Escalating racial, religious rhetoric unacceptable, says Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leaders in Sabah have abandoned the party due to the increasing racial and religious rhetoric of some peninsula-based parties, says Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

Masidi, who was the Sabah Bersatu deputy chief, said the rhetoric in the run-up to the recent general election was inconsistent with the values of East Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-religious communities.

He said it was difficult for Bersatu Sabah members, who are also in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, to accept such ideologies.

The GRS secretary-general said the coalition would support any leader or coalition who commits to preserving the Malaysian way of life, which has a place for everyone.

“And that is why we are wholeheartedly behind the 10th Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” Masidi said in a statement.

Many people, he said, forget that many Sabahans and Sarawakians have family members of different faiths.

He said the current unity government under Anwar best represented an administration that embraced the interests of all Malaysians.

“It’s difficult for GRS, or for that matter, many Sabahans, to accept what is now marketed as ‘political Islam’.

“As a Muslim, I am proud of my religion, but I do not think any party can claim to be a genuine representative of this great religion,” said Masidi.

He said Islam was a universal religion that was inclusive and respectful of all beliefs and cultures. It is a religion of compassion and humanity that respects the rights of others, including those of minorities, Masidi added.

He said multi-ethnic and multi-religious Sabahans had lived in harmony for centuries as inter-marriages were common, adding that Sabahans did not identify themselves by their ethnicity or religion.

“We are just simple Sabahans who want to protect our cultural and social heritage.”