MACC adviser Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim has described the Bersih 4 rally as a manifestation of Chinese disdain for the Malays.

Referring to the fact that Bersih 4 was attended mostly by Chinese, Tunku Abdul Aziz said this was a calculated attempt to hurt Malay feelings on Merdeka Day.

"I have no intention of being politically correct when I say that it is obvious that this undeniably Chinese funded and organised demonstration had chosen carefully the dates to flex their muscles and to show their complete and utter disdain for an event of great emotional and spiritual significance for millions of Malays.

"That the Chinese have never identified with Merdeka through our 58 years of independence is not in dispute. That is their right.

"But this provocative and racially insensitive act is arrogant by any reckoning and something that I will long remember as a deliberate challenge to Malay sentiments and sensitivities," Tunku Abdul Aziz wrote in a commentary published by New Straits Times today.

'Not a racist'

Tunku Abdul Aziz is the director of the International Institute for Public Ethics and chairperson of the MACC advisory board.

His article went on to declare that he was not a racist and that what he was describing was how Chinese-Malay relations had taken a step back after Bersih 4.

"My record in fighting against any form of discrimination against non-Malays in employment and in the award of scholarships speaks for itself.

"I put great store in Sino-Malay unity as a basis for nation-building and I am saddened by the reckless decision to sacrifice the prospect for sustainable long-term racial accommodation for immediate political gratification.

"Nation-building is a long and tedious process," said Tunku Abdul Aziz, who once spent a short stint in Chinese-dominated DAP.

The first day of the Bersih 4 rally saw mostly Chinese participation, but a larger Malay presence was evident during the second day.

Tunku Abdul Aziz concluded his article by claiming that Bersih was out to dishonour Merdeka Day, but that Malays would continue to celebrate Merdeka Day with joy and pride.

"(They do so with confidence) in the knowledge that if not for the courage, sacrifice and fortitude of their people in those dangerous and trying days of Chinese-led insurgencies, when the future of Tanah Melayu hung in the balance, there would have been no Merdeka to commemorate on Aug 31 each year."