Former Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad today said that it was only the Malays who truly fought for the country's independence.

Pointing out that it was members of the community who sacrificed their lives fighting the communists during the Emergency, he rationalised that that was why "those who demanded independence were the Malays".

Speaking at the Islam and Tajdid (adherence to Prophet Muhammad’s teachings) seminar at the Universiti Selangor (Unisel) today, he said that as the British colonised the Federation of Malaya, it was also the Malays who were against the Malayan Union.

He claimed that the non-Malays only joined the movement for independence when "they realised that independence will be a reality and will thus protect their interests".

"See, even the aims are different. The Malays fought for independence to free the country while the non-Malays did it to safeguard their interests after independence.

"The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) was originally formed to send volunteers to India to demand India's independence from the British," he quipped.

He then said that by right, the Federation of Malaya should be returned to the Malays.

"But no, the Malays were asked to share their powers. Even then the Malays were asked to sacrifice their rights for so-called unity," he said.

Abdul Hamid, who heads the National Unity Front formed by Malay NGOs such as Perkasa, said that the current government is strong because it receives the support of both the Malays and non-Malays.

"It has the support of both the Malays and non-Malays although most Chinese always support the opposition. They (the Chinese) always want more," he said.

The former chief justice is no stranger to controversy. In July, he warned that Islam was under threat in Penang, which is currently ruled by a DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government.