Najib Says 'Red Shirt' Rally A Manifestation Of The Rise Of Malays To Defend Their Dignity
"Malays also have rights."
By Sadho Ram — 19 Sep 2015, 06:41 PM
During the aftermath of the Berish 4.0, Najib had publicly dubbed the rally participants as "shallow-minded" and "demo-crazy".
However, the PM, who it seems have turned an embittered man with people asking him to step down following the 1MDB scandal, not only justified the green light his government gave to the "Red Shirt" rally on Wednesday, 16 September, he also said that it was a manifestation of the rise of Malays to defend their dignity and the country's leadership from being condemned and humiliated.
Najib, who is also the UMNO President, was speaking at an assembly for Malay martial art form Silat on Friday, 18 September.
Addressing a crowd of thousands at the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) Silat Assembly 2015 at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, he said the ethnic Malays of Malaysia should not be disrespected and that the "Red Shirt" demonstration was a testament to this.
Speaking before 15,000 members of Pesaka from all over the country, Najib said: "Slapped once, we did not do anything. The second time... nothing... the third time... nothing... but the fourth time had crossed the limit. Malays also have rights. The Malays will stand up when their pride is scarred, when their leader is insulted, condemned and humiliated. It's enough, do not repeat such vengeful acts," he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said even though several illegal rallies had been held before this to challenge the dignity of the Malays, they were patient.
“But the Bersih 4 rally was considered the turning point when several participants went beyond the limit by stomping on the picture of national leaders and insulting the country's leadership,” he said at the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) Silat Assembly 2015 at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
themalaysianinsider.com
In his speech, the Prime Minister also reminded that it was necessary to respect the concept of democracy and stressed that the government cannot be changed through street demonstrations
"Bear in mind that the current government is elected by the people and a government cannot be changed through street demonstrations because the current government has its own supporters.
"Those of you who had gathered here tonight, as well as those who attended the 'Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu' on Wednesday, are our supporters," he told some 15,000 silat practitioners, who had convened at Dataran Merdeka for the National Silat Merdeka Gathering last night.
He said that despite having the right to be angry following several illegal rallies before, Malays still assemble in a civilised manner
He said, despite being ridiculed, Malays continued to reign in their anger and rallied peacefully on September 16 to show their respect for the constitution and other races.
“I congratulate everyone who attended the rally (Red Shirts). The Malays rallied peacefully and obeyed the law. Were there any banners promoting hatred about other races? Were there any pictures of opposition leaders that were stomped on? We are not like the Opposition when they hold street rallies. Malays abide by the country’s laws.”
He warned others to never, ever try to challenge the Malay rights
"There are three types of supporters; the weak, strong and those who are willing to die, of which I believe all of you here are under the third category, but not as suicide bombers.
"We are willing to die because we have confidence in the current government and believe that they are the legitimate leaders able to uphold this country," he said while urging the public to discard any lies spread through social media and continue supporting the democratically-elected government. Before ending his fiery speech, Najib thanked silat for their continuous support and loyalty to the country prompting thunderous cheers from the audience.
Najib also declared silat as the official national art of self-defence
Najib said as prime minister, he wanted to see Malay silat continued to spread from every corner including the government offices, governmment-linked companies and even universities.
“We want the Malay silat world to be empowered of its position and dignity,” he said.
themalaymailonline.com