KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu has brushed off the perception that the party is divided following the involvement of its members of parliament in the Malay Proclamation.
Faizal, who is a former Tambun MP, emphasised that the proclamation only talks about the problems, struggles and future of the Malays in the country.
"As such, the proclamation will touch on the politics of the Malays and their position in this country. Every Malay has the right to participate when it comes to talking about their race without touching on other races.
"When one is talking about his/her race, it is not an act of racism. Hence, how it is possible to cause division among the PN leadership?"
Yesterday, a political aide to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abu Bakar Yahya, posted several photos of Pas leaders, including president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, signing the Malay Proclamation document.
Abu Bakar wrote: "Led by Hadi, several Pas leaders have signed the document to support the Malay proclamation in Dr Mahathir's presence."
In a separate post, the "Proklamasi Orang Melayu" Facebook page confirmed that the meeting took place on Tuesday night, with several Pas leaders in attendance including its vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan and Pas' Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman.
The Malay Proclamation is said to be aimed at uniting and saving the Malay community.
During Ramadan recently, Bersatu, led by Faizal, together with its information chief Datuk Razali Idris and supreme council member Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, attended a breaking-of-fast event hosted by the secretariat of the Malay Proclamation.
Faizal insisted the Malays who are united can reject evil and any misdeed that could harm the country.
He said the unity government, under the administration of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), would not become unsteady just because the Malays in the country are united.
"In fact, the unity of the Malays is an important asset for the progress of the country, which in the proclamation has made the spirit of love for the country a priority.
"I would like to stress that this proclamation is far from wanting to ruin the country. If there is such an allegation, it is the most evil allegation."
Faizal also questioned the need to prevent good things such as the gathering of the Malays across parties.
"Good things, by right, must be supported. Why should any quarters feel victimised because this gathering is not to bring down the government."
Faizal's sentiments were echoed by Razali, who said that there was no disagreement with the support given to the proclamation.
This, he said, as his presence with Faizal and Iskandar Dzulkarnain was in the knowledge of the party's president (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) and other leaders.
"In fact, Bersatu and Pas signed the proclamation after both parties had mutually agreed to it."
Razali said Bersatu sent three representatives, together with Pas.
"However, we could not sign the proclamation after the scheduled Malay Proclamation gathering was cancelled.
"Therefore, we signed the proclamation separately, during the breaking-of-fast event last month.
"There were no Pas representatives present at the event because they needed to attend the party's monthly meeting," he said, adding that there were seven points in the proclamation that were agreed upon by Bersatu and Pas before both parties decided to sign it.
He added that the signatures were given individually, as the document did not require party support but personal support.
He also said Bersatu will not prevent any of its members from signing the proclamation.