PETALING JAYA, Feb 21 — Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s Chinese New Year message that the Chinese shouldn’t be considered as pendatang is lauded by political leaders who believe that race segregation has no place in this day and age.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing said no Malaysian had the right to call another Malaysian as pendatang.
“Most of us in Malaysia are pendatang except, perhaps for the orang asli of Malaya or the Penans in Sarawak, who may have been here for hundreds of years. The Malays, the Indians, Chinese, Dayaks and Kadazans were at some point in history, immigrants to Malaysia,” he said.
Sarawak Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Utom thinks all leaders should be more proactive in combating widening racial divides.
“There are a lot of social media activity arguing over who is the true Malaysian, or the original Malaysian, and some people say things like pendatang.
Our chief minister doesn’t want to be associated with any of such things,” Utom said. “I think it is something that should be said by all leaders.”
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi, meanwhile, said the Chinese had always been accepted as citizens of Malaysia.
“BN has never excluded them (the Chinese) from the Malaysian society. In fact, the government has always been inclusive to the Chinese, and all races,” he said.
Aziz also said all must honour the established social contract in the Federal Constitution and to respect each other regardless of race.
“If everyone does that (respects each other), Malaysia will be a peaceful and harmonious country, well set to become a developed and high-income nation by 2020, that is the hope held by all.”
