[UPDATED] Anwar dismisses Dr Mahathir’s racial remarks, questions latter’s relevance

KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s views on race and the federal constitution should not be taken seriously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

Asked about his former mentor’s recent remarks against multiculturalism in Malaysia, Anwar said Dr Mahathir was trying to stay relevant, but that he ought to be made irrelevant.

“The ex-PM lost his deposit in Langkawi, I don’t think we should take him very seriously. Of course, his purpose is his last attempt to be seen (as) relevant.

“I am going to make him irrelevant. I am not going to going to comment on it. We have to stay the course,” Anwar said during a question-and-answer session at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2023 this morning.

Anwar also said that this was Dr Mahathir’s “last desperate attempt to be seen as relevant”.

The prime minister was responding to the questions raised by former Bar Council president Christopher Leong, who was moderating the question-and-answer session.

On July 3, Dr Mahathir claimed on Facebook that Malaysia’s constitution never stated the country as multiracial, asserting that it was against the constitution to promote a multiracial country.

Since then, the former two-time prime minister has written more posts on social media to defend his views from criticism, reiterating his position that Malaysia belonged to the Malays, and that the “Malaysian Malaysia” agenda advanced by DAP was aimed at turning the country into a multicultural one to the detriment of the Malays.

Anwar today said he was disappointed that these racial sentiments were given centre stage.

“I can’t understand why, in 2023, we are stuck (talking about) this. We are not talking about governance or economic advancement or digital technology. We are stuck about whose country or whether this country belongs to the Malays, Chinese, Christians.

“I mean, how do you make sure that this country survives as a nation once protecting the rights of the Malays. You want to insist that this is a purely Malay country and deny the rights of others?”

He said the federal constitution is very clear on the position of the Malays, but it was also clear on protecting the welfare of all citizens and the future for all Malaysians.

Anwar said he would not be surprised that with six state elections around the corner, his remarks today at the law conference would be taken out of context by the opposition.

“By saying this, it will be exploited by PAS and Bersatu. They will say ‘Look! Anwar at the Bar Council conference said this is not a Malay country’.

“But that does not matter. We will continue, we will use all the powers and resources that we have to deal with this situation. If we fail in this narrative, we fail in this discourse, we fail as a nation.” – The Vibes, July 10, 2023