PETALING JAYA: PKR Deputy Information chief Datuk Ramanan Ramakrishnan has slammed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed over his recent comment that racial issues in the country were caused by non-Malay political parties.
The Sungai Buloh MP said Dr Mahathir has forgotten about the contributions of non-Malays in obtaining independence for the country.
“This country was founded because the leaders of all the main races collectively worked together for the interest of the nation by signing the agreement," said Ramanan.
He added that Independence or the founding of Malaysia would not have been achieved without the support of the political organisations Dr Mahathir calls "parti pendatang".
“It was MCA and MIC together with Umno which signed all these historic documents. Please read them. All races worked together to build up Malaysia including those from Sarawak and Sabah,” he said in a statement on Monday (Sept 4).
On Sunday (Sep 3), Dr Mahathir claimed that non-Malays' unwillingness to assimilate with Malay culture had contributed to the racial issues in the country resulting in non-Malay led political parties which he dubbed as 'parti pendatang' (migrant parties).
Ramanan pointed out that Dr Mahathir’s claims contradicted both the latter’s own heritage and current political alignment with the opposition Perikatan Nasional.
“By Dr Mahathir’s logic, Gerakan is a ‘parti pendatang’ as it is led by Dominic Lau. So, what is Gerakan doing in Perikatan Nasional," said Ramanan.
“He may not care about leaving a legacy but he should be responsible to ensure that Malaysia remains united as a country and people,” added the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit Special Committee chairman.
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