Akmal I M Still Malay First Unlike Power Hungry Muhyiddin

---

 


Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh appeared keen to establish himself as the Malay-est Malay politician of them all after Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin distanced himself from being "Malay first".
This comes hot on the heels of his insistence that Malaysia is still "tanah Melayu" (Malay land).
In a Facebook post, Akmal said Muhyiddin's declaration yesterday that his "Malay-first stance" was in the past showed that people can change for the sake of power.
"May God protect the earnest struggle for religion, race, and country and protect us from people who use religion and race for personal gain.
"I am still Malay first before Malaysian, because that is my race which can't be changed before, now, and God willing forever," he said today.
PN chairperson Muhyiddin YassinIn 2010, Muhyiddin - in response to a challenge from DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang - said he was Malay first, but this did not mean he was not Malaysian.
Yesterday, the former premier changed his tune, saying he and PN would take care of all Malaysians.
The move is aimed at diversifying PN's support base, which relies heavily on Malay voters.
Akmal, meanwhile, has maintained a hardline Malay nationalist image since becoming Umno Youth chief at a time when conservative Malay support for Umno is slowly shifting towards PN.
‘This is tanah Melayu’
On another matter, Akmal yesterday took aim at MCA ethnic and religious relations bureau deputy chair Roger Yapp, who said Malaysia did not belong exclusively to one race.
The Merlimau assemblyperson said Yapp should not overstep his bounds.
"All this while this is tanah Melayu, and this will not change. Understand!" he exclaimed.
Akmal cited Article 152 of the Federal Constitution about Malay being the national language, and Article 153 in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is charged with safeguarding the special interest of Malays, Sabah and Sarawak natives, and the legitimate interest of other races. - Mkini

---