Prime Minister Najib Razak’s recent speech to the National Silat Federation, in which he defended the shameful and racist 16 September 2015 “red shirt” rally in Kuala Lumpur is further proof that he is abdicating responsibility for leading the nation to save his political career.
Leaders must not pander to the majority. They also have the duty to make all members of his or her society feel secure.
Najib—in claiming that the “red shirt” rally was to “defend the dignity of the Malays”—is not only throwing the non-Malays under the bus but also insulting the intelligence of the Malay community. This does not embody Islam’s mission as a blessing to the world.
If anything is anything, it is his controversial actions and failures in government which have hurt the reputation of the Malays not only nationally but on the world stage.
The so-called “moderates in UMNO”, particularly Youth Leader Khairy Jamaluddin, should state equivocally whether they back the Prime Minister’s stand on this issue.
All Malays—from the kampungs to the cities—should wake up to the fact that Najib is interested in only his self-preservation.
They should realize that the fate of their faith, race and country, rests not with feeding the ambitions of political opportunists but in uniting with our fellow Malaysians to move our country forward.
And all Malaysians should reject the politics of fear and embrace the need for positive political change in our country.
We simply cannot go on like this.
