays.
“Like if a non-Malay student from a poor family gets 9As and asks for a scholarship, is it wrong?” he said.
Earlier during his meeting, Nazri had explained to the federation’s representatives the true meaning behind the 1 Malaysia concept.
“It is about loyalty to the country, unity, a sense of belonging and that everyone here has equal stake in the country, regardless of your race,” he said.
He expressed disappointment in how certain politicians make “divisive statements”.
“Look at Nicol David, when she goes into the squash courts, she walks in there as a Malaysian, not an Indian or a Chinese.
“Politicians need to learn lessons from her. We, so-called politicians are supposed to be leaders of the country but we make divisive statements. We know the obstacles are real and it is never going to be easy but we must not give up,” he said.
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