Azizah rallies party faithful, trashes 'ketuanan Melayu'

'Ketuanan Melayu' (Malay supremacy) should be abandoned, said PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in her opening speech at the party congress in Petaling Jaya today.

“The concept of Malay supremacy must be left behind so that our children will grow up with the vision of a dignified race.  

“Malay supremacy is a slogan used by a small group of Malay elites who are cheating the Malays as a whole for their own interests,” she told the 1,600 party delegates at the PJ Civic Centre.

Quoting a traditional Malay ‘pantun’, she pointed that dignity has long been valued in Malay tradition, but this has been left to the wayside by Umno.

“After 53 years in power, the Malays and bumiputera are still neglected... The 30 percent Malay-bumiputera equity has yet to be met. Of the RM54 billion equity and shares for bumiputera, only RM2 billion still belong to them,” she lamented.

Worse still, she said, in Batu Sapi a bumiputera labourer is only paid RM9.50 a day. According to her, every four families with household incomes under RM2,000, three are Malay.

“All this proves that Umno leaders do not defend Malays (but) are only interested to protect the interest of a few,” she said.

The PKR president added that the emphasis on the survival of the Malays and Islam has been used as a strategy by Umno against Pakatan Rakyat to “confuse, worry and cause anxiety” among the multiracial Malaysian society.

Instead, she said, Pakatan and PKR urge Muslims to adhere to the true teachings of Islam, that teaches “fairness, moderation and respect for other races and religion.”

Malay issues interestingly make up a significant portion of the speech of the president of the party that lauds itself as being a true multiracial party.

Malays make up 50 percent of the party membership, followed by Indians at 23 percent, Chinese at 12 percent, while other bumiputera make up the remainder 15 percent.

Party polls a lesson in democracy

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah also reiterated her call for all grouses against the party be resolved through internal channels.

"Don't put our necks on the chopping board of the enemy media by exposing our weaknesses," she said.

 

Defending the party polls, she said that that it was a lesson in democracy for the membership.

 

Quoting Robert H Schuller, she said, "Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly."

 

Among the top party leaders listening to Wan Azizah was husband Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR de facto leader.

 

Wan Azizah urged the PKR faithful to continue to back Anwar, whom she said is a "great man who has been awarded by God to all of us to be our leader".

 

"Any ordinary person would have already backed down and slipped through the cracks in between the challenges and tumultuous times," she said.