KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — MCA called today for a sedition investigation against a cleric and a conservative Muslim convention over erroneous claims that only the Malays fought against British colonialists and Japanese occupiers.
The party’s publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said Ismail Mina Ahmad, a Muslim cleric and chairman of an umbrella group for Muslim organisations called Ummah, should also be prosecuted if necessary in order to stop such racial “provocation”.
“In the interest of national unity, harmony and stability, we urge the authorities to conduct checks and investigate the purpose and intent of Ummah.
“Are they attempting to radicalise their participants? Are they instilling hate and creating haters based on race and religion with the intention of segregating and dividing us?” asked Ti in a statement today.
In addressing the National Patriots Association’s defence of non-Malays officers who had fought alongside Malay troops in several conflicts since the pre-independent years, Ti agreed that multiracial Malayans had fought and were also seriously injured or tortured to death in their defence of Malaya during the Japanese occupation and Communist insurgency.
He said there had been clear proof that patriotic non-Malays had defended the country, but was selectively forgotten or overlooked by some individuals.
“Kudos to Patriot for upholding the truths and correcting the false, inflammatory and divisive facts portrayed by Ummah chairman,” said Ti.
“Ummah, in recalling history, facts, must present history based on facts and not personal prejudices and hatreds against other races. Irresponsible statements like Ummah’s are the cause of our national divide and not vernacular schools or otherwise,” said Ti.
Ismail had claimed at a convention yesterday that only the Malay community had resisted British colonialists and Japanese occupiers, erasing the contributions of other ethnicities.
He also claimed that only Malays had fought the communists.
Ti said the biased claims made by Ismail were pathetic and an outright insult against Malayan and Malaysian soldiers, guerrillas, policemen, and civilian, who had sacrificed their lives and their next-of-kin.
While citing several past incidents, Ti said the statement had purposely omitted and neglected the sacrifices and contributions of the non-Malays.
“Papan native Sybil Kathigasu had provided intelligence and medical supplies to resistance fighters in Malaya as did lesser known Lim Bo Seng, both of whom were tortured in detention by the dreaded Kempeitai during World War 2. Sybil never recovered from her injuries post-war while Lim unfortunately paid the ultimate sacrifice while under interrogation.
“What about the Ranau death trail? Native Sabahans risked their lives to hide and provide food to the 7 emaciated Australian POWs who managed to escape their Japanese captors,” said Ti, referring to prisoners of war.
Amongst other incidents cited by Ti were the army raid in Perak by the Al-Maunah terrorists (which consisted of all Malays), where Iban soldier Matthew Medan and one Indian police were abducted and tortured during the standoff, as well as the recent Ops Daulat in 2013, where multiracial Malaysian security forces were tortured and killed by Suluk forces.
