KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — It is better for Pakatan Harapan to strengthen existing multiracial parties than to promote race-based ones, its chief secretary Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said today.
He said this in response to the formation of Malaysia Advancement Party (MAP) for the Indians by minister for national unity and social wellbeing, P. Waytha Moorthy yesterday.
“Our biggest political problem is ‘politics of race’. The way forward is a new political configuration — centripetalism — that is multiracial and moderate. Work on such parties; more mixed election constituencies that represent the real Malaysia; fulfil the peoples’ wish expressed in GE14,” said Saifuddin in a tweet.
The setting up of the new party, Malaysia Advancement Party (MAP) was relevant to protect the interests of the Indian community from all aspects, Waytha Moorthy has said.
He reasoned that although there were several component parties with multi-racial members in Pakatan Harapan (PH), he said the Indian community wanted a party especially to represent and fight for their interests in the country.
On the acceptance for the new party among PH component parties, Waytha Moorthy said it was too early for him to comment on it as the setting up of MAP had only been submitted to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) for approval.
He said he would apply to PH for MAP to be accepted as a component party after its establishment received RoS’ approval.
