03-11-2023, 11:08 AM
Dr Mahathir-Ramasamy’s ‘battle royale’ on non-Malays lacking nationalistic qualities
![[Image: Mahathir-Ramasamy-The-Third-Force-scaled.jpg]](https://www.thethirdforce.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mahathir-Ramasamy-The-Third-Force-scaled.jpg)
FORMER prime minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed has rebutted my piece entitled “Racial Rhetoric the Acknowledgment of the failure of Dr Mahathir” which was posted a few days ago in my FB.
In his reply, point-by-point, Dr Mahathir dispels the widely held notion that he is not racist but a nationalist.
His argument at to why he refers to the non-Malays, Chinese and Indians as “foreigners” is because they hold on to their languages and culture without adhering to a Malaysian nationality identity.
He says that even if they do not accept the religion of Islam, they should accept the national system of education with Malay as the national language.
While many from foreign lands particularly from the Muslim countries have come to accept the national identity, Chinese and Indians are openly defying the acquirement of a national identity – an identity which Dr Mahathir equates to as accepting the language and culture of the natives, the Malays.
He cites the example of the vernacular schools where the majority of Chinese and Indian children attend.
- More -
In his reply, point-by-point, Dr Mahathir dispels the widely held notion that he is not racist but a nationalist.
His argument at to why he refers to the non-Malays, Chinese and Indians as “foreigners” is because they hold on to their languages and culture without adhering to a Malaysian nationality identity.
He says that even if they do not accept the religion of Islam, they should accept the national system of education with Malay as the national language.
While many from foreign lands particularly from the Muslim countries have come to accept the national identity, Chinese and Indians are openly defying the acquirement of a national identity – an identity which Dr Mahathir equates to as accepting the language and culture of the natives, the Malays.
He cites the example of the vernacular schools where the majority of Chinese and Indian children attend.
- More -