PETALING JAYA: Former attorney general Tommy Thomas’ analysis of “the failure of Malay leadership” is irresponsible and insensitive to Malaysians, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
The Umno president said Thomas' statement was contradictory given how Pakatan Harapan’s 22-month administration was also led by Malays.
“The Malaysian Cabinet in general, does not comprise just Malays but also representatives from the Indian, Chinese and Dayak communities.
“His (Thomas') words show his prejudiced nature, to the point where he singled out the Malays without seeing the bigger picture,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 20).
The Bagan Datuk MP also questioned whether Thomas had disregarded statistics from 2021 indicating that the Malays and Bumiputera communities accounted for 69.8% of the population, followed by the Chinese at 22.4% and Indians (6.8%).
“Cabinet positions reflect the national population and are accepted as a democratic practice without disregarding representatives from minority ethnic groups,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid added that the Malays and Bumiputera communities were also tolerant, citing how many had achieved flying colours during their foundation or matriculation studies but were unable to take up courses of their choice, such as medicine.
“Despite this, they did not use this issue to say they were marginalised nor hold grudges against those from other races who obtained those spots.
“In Malay or Bumiputera communities, Chinese and Indian businesses are also present.
“Their businesses are in turn supported by the Malays or Bumiputera communities there, who ensure its prosperity without any instances of prejudice or racism,” he said.
He said Thomas’ behaviour was however not new, as he claimed in his book that Malay-centric parties would bring disastrous consequences following the Pakatan administration.
“It is not right to throw blanket accusations. It also reflects his (Thomas) prejudiced nature and shows him as being afraid of the Malays,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid’s comments come following a speech delivered by Thomas at a political forum held on Saturday (Sept 17).
Previously, senior lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim also called on DAP’s leadership to state whether it agrees with Thomas’ analysis of “the failure of Malay leadership”.
“He (Thomas) spoke at length about the failure of Malay leadership. In effect, he said that if Malays dominated the government and Cabinet, it would likely fail.
“This sort of stereotyping is not beneficial,” he said in a video on his Facebook page on Monday (Sept 19).
Zahid then questioned the types of Malays who were acceptable to DAP.
“Who can govern? How does DAP approve these Malays?
“This is important because Malay voters who support Pakatan Harapan need to know whether the (Malay leaders) supported by Pakatan are useful or useless, or are they merely stooges of DAP?” he asked.
