PN trying to portray itself as Malay unifier, says PKR man
PETALING JAYA : PKR's Taufiq Johari today accused Perikatan Nasional (PN) of attempting to portray itself as a unifier of the Malay community, following a PAS leader's defence of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's new alliance for 'restoring Malay power' in the government.
In a statement, he said the former prime minister and PAS, a PN component, had 'divided the community many times before in the past'.
He said Mahathir had quit Umno to form Bersatu and then Pejuang – all three of them Malay-based parties.
PAS, meanwhile, had broken up Muafakat Nasional, an alliance between the Islamic party and Umno, the country's two largest Malay-Muslim parties, he said.
'Now PAS is the latest to jump on Mahathir's false assertion that a new alliance is needed to restore Malay unity.
'Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man must know that Mahathir's proposal for all Malay-based parties to come under a single, broad coalition is a desperate and provocative move,' he said.
Tuan Ibrahim, the PAS deputy president, said last night that Mahathir's new platform was key to uniting the Malays.
He also said that the proliferation of political parties was one of the main reasons behind disunity within the community.
He said the democratic system had allowed the formation of many political parties and that a grand alliance involving intellectuals, corporate figures, politicians, and religious scholars was needed to unite the Malays.
He also said that Mahathir's platform was different from PN, which was a coalition of political parties.
On Wednesday, Mahathir announced a new loose coalition which would include PAS and Bersatu, to rally the Malays in an effort to save the community from what he described as political and economic decline.
The event was attended by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, and Tuan Ibrahim.
Taufiq, the Sungai Petani MP, labelled it a 'gathering of disgruntled leaders' whom he said were trying to distract the public with a false narrative.
'I urge the Malays of today to look to the future, and not be tricked by these deceitful and irresponsible claims,' he said.
Separately, Urimai chairman P Ramasamy said while Mahathir's new initiative was targeted at the Malays, it had implications for every ethnic group in Malaysia.
'Perhaps it is time for non-Malay communities to consider their own umbrella coalition – a political force to defend their rapidly eroding rights in an increasingly fragmented and directionless Malaysia,' he said in a Facebook post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
22 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Cabinet agrees to act against ‘irresponsible politicians', says minister
Science, technology and innovation minister Chang Lih Kang criticised an 'irresponsible politician' for stoking tensions during the Merdeka month and for bullying. PETALING JAYA : The Cabinet decided yesterday to have firm action taken against 'irresponsible politicians' inciting sentiments over the recent Jalur Gemilang controversy, according to federal minister Chang Lih Kang. Chang, who is minister for science, technology and innovation, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other ministers were 'very concerned' that the issue would dampen public enthusiasm for National Day. Referring to reports of a police investigation regarding the controversy, he said: 'We shall wait and see whether anyone will eventually be charged in court,' Malaysiakini reported him as saying in a speech in Klang today. In a video on social media, Chang took further shots at an 'irresponsible politician' for stoking tensions during the Merdeka month. 'It's not only irresponsible, it is an act of bullying. Everyone knows who I am talking about.' His remarks appeared to be about Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, who led a group to a hardware shop in Penang after its owner was reported to have accidentally hung the national flag upside down. 'We are a nation and society governed by the rule of law. If there is a problem, lodge a police report and let the authorities take action. 'You are not an enforcement agency. You cannot just bring a group of people to someone's shop, disrupt their business and bully them,' Chang said.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
We have become overly sensitive as a nation
