Unlike the 200,000 Sabah immigrants, the pre-independence immigrants were not illegal immigrants. Our forefathers worked and many gave their lives to the building of Malaysia. Our forefathers fought along the Malays to gain independence. Unlike in Sabah where the immigrants were given citizenship for your political agenda.
By S Vell Paari, FMT
PETALING JAYA: MIC strategic director S Vell Paari responds to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent claims on citizenship rights.
Mahathir’s claim: If the government can form a commission to probe the citizenship given to some 200,000 Sabah immigrants, he asked “why not on those pre-independence immigrants?”
Vell Paari’s response: Unlike the 200,000 Sabah immigrants, the pre-independence immigrants were not illegal immigrants. Our forefathers worked and many gave their lives to the building of Malaysia. Our forefathers fought along the Malays to gain independence. Unlike in Sabah where the immigrants were given citizenship for your political agenda.
Mahathir’s claim: He said the Malays generously allowed the immigrants to be citizens, speak their languages and practise their respective cultures, something that even neighbouring Thai and Indonesian natives failed to do.
Vell Paari’s response: Like Malaysia there are also immigrants in Thailand and Indonesia from China and India who are allowed to practice their respective culture and languages. Unlike your discriminating views, a Chinese became PM of Thailand and the current PM of Thailand is of the same non-Thai bloodline. In Indonesia I have Indian friends who are either second or third generation Indonesians and they speak in Tamil. In Indonesia they even had a picture of Lord Ganesha on their currency. Hinduism and Christianity are also practiced. They have greater freedom of religion. Would you have allowed that under your prime ministership? Please do not create tension for our country with Indonesia and Thailand to justify your lame excuse.
Mahathir’s claim: He added that those who can’t use the brain to think wisely were equivalent to animals.
Vell Paari’s response: Just because you have a warped process of thinking, don’t insult others. On the same point, don’t also insult animals. Unlike you, they were not evil enough to send Anwar Ibrahim to jail to rid of a political opponent. For your political survival for six years, you denied him to his family. Don’t mistake me, I am a BN politician and it’s in my DNA to make Pakatan Rakyat look bad and it’s in Pakatan’s DNA to do vice versa but they are my political opponents and not enemy. Sometimes political agenda must be set aside to do what is right for Malaysia as a whole.
Unlike you, they are not evil enough to attack a man who was going throught a personal issue as in the case of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. A man who during his prime ministership was going through the pain of his wife suffering from a terminal illness. A man who was torn between the duties to his wife and country. If you were in his shoes, would you been able to cope? I doubt it. During the Bosnian conflict, you broke out in tears and could not speak. You cried as they were of your faith but in the case of Tun Badawi, knowing his personal grievous, you still hounded him with no emotion and humanity. And you still do.
Mahathir’s claim: He lamented that the immigrants were now plotting to remove the Malay privileges.
Vell Paari’s response: Well what did you do in Sabah by giving 200,000 illegal immigrants citizenship. Were they Malays? More like Pakistanis and Filipinos. You plotted to remove the rights and privileges of the Sabah people. Let’s be frank and say that this was done to reduce the majority of Christians in Sabah.
You gave citizenship to a MNLF commander and his fighters. You jeopardised the national security of the country. You have sent people to ISA on lesser charges. You committed treason in playing with the country’s national security for your political agenda.
