Mahathir’s Bernama interview on Suqiu a public slap for Abdullah and licence for GPMS and others to escalate ethnic tensions

(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): The final part of the end-of-the-year Bernama interview by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad specifically on the Suqiu issue, which was held back and released as a third and final  instalment, is a great letdown and the worst possible end for Malaysia this year.

This is because Malaysians o had hoped that the new year of 2001 would start on a new page where Malaysians regardless of race, religion and political beliefs could unite and focus their energies on building a strong, progressive and prosperous Malaysia - leaving behind  the negative and divisive controversies to escalate ethnic tensions to win back lost political support.

Mahathir’s latest statement on Suqiu is in fact a public slap for Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and an open licence for the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), Ibrahim Ali’s Barisan Bertindak Melayu and other irresponsible front organisations to escalate ethnic tensions over the Suqiu Election Appeals.

This is because what Mahathir said yesterday about the Suqiu issue is a direct contradiction and repudiation of the call by Abdullah when speaking at the Sixth World Federation of Foochow Associations Convention in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago on December 17,2000 calling for "a halt to all counter- productive and sensitive demands".

Urging  the representatives of each community in the country to do their part to "heal the fissures", Abdullay said the public discourse on the Suqiu issue had been growing increasingly unhealthy and was seriously jeopardising national unity.

Abdullah said there were two groups. One group's belligerence in presenting unreasonable demands that could unravel the fabric of our society, and another group's infantile and confrontational response had set back nation-building considerably, he said.

"By refusing to seek an end to this impasse other than to demand apologies and present demands and counter demands, both groups are stoking the fire of intolerance and acting selfishly to the detriment of a strong, peaceful and united Malaysia. This is not the way to build a Malaysia for all Malaysians,"

Abdullah said demands and counter demands had been made, demonstration had been held and emotions had run high.

"All this must be stopped,"

In fact, four days later, Abdullah repeated his call for a "cool-off", warning of "instigation" by certain elements to "aggravate the situation and cause tension in the country".

But yesterday, Abdullah’s call for an immediate halt to "belligerence in presenting unreasonable demands" and "infantile and confrontational response" was publicly repudiated by the Prime Minister when Mahathir declared that he could not control front organisations like GPMS and Barian Bertindak Melayu - which is no less a "green light" for their continued "infantile and confrontational responses" to escalate ethnic tensions in the country.

Mahathir’s excuse that he could not ask the Malays not to make counter demands or voice objections to the Suqiu demands as this would be seen as favouring the Chinese is most shocking, irresponsible, opportunistic and a confession of the communal politicking which had been a curse of Malaysian politics since Independence.

Mahathir told Bernama:

"For instance if I were to say to the Malays do not make any demands then I will become unpopular. It is enough that I have become unpopular with the Chinese who think I am hitting out at them and after that should I go to the Malays and say do not do such things.

"So the Malays will see me to be on the side of the Chinese and the Chinese will say I am anti-Chinese. Hence we have to handle this matter with care."

From his logic, is Mahathir seriously suggesting that his fourth Deputy Prime Minister is now anti-Malay, or could be condemned as anti-Malay, because Abdullah had called for an immediate halt to the "unbridled demands" and "infantile and confrontational responses" arising from the Suqiu controversy - and is this why he is publicly repudiating Abdullah?

There is no doubt however that Abdullah has emerged from the Suqiu controversy which was deliberately revived after Mahathir’s parliamentary statement on December 11, 2000 following the Barisan Nasional defeat in the Lunas by-election as more of a Malaysian leader than Mahathir.

A power struggle is clearly going on in UMNO as to whether the Suqiu Appeal should be exploited, distorted and manipulated to try to escalate ethnic tensions to create a scenario to justify another Operation Lalang massive crackdown against the Barisan Alternative and the NGOs to restore UMNO’s support in the Malay heartland - heedless of the dire consequences of such irresponsible politicking on the national welfare, whether economic, political or the nation-building front.

This is why Mahathir in his Bernama interview insisted in claiming that Suqiu is demanding that the Special Rights and Privileges of the Malays be abolished, although Suqiu had come out with two recent statements reiterating its support for Article 153 of the Constitution on Malay special rights and Mahathir had admitted in his parliamentary statement that Suqiu did not refer explicitly to Malay special rights.

If Mahathir believes that the Suqiu Appeal violates the constitutionally- entrenched sensitive issue of Malay special rights and has therefore run afoul of the Sedition Act, then let this be decided by the Courts as to whether (I) Suqiu had  committed sedition in formulating the appeals; and (ii) the Cabinet  and every Cabinet Minister had committed sedition in approving "in principle" the Suqiu Appeal on  September 22, 1999.

This would be a more responsible course of action than in instigating "infantile and confrontational" responses from front organisations like GPMS and the Barisan Bertindak Melayu which is clearly "not the way to build a Malaysia for all Malaysians".
 

(30/12/2000)