Malaysia Belongs To All Not Just Malays Dap Rep To Akmal

---

 


A DAP leader has stressed that the country belongs to all its citizens, not just the Malays, in response to Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s assertion that Malaysia will forever remain "tanah Melayu" (Malay land).
Ayer Keroh assemblyperson Kerk Chee Yee said the Umno leader was mistaken in using constitutional provisions to reject the notion that the country is owned by all Malaysians.
Kerk (above) pointed out that the idea that Malaysia belongs to all citizens does not contradict the Constitution.
"The principle of citizenship enshrined in the Constitution does not pick any race, religion, or region.
“Every Malaysian has the same right to feel proud, protected, and accepted as part of this nation," the Malacca deputy speaker said in a statement today.
To support his remarks, Akmal had 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.
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal SalehKerk insisted that Malaysians of all backgrounds - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Sabahans and Sarawakians - owned Malaysia together.
The Malacca DAP publicity secretary added that Malaysia’s greatest strength is its diversity and shared progress can only be achieved through mutual respect, protection and empowerment.
‘Speak up, DAP’
Akmal had made his “tanah Melayu” comments on Facebook in response to MCA ethnic and religious relations bureau deputy chair Roger Yapp, who had stated that Malaysia did not belong exclusively to one race.
Following the exchange, MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon urged DAP to take a stand on the matter, questioning why it was keeping mum.
MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon"MCA has already made its position clear - that Malaysia belongs to all its people.
"In the past, DAP would have been the first to step forward to defend diversity, so why the silence now?" Chong said on Facebook today.
He added that DAP, with its 40 parliamentary seats, should speak up strongly and fairly on the matter.
Meanwhile, two other DAP Youth leaders also spoke up against Akmal’s “divisive rhetorics” that not only goes against the nation’s history, but also Ummo’s historical contributions.
DAP Youth national exco member Kusaaliny Mahendran reminded Akmal of Malaysia’s founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman’s vision for the nation.
“Akmal’s recent pronouncements, especially considering his influential role as Umno Youth chief, directly undermine the principles enshrined in our nation’s founding documents and contradict the actions of his own party’s past leadership.
“His ‘Malay-first’ stance not only disregards the contributions of our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak but also erodes the trust and goodwill painstakingly built over generations,” she said.
Similarly, DAP Youth assistant publicity secretary Syaheera Ghafar urged Akmal to end any form of self-serving “divide-and-conquer” politics, for the sake of future generations. - Mkini

---