KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir today said Malaysia must eliminate the factors that divide its people before the country can consider having a non-Malay to be the prime minister.
Mukhriz said among them was the presence of vernacular schools, which has contributed to the divisions in society.
"The existence of vernacular schools, in particular, creates multiple streams of teaching that can cause divisions between our children.
"Our founding fathers would not have agreed to let the British-era vernacular schools continue operating well beyond Merdeka as they knew it would create more divisions between the people.
"We need to allow our children to learn, play and mingle with each other until the differences between them become celebrated and not divisive.
"Before we can even entertain the possibility of a non-Malay becoming prime minister, we must first eliminate the factors that divide us as a people.
"Only then can we hope to see a non-Malay as nothing other than a Malaysian, not coloured by their ethnic background," he said in a statement posted on Pejuang's Facebook.
Mukhriz said this in response to a statement by DAP stalwart and veteran Lim Kit Siang, who had expressed concern about Malaysia's readiness to accept a non-Malay prime minister.
Mukhriz, however, said that it was widely agreed that Malaysia's education system was in dire need of a complete overhaul.
On Lim's concern, Mukhriz said it was not the first time the matter was raised by the former Iskandar Puteri member of parliament.
In the statement, Mukhriz has also suggested for Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition a non-Malay as their candidate for the prime minister post.
"Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution states that a prime minister needs to command the confidence of the majority of MPs who themselves must be voted in by their respective constituents.
"However, as long as the Malays remain the largest vote block and are united, a non-Malay can only become prime minister if they are supported by the Malays. Perhaps in future general elections, the PH coalition can put forth a non-Malay as their candidate for prime minister, but it remains to be seen if the Rakyat will support it, be they Malay or non-Malay."
Mukhriz added that there was a need to examine why non-Malays were determined to have one of their own as prime minister.
"Is it because they feel their potential has not been fully realised due to a Malay prime minister who does not address their needs? If so, have previous Malay prime ministers neglected to strike a balance between representing the interests of the various races in the country?
"Or do non-Malays believe that Malays have always been favoured at the expense of other races?."
Mukhriz added that the reason why all 10 prime ministers were Malays was not due to behind-the-scenes manipulation by Malay politicians.
"As long as democracy is practised in this country, the majority will continue to choose a leader who best represents their interests.
"If a non-Malay can convince the majority of Malays to support them, the norms will change. However, unless our system truly unites all our peoples, this will remain a pipe dream."
On Lim's statement that kleptocracy will destroy the nation, Mukhriz said it was correct.
"A Malay leadership that dabbles in kleptocracy will make the Malays' claim on the premiership indefensible. Without hesitation, we must choose a non-Malay as prime minister over a Malay leader who is corrupt.
"There is nothing worse for anyone, regardless of their ethnicity, than to tolerate a corrupt leader simply because of their ethnicity. Unfortunately, we have seen examples of such leaders, who use slogans like 'Hidup Melayu' to justify their misdeeds and steal from the government's coffers.
"This is not only an insult to our collective intelligence but also a betrayal of the trust that the people have placed in their leaders.