Fewer flags are flying in front of homes this year although this is August – Merdeka month. And we have to thank some of our politicians and social media activists for it. People are saying that it is better to not fly the flag than for someone to find fault and lodge a police report against them. I was at a function recently and a couple of elderly gentlemen shook their heads in response to the posturing and arguments over a recent case of a shopkeeper mistakenly flying the national flag upside down. 'What's wrong with these guys? We should be celebrating the flag. We should be encouraging people to fly the flag, not put fear into them so that they prefer not to fly the flag,' one of them said. Another said: 'It's a voluntary act to show our loyalty to the nation and to celebrate Malaya's independence from Britain but if this is going to cause me a problem, I'd rather not fly the flag. I will show my loyalty in other ways.' I can understand why many Malaysians are upset when a flag is flown upside down. They see it as disrespecting the nation. They rightly argue that after 68 years every Malaysian should know how to fly the flag. If it is intentional, the law must take its course; but we must remember that people do make mistakes. And we have to make allowances for that. In the 1960s and 1970s, if such a mistake had been made, people would just point it out and then move on. I have personally seen, sometime in the early-seventies, a man telling a shopkeeper that the national flag outside his shop was upside down. The shopkeeper looked surprised and quickly went to set it right, thanking the man in the process. The passer-by smiled and cycled off. There was no acrimony, no accusation of disloyalty, no police report. Then again, we were not as divided as we are today and politicians were generally more responsible. And we had no social media. Today, if someone has a flag that is flying upside down, he is accused of being disloyal, even a traitor to the nation, and a police report is lodged against him. And the police, who should spend their time fighting crime and keeping the streets safe, have to expend manpower and resources just to investigate this report. Today, even simple, innocuous remarks can be misunderstood and given a racial or religious tint; even statements of fact can be seen as an affront to this or that group. We tend to see almost everything with racially or religiously tinted lenses. We tend to view almost every act or remark with suspicion. As someone who has experienced life in the 1960s and 1970s, I feel that people today are overly sensitive, especially in matters related to race and religion. In those days, Malaysians were interested in resolving issues. If a flag was upside down, they would inform the person who had put up the flag to rectify the mistake. If someone had inadvertently made a remark or done something that hurt the feeling of some community or other, he would be forgiven if he sincerely apologised. But then again, people were not as hurt by remarks in those days. Today, it appears, many are more interested in looking like champions than in seeking solutions. In the process, Malaysians are growing further apart. I feel especially sad because this is Merdeka month – a period when we should focus on building bridges and coming closer together as a nation. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Barnama
Pulau Pangkor Emerge As Largest Contributor To Anchovy landings In Perak Last Year
IPOH, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Pulau Pangkor has emerged as the largest contributor to anchovy landings in Perak with a record of 2,844.44 tonnes worth RM42.67 million in 2024. The Department of Fisheries (DOF) Malaysia said the achievement underscores the significant role of Pulau Pangkor in the country's fisheries industry, especially the anchovy fishing sector. "Nationally, the anchovy landings in Malaysia in 2024 totalled 14,589.20 tonnes valued at RM164.89 million, referring to the same species, Ikan Bilis/Bunga Air, as categorised in official records. "Among the main producing states are Sabah (5,956.17 tonnes), Perak (2,852.91 tonnes), Kedah (1,818.98 tonnes) and Kelantan (992.65 tonnes)," the statement said. The statement also stated that the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, had earlier conducted a working visit to the anchovy industry area on Pulau Pangkor earlier today. According to the DOF statement, Pulau Pangkor currently has 694 vessels registered in various operational zones, namely Zone A (462 vessels), Zone B (44 vessels), Zone C (168 vessels) and Zone C2 (20 vessels) which allows the landing of various fish species, including anchovies. The statement further said that apart from anchovies, statistics also showed that among the top 10 species landed in Manjung Selatan in 2024 were pelaring, tongkol (skipjack tuna), tamban sisek, selayang, kembong (Indian mackerel), cincaru, selar, white shrimp and squid, with a total landing value of RM644.08 million. 'Pulau Pangkor also contributes to Perak's aquaculture sector with a production of 7,056.40 tonnes in 2024 through brackish water pond farming systems, cages, shellfish farming, freshwater ponds, hatcheries and freshwater ornamental fish farming across an area of over 1,264 hectares,' the statement said. Pulau Pangkor also remains an important location in the national fisheries industry with its strategic advantage as a centre for high-quality anchovy production which is a benchmark for the industry.
