MIC's S Vell Paari wants the home minister to act against the Muslim academic for hurting the feelings of Hindus.
“Taking into account the number of imitation Malays and the number of legalised illegal Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, I wouldn’t be surprised if the true Malays are now a minority like the Chinese and Indians,” he said.
RK Anand, FMT
Livid over the insensitive remarks of a Muslim academic, a vocal MIC leader has warned Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to act or face the repercussions.
S Vell Paari said that he would put forth a proposal to MIC’s all-powerful Central Working Committee (CWC) on this issue.
If the proposal is rejected, the MIC strategy director stressed that he is prepared to quit MIC and even call on the Indians to vote for Pakatan Rakyat in the next polls.
“If the CWC disagrees, then I would resign and take it to the members directly. Don’t underestimate my influence in the party,” he added, declining to elaborate on the proposal for now.
Vell Paari was responding to an article penned by Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, who is an associate professor with the National Defence University.
In the article titled “The patience of Muslims has limits” published in Sinar Harian yesterday, the academic criticised MIC for seeking to lift the temporary ban on the Tamil movie Vishwaroopam.
He also made derogatory remarks regarding the Thaipusam festival and complained about the proliferation of Hindu temples and shrines since the 2008 election.
‘A cheap imitation’
Launching a vitriolic salvo on Ridhuan, a Chinese Muslim convert, Vell Paari labelled the former as an imitation product.
“When one wants to get cheap imitation products, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Petaling Street’ and the biggest problem in ethnic relationship in Malaysia now is ‘Petaling Street’ Malays like Ridhuan.
“These are products of a ruling that states if one speaks Malay, embraces Islam and follows the Malay culture, one is considered a Malay. I think this condition must be re-looked,” he told FMT.
Numerous individuals, Vell Paari said, exploited this ruling to become “Petaling Street Bumiputeras” and used the New Economic Policy to enhance themselves while the majority of true Malays remained in the doldrums.
“With more than 30 years of NEP and billions spent to uplift the socio-economic status of the Malays, how many true Malays are in the top 10 richest list in Malaysia.
“Taking into account the number of imitation Malays and the number of legalised illegal Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, I wouldn’t be surprised if the true Malays are now a minority like the Chinese and Indians,” he said.
