Remember your roots, Mahathir
| January 23, 201
NGO tells the former premier that he
would not have been a Malaysian if Tunku had not granted citizenships to
non-Malays during Merdeka
KUALA
LUMPUR: If Tunku Abdul Rahman did not grant citizenships to non-Malays during
Merdeka, Dr Mahathir Mohamad would not have been a Malaysian, claimed an NGO.
Malaysian
Indian Progressive Association (Mipas) chairman A Rajaretinam made this known
during a protest in Brickfields against Mahathir’s call to probe citizenships
given during Independence.
The
former premier said this in reaction to the damning revelations made in the
Sabah RCI, which implicated his administration in granting citizenships to
foreigners to reside in Sabah.
Rajaretinam
was hinting at Mahathir’s Indian heritage, where the latter’s father was an
Indian Muslim immigrant.
Rajaretinam
said that not only did Mahathir insult the Tunku with his statement but also
the entire Indian community.
He
added that the Indians in Malaysia got their citizenships by sacrificing their
blood, sweat and tears for the sake of national development, as opposed to the
immigrants in Sabah.
“Our
ancestors were not refugees. We were brought in by the British government to
Malaya to build the country.
“When
you talk about plantation, railway and building roads, you will see our
ancestors’ sacrifice for the country,” said Rajaretinam.
Police report
He
also reminded Mahathir that it was the non-Malay votes that saved him from
being booted our from office in the late 80s and 90s, when he was at
loggerheads with then Umno bigwigs, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Anwar Ibrahim.
Rajaretinam
said that he will lodge a police report against Mahathir at the Travers police
station later in the evening and urged him to apologise for his remarks within
a week.
“We
also demand Umno president Najib Tun Razak to state his stand on the matter,”
he said.
Also
present at the protest, which drew a small crowd of about 20 people, were
Sungkai assemblyman A Sivanesan and Angkatan Warga Aman secretary-general S
Barathidasan.
Sivanesan
said that Mahathir’s statement was seditious as he was questioning the
citizenship rights of the non-Malays and also also questioning the merits of
our Independence.
Rajaretinam
said Mipas and 20 other NGOs are mulling calls to hold another protest
gathering on Feb 27.
