Now Penang Malays chastise Tunku Aziz
The Penang Malay Congress has questioned DAP vice president Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim’s silence over crucial Malay issues in the state.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Already saddled with the possibility of disciplinary action by DAP for his public criticism of the Bersih 3.0 demonstration, Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim is now being questioned over his lack of leadership of Malay issues in Penang.
Tunku Aziz, who is DAP vice-president, was singled out by the outspoken Penang Malay Congress for his alleged lack of commitment and leadership over issues associated with the community.
Congress president Rahmad Isahak said Tunku Aziz seemed to have forgotten that his senatorship was “a gift” from the Penang government.
There are about 600,000 Malays in Penang and they make a sizeable number. The community is just some five percent behind the Chinese, a dominant community in Penang.
Rahmad claimed that the Malays would be at crossroads in the next general election where they must decisively choose between the traditional powerhouse of Umno or rely on the unproven alliance of DAP, PKR and PAS.
Out of the three, DAP has grown to become a formidable political party in Penang.
Rahmad said at the rate that they are growing, the socialist party would be a presence here in decades to come.
However, the mistrust of the Malays towards DAP lingers, especially among the older generation, who are skeptical due to a prevailing stigma that the party is mostly Chinese-centric, he added.
‘Growing income disparity’
Rahmad said Tunku Aziz is a respectable person due to his links with the royalty and his commitment to social causes such as his formation of the highly regarded Transparency International Group.
But, since Tunku Aziz’s rise in DAP to the post of vice-president, he has somehow overlooked the plight of Malays in Penang by staying away from issues gripping the community, Rahmad said.
Among the issues Rahmad cited, were the growing income disparity between the rich and poor, causing a social rift to emerge here.
