A speech by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak regarding the Chinese Malaysian community yesterday had been taken out of context, said MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan.

Ong was referring to Najib's speech at the “Malaysian Chinese Patriotic Rally” organised by MCA yesterday, where the prime minister said Chinese Malaysians would be "the first to be targeted if there was no peace" in the country.

Taken in its entirety, Ong said listeners would understand that Najib’s speech was about the need to fight terrorists and extremists such as the Islamic State (IS), and all Malaysians would suffer if such groups succeed in destabilising Malaysia.

“Since many Chinese are involved in business activities - whether large enterprises or small and medium enterprises - and since most Chinese are non-Muslims; the Chinese community would face a greater risk because IS and other terrorist groups specifically target non-Muslims.

“The prime minister was emphasising the importance of peace in the country, and the government’s role in ensuring peace and stability.

“However, certain online media had twisted his words and took it out of context in a bid to create the wrong impression that the prime minister was threatening the Chinese community,” he said in a statement today.

He did not name the media outlet in question.

Ong said that Najib had also praised the success of ethnic Chinese-owned businesses, and said their success is also Malaysia’s success...