A columnist for Utusan Malaysia has raised the spectre of a threat to Malay dominance in Malaysia, this time with a warning that Singapore could rejoin the Malaysian Federation with the aim of diluting the Malays’ hold on national politics.
ICT entrepreneur and current issues analyst Datuk Ahmad Faris Abdul Halim contends in his column published today that Malay numerical superiority over other races in Malaysia is not guaranteed, and that Malay youth should not be taken in by liberal values espoused by the political opposition, and rally behind the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party to safeguard Malay rights and privileges.
The section of his lengthy essay that sees him being most alarmed is when he notes Article 2(a) of the Federal Constitution allows for the inclusion of new territories into the Malaysian Federation as long as there is a two-thirds majority vote – opening the possibility, in his opinion, the return of Singapore into Malaysia, after it was expelled in 1965.
Ahmad Faris writes: “If this happens – bolstered by Lee Kuan Yew’s statement that it would not be impossible for Singapore to rejoin Malaysia under certain conditions – imagine the implications of Singapore, with 81 of its 87 Parliament seats held by the People’s Action Party (PAP), rejoining Malaysia. Singapore’s 87 parliamentary seats + Malaysia’s 222. What will happen to the Malays?”
He goes on to say that a pact between the PAP and Malaysia’s own Democratic Action Party (DAP) would tip political control of Malaysia away from the Malay community.
Ahmad Faris then asked UMNO to re-adopt the tough measures prescribed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and take the lead in defending Islam, the Malay Rulers, and the Malays.
