IPOH: Umno advisory council chairman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has urged the Malays to forge unity with the people of various races without any form of prejudice.
This was his opinion in reference to the “thanksgiving” anti-International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) rally held in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
The Gua Musang member of parliament said the rally was a good platform to show the unity among Malays, but it would have been better if it involved other races.
“In one aspect, it (the rally) was good. It was good in terms of Malay unity. But I would have liked it better if there was an equally large number of non-Malays (participating). We are a multiracial country. It cannot be just about the Malays...It would have been better if we forge unity within our multiracial society,” he said.
Tengku Razaleigh was speaking to reporters after attending the wedding reception of Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Zairul Khir Johari and DAP’s Teluk Intan by-election candidate in 2014, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud at Kelab Golf Diraja Perak here today.
He said it was important for Malays to include its non-Malay brethren in events such as anti-ICERD rally, as they cannot sideline any race when it came to the issue.
“We (the Malays) must invite them to join us (at the rally). If you keep talking (about) it being about the Malays and Islam, the (other races) would not want to join (the rally).
“Whether we like it or not, we live and work together (with other races). There must be give and take. We cannot have everything only for ourselves, We have to share. We share a common sky and land, and we share our lives despite our different religions,” he said.
When asked about his opinion on the ICERD, Tengku Razaleigh said it was something that could be ratified in the future it was properly explained in detail to prevent misunderstandings.
“I think we could accept ICERD. But for the time being, there needs to be thorough explanations given to the people to avoid misunderstandings.
“ICERD is not (about) amending our Constitution or removing any part of it. I do not think that is its purpose. And we probably cannot accept it now because our people have not reached a level where we can compete. We still have people with different standards of living. So we cannot accept it for now as we fear there will be misunderstandings.
“It is better for us to explain it to the people so that the (other races) could accept it with an open heart,” said Tengku Razaleigh