On the griddle: Bersatu Youth chief under fire for roti canai remark

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal. - Filepic/The Star

PETALING JAYA: After saying that he prefers Malay roti canai compared to mamak shops' roti, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has sparked outrage among netizens for his remark, which has been branded a racial statement.

The Machang MP had written a Facebook post in Kelantanese dialect on Thursday (Aug 3) morning, saying: "I prefer Malay roti canai compared to Mamak. It's so appetising!"

Mamak refers to a person of Indian Muslim origin.

His post was accompanied by a photo of himself having roti canai at a Malay eatery, which he also promoted in the post.

"If you come to Machang, stop by at Kedai Roti Canai Cekok Pokku and Kak Niey in Bukit Bakar, Kemuning," he wrote.

Compared to his other Facebook posts which usually garner only hundreds of reactions and comments, this particular post had 11,000 reactions and almost 3,000 comments, most of which criticised Wan Ahmad Fayhsal.

"Without mamak (shops) and Indians, no Malay would know roti canai. Without the Chinese, no Malay would know mee, bihun, kuey teow, cha koi, soy sauce tofu, taucu and so on.

"In this life, we need each other. The more you mix around, the smarter you will be," wrote Facebook user Baba Ezrairis.

Takuya Kimira wrote: "Just eat. Why do you need to compare races? Roti canai, nasi lemak are the foods that unite the different races in our country. By making such a remark, does that mean that you are the most Malay person ever?"

Nik Zainuddin commented: "When you stay in Kelantan, you can say that (you) like Malay roti canai. When you go back to KL, you look for mamak roti canai."

Lna Sanda wrote: "For me, if the shop owner is Muslim, and practises cleanliness and halal in the food preparation, I will support no matter the race. Muslims are brothers, there's nothing to race."

"Even roti canai is politicised. As if he is the most Malay compared to others," wrote Lee Zun Seng.

Samuel AJ questioned: "Stay in the United States for so long but this is the quality of an MP?"

Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal appeared unfazed by the criticism as he had replied to a netizen who asked what would happen if he saw the Bersatu leader at a mamak eatery.

"Then I will treat you. Have I said mamak food is not tasty? Roti canai is just a preference. I'm not saying I don't like mamak," wrote Wan Ahmad Fayhsal.