'Chinese Not Pendatang' To 'Do Not Insult Leaders': 7 Remarks Najib Made Today
PM Najib today addressed the delegates at the Gerakan's 44th National Delegates Conference in Shah Alam, touching on various issues ranging from insensitive remarks from UMNO and BN party members to the issue of making 1MDB a political football by the opposition to overthrow the government. We round up remarks from his speech.
By Sadho Ram — 18 Oct 2015, 05:12 PM
1. PM Najib Razak told the local Chinese community that they are not "pendatang", calling them instead the "sons of Malaysia"
"As far as I'm concerned, Malaysian Chinese have contributed to the development of Malaysia, to the growth of Malaysia, to the spectacular growth of Malaysia, you played your part. That is why you are not 'pendatang'. You are the sons of Malaysia," he said, adding, "You were born here, you grew up here, and when the time comes, when you die, you'll be buried here. Or your ashes will be scattered somewhere in Malaysia."
2. On Chinese schools, Najib reiterated that they "are here to stay"
“We are the only Southeast Asian country besides China and Taiwan that has Chinese education, so as much as you can complain, you cannot deny the benefit," he said. Najib added that regardless of the type of education, it was important for everyone to work towards national cohesion and unity. He called on Malaysians to look at the retention of Chinese education in an objective manner.
thestar.com.my3. While admitting that some UMNO and BN leaders might have made inflammatory remarks in the past, he claimed that it was done in response to the insults issued by "the other side" (opposition)
"For every action, there will be a reaction, do not insult the leadership of this country. If you do not believe in it, you have a chance every five years because we believe in democracy and going back to the rakyat. So do not hurl insults or humiliate the leaders of Malaysia,” he said adding that Malaysia needs to be a mature democracy.
thestar.com.my4. On the issue of 1MDB, PM Najib Razak said that Malaysians should not turn it into a referendum to change the government, adding that public support was needed for 1MDB to be resolved
"Just don't make it a political football, if there are wrongdoings let the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) find out. We are elected by the people and we will serve the people through difficult times," the Prime Minister said, adding the government would soon announce details of the rationalisation programme for 1MDB.
thestar.com.my5. He advised Gerakan members to be more active on social media
"When I tweet something, just click like. Those are the basics." The more "likes" received will push the contents to more people, he explained. "Individuals are more empowered today than ever before because of the Internet, it's not just about the party and government," he said at Gerakan’s 44th national delegates conference here today.
therakyatpost.com
6. The PM took a swipe at the opposition state governments today, saying that even they found it necessary to raise charges imposed on the people. Among others, Najib said that Penang has raised its development charges, water tariffs, and parking fees.
“We will do whatever is necessary for the people, but because we are in government, we cannot take the populist approach all the time. The reality is that we have to deliver. The opposition, they say all sorts of things but when they are in government, (the fees) go up anyway. So sometimes we have to increase. We have no choice. If not, you pay compensation. It's like the toll," he said when opening the Gerakan National Delegates’ Conference in Shah Alam today.
malaysiakini.com
7. On the issue of accusations that Malaysia is a police state, the Prime Minister challenged critics to check his record of Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) detentions against that of his predecessors
“I repealed the ISA. I have been criticised for repealing ISA. Unfortunately, there are people who say that Malaysia is a police state now Check my record. How many people have I arrested under ISA? How many people have been arrested by previous leaderships under ISA? Why are they saying that today (Malaysia) is a police state? This is not a police state; this is what we call the rule of law in Malaysia."
malaysiakini.com
While Najib did abolish the draconian ISA, the law has been replaced by the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
And the recent use of SOSMA against Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang has led to criticism that the new law is being abused as well, in ways reminiscent of the repealed ISA.
Also, as Malaysiakini notes, the Primie Minister notably U-turned on his pre-election promise to abolish the equally dreaded Sedition Act.
As of last March, Political Studies for Change (KPRU) counted at least 120 had been either detained for investigation, remanded or charged under the Act or other similarly oppressive laws. The latest victim is activist Khalid Mohd Ismath, 25, who was last week slapped with 14 charges in relation to a posting regarding the Johor royalty.