Former Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq said that a united Malaysian Nation was once former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's vision, after the latter accused Syed Saddiq of asking Malaysians to "erase the history of [the] nation and religion".
Mahathir made the accusation through a tweet on Wednesday (Jul. 5), attaching a video of Saddiq's speech promoting diversity and meritocracy.
POLITIK SYED SADDIQ
1. Sementara Sultan Kedah pun memperingati kita supaya jangan lupa sejarah, Syed Saddiq suruh kita hapuskan sejarah bangsa dan agama kita. https://t.co/IPMsFwpGx4
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) July 5, 2023
Celebrate diversity and meritocracy
In the 45-second clip which was posted on Twitter, Syed Saddiq said that the leaders of Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), a political party he founded in 2020, will not merely tolerate multiracialism but also "celebrate diversity and meritocracy".
Syed Saddiq, who served as one of Mahathir's ministers in the 2018 Pakatan Harapan government, then said that an attack upon anyone regardless of race is an attack against all Malaysians.
"Our life, our feet, and our future are interconnected with one another are intertwined with one another.
When we succeed, we succeed as a country together. And when we fail, we fail as a country together," Saddiq said.
"No longer Malays"
In his tweet, the 97-year-old former prime minister said that Syed Saddiq's speech essentially asked Malaysians to "erase the history of [their] country and religion".
"Therefore, with the definition of Malay as a person who speaks the Malay language, conducts Malay customary practices and practises Islam as stated in the Constitution of Malaysia, then we are all no longer Malays," Mahathir tweeted.
According to him, that's the "effect" that Malaysia faces should it "recognise" itself as a multiracial country.
United Malaysian Nation was once Mahathir's vision
Mahathir's comment prompted a response from Saddiq, who claimed that his proclamation was "once [Mahathir's] vision".
Salam Tun,
Being a proud Malaysian in no way, makes me any less of a Malay.
Saya ialah generasi Wawasan 2020.
Saya masih ingat masa kecil, di bangku sekolah, dididik untuk lukis dan hafal 9 cabaran Wawasan 2020 yang Tun gariskan.
Ini adalah ilham Tun sendiri.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 5, 2023
Syed Saddiq said that he belonged to the generation of Vision 2020, a plan which was introduced by Mahathir in 1991, and pointed out that the first challenge in the vision was to build a united Malaysian Nation.
"This was once your vision Tun," Syed Saddiq reminded.
He then questioned if achieving the goal translated to the Malays being oppressed.
A harmonious society can be realised with people of different races, religions and cultures: Syed Saddiq
Syed Saddiq asserted that a harmonious society can be realised even with people of different races, religions, and cultures. Essentially, the people are bonded and united through their homeland, Malaysia.
"I don't want to fight the Malays, but I want to make sure that today's new generation of Malays is successful, independent and able to conquer the world," Syed Saddiq said.
He added that the new generation of Malays will prove that the Malays can succeed without setting other races aside, as Malaysians who complement each other and respect and celebrate diversity.
"I am confident and I am sure that my pride in being a Malaysian does not weaken my love for the Malays and our history.
I love my country and am proud to be a Malaysian," Syed Saddiq concluded.
Multiracial Malaysia is unconstitutional
Mahathir has been expressing his views about multiracialism on his social media platforms, alleging that it is "against the Constitution".
In his Facebook post on Tuesday (Jul. 4), Mahathir said that embracing multiracialism will "wipe out" the Malay land.
He reminded that every time multiracialism was proposed to the country, including by Lee Kuan Yew, the proposal was rejected.
For Mahathir, multiracialism means the government will no longer be influenced by the Malays.
He concluded that at its worst, it will cause the Malays to "lose their country and lose in the world".
Top images via Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman/Facebook.