Latest developments on Mr. Ahmad Ismail, the UMNO division chief who allegedly uttered racist remarks during the Permatang Pauh by-election. From the Star:
UMNO apologizes for racist remarks
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional government, has issued a public apology over a remark made by Bukit Bendera Umno division head Datuk Ahmad Ismail during the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election last month.
“We hope that the non-Malays will not be too disturbed with the statement and we apologise if it has incurred the sensitivities or unhappiness over the statement.
“We apologise, Umno apologises although it is not our statement but it is a statement made by one of our division leaders. It is totally unwarranted and does not reflect the position and the attitude of Umno or the leadership of Umno. We regret it very much,” Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno deputy president, said here on Tuesday.
In the run-up to the Permatang Pauh by-election, Ahmad had said at a ceramah that the Chinese community were mere “immigrants” in the country and thus were not entitled to be given equal rights in Malaysia.
Speaking to reporters after launching the Chery Multi Purpose Vehicle here, Najib said the Umno supreme council would also decide at its next meeting on the “appropriate action” to be taken against the division leader.
“The statement is his personal statement and is not the stand of Umno and the Government. We do not regard Malaysian citizens of Chinese, Indian or other descent as ‘passengers’.
“They are Malaysian citizens who have full rights and we will definitely safeguard their interests and their dignity and I describe the statement as something that Umno and the Government very much regret,” he said. – Bernama
It’s good that Mr. Najib has apologized on behalf of Mr. Ahmad, although I must say it is only after increasing pressure from various parties. Yet, Mr. Najib must realize that we don’t want merely an apology, but demand stern action to be taken on Mr. Ahmad for his remarks.
We also demand the police to look into the matter. Enough of double standards, Mr. Ahmad’s comments must be investigated!
No room for racists in our new Malaysia!
This intelligent people act with stupidity. What is he doing?. If u want UMNO to be recover than u all should not have this kinda people in the line. I am Malay and I am very ashamed of what he’s saying to our own Malaysian~!
Ini lah jadinya jika pemimpin tidak berpendidikan tinggi.Pengalaman seluas laut pun,tampa pelajaran boleh membawa bencana pada kaum,negara,penduduk dan alam sejagat..
Harap pucuk pimpinan beri sedikit perhatian serius tentang isu ini…
Raayat hidup aman damai lebih 50 tahun dalam berbilang kaum.
jangan sebab mad semangat seorang ini ….. hancur satu negara.
pecat adalah satu idea dan tindakan yang tepat……
apologize is a good thing to do…but not in this issue. if we look over the past that a lot of non malay said or wrote a lot of racist issues that much of it is too unforgiven but malays(umno) didnt took seriuosly on it…why???? The PERPADUAN is a national term of all..malays and others. if only malays must have to look after the perpaduan..its not practical. others must have a moral and etika in a national social expect in a way to see the perpaduan done.
Mr. Melayu kini:
So you’re saying that Mr. Ahmad Ismail shouldn’t apologize because non-Malays have also uttered racists things?
Firstly, I cannot remember an instance in which a non-Malay politician uttered racist remarks such as the one said by Mr. Ahmad. I’m not saying that there are no racist non-Malays, politicians or otherwise, I’m just saying that no one has said it publicly as how Mr. Ahmad Ismail has done.
Secondly, two wrongs do not make a right. Just because someone else said it before, does’t mean we must let it go.
Thirdly. I have issues with your comments “malays(umno) didnt took seriuosly on it…”. Malays are not all UMNO, UMNO doesn’t speak for all the Malays.
Fourthly, whoever said that it was only the Malays that are supposed to take care of ‘perpaduan’? Perpaduan, or UNITY must be kept by all. What Mr. Ahmad has said is NOT helping perpaduan.
an apologize is not the issue here… there is no meanings of it if the same thing keep on going by another person in any race.
And Umno should not do the apologize on what Mr. Ahmad’s saids. Umno must have an Integerity not to do so..and what’s happened is TPM Datuk Seri Najib made the apologize although he had made a statement that what’s Mr. Ahmad saids was an individual statements and not from Umno. Why Umno and DS