Deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin has been told to resign if he is not prepared “to admit that he is Malaysian first and Malay second”, in accordance with the 1Malaysia goal.

selangor pakatan convension 070310 lim kit siang DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang (left) questioned his credentials at a press conference in the Parliament lobby this morning, stoking up the heat in a verbal match between the duo.

Muhyiddin had lashed out at Lim in the House yesterday, accusing the latter of not supporting the 1Malaysia initiative.

Lim, he had said, was not only questioning the special rights of the Malays but was rejecting the difference in race-based identity of Malaysians and the spirit of the constitution.

Muhyiddin, who was wrapping up the Education Ministry's response to the questions raised during the debate of the royal address, said that Lim was attempting to sever ties between him and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The Ipoh Timur MP had recently dared Muhyiddin to come outright and declare if he was in support of Najib's '1Malaysia' initiative, which emphasizes national unity, ethnic tolerance, and government efficiency.

Lim said he doubted Muhyiddin's commitment and sincerity to the premier concept of '1Malaysia' as the latter's public stand had been in contradiction to the slogan.

"Ipoh Timur has questioned my commitment to the concept of '1Malaysia'. For Ipoh Timur's information, '1Malaysia', which was created by the prime minister, is a pure idea aimed at strengthening racial unity which has been the basis of our strength as a nation," Muhyiddin told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

"Unity reflected by '1Malaysia' is not a form of assimilation where one's identity is erased and replaced with one identity. It is also not a concept which rejects the special rights of the Malays as propagated by Ipoh Timur through the concept of Malaysian Malaysia and lately Middle Malaysia.

"My relationship with the prime minister is very close and '1Malaysia' has the support of the nation. The allegations made are aimed at weakening Barisan Nasional. I am confident that Barisan Nasional lawmakers clearly understand the concept of '1Malaysia'," he had said.

The deputy premier also accused Lim of catechising the special rights of the Malays.

Muhyiddin, a desperate politician

Responding to this, Lim said that Muhyiddin was in defence as he evaded the questions that were posed to him.

muhyiddin yassin pc 170310 According to Lim, he had asked Muhyiddin (right) , three questions, described as "acid tests" as to whether he really supports Najib's '1Malaysia' concept and has the '1Malaysia' DNA.

The questions were:

1. Whether Muhyiddin agrees to the establishment of an opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on '1Malaysia'?

2. Is he (Muhyiddin) prepared to declare that the basis of '1Malaysia' is "ketuanan rakyat Malaysia" (People's supremacy) and not "ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy)?

3. Is he (Muhyiddin) prepared to endorse the objective of 1Malaysia as defined by the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap to create a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion or region second.

"Instead, Muhyiddin had gone on the offensive to launch a baseless and scurrilous attack on me... Muhyiddin must be a desperate politician that he had to make such a baseless charge, as I had refuted allegation that I opposed Article 153 of the constitution," said Lim.

"Is Muhyiddin making the allegation because I had declared that I am Malaysian first and Chinese second, and he is evading my challenge to him to similarly declare that he is Malaysian first and Malay second?"

Muhyiddin's silence was "best proof" that he does not support '1Malaysia' said Lim.

He asserted that the goals of '1Malaysia' were "exactly the goals" of DAP's 'Malaysian Malaysia' and 'Middle Malaysia' , and centered on the fundamentals of the constitution.

"(Therefore) I challenge Muhyiddin to explain how my questions on the acid tests of '1Malaysia' had questioned Malay special rights and rejected the differences in identity of the different races and the spirit of the constitution," said Lim.