KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman reminded former mentor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today of his former ideals, after the latter accused him of attempting to erase the history of Malay-Muslims in this country.
The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president asserted that he is no less a Malay for promoting the importance of a united Malaysian nation rather than accepting Dr Mahathir’s recent supremacist rhetoric.
“Being a proud Malaysian in no way makes me any less of a Malay,” the Muar MP said in a series of tweets.
He pointed out how Dr Mahathir himself had once promoted the building of a united Malaysian nation with his Vision 2020, but has appeared to walk back on his call in recent days.
Salam Tun,
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 5, 2023
Being a proud Malaysian in no way, makes me any less of a Malay.
Saya ialah generasi Wawasan 2020.
Saya masih ingat masa kecil, di bangku sekolah, dididik untuk lukis dan hafal 9 cabaran Wawasan 2020 yang Tun gariskan.
Ini adalah ilham Tun sendiri.
1/5 https://t.co/gxt8oorIJ4
“The first challenge of Vision 2020 is to build a united Malaysian Nation. This was once your vision Tun,” he wrote, referring to Dr Mahathir.
“The question is, will the Malays be oppressed if that objective is achieved? The reality is, we can have different ethnicities, religions and cultures but still live in a harmonious society.”
Syed Saddiq said his intention is to not be hostile against the majority Malays, but to ensure that young Malays can be successful, independent and able to “conquer the world”.
“This new generation of Malays will prove to everyone that Malays can succeed without having to set aside other races. Because in the end, we are all Malaysians who complement each other,” he said.
This comes after Dr Mahathir accused Syed Saddiq of turning his back on his community by promoting a multi-ethnic Malaysia, a continuation of his previous claim that the Anwar government is turning the country secular and less Malay.
“Since the definition of Malay is someone who speaks Malay, and practices Malay customs and Islam as stated in the Federal Constitution, then we are no longer Malays.
“That is the effect when Malaysia is recognised as a multi-racial country,” the former prime minister wrote cryptically on Facebook.
He continued with a sarcastic attack against Syed Saddiq: “Syed Saddiq okay. Other Malays are not.”
Yesterday, Syed Saddid vowed to prove Dr Mahathir wrong, after the latter’s racial remark that promoting a multi-ethnic Malaysia means rejecting the Federal Constitution.
After the former prime minister claimed that the Constitution is steeped in “Malayness”, Syed Saddiq said Muda will prove the “hurtful” message wrong and that embracing multi-racialism will not weaken the society but instead strengthens it.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has responded to Dr Mahathir’s accusation against his government by saying that he has always governed the country according to the principles of the Federal Constitution.
His deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also accused the nonagenarian of being provocative because he has nothing better to do in his old age, and has in the past used a similar tactic to attract attention.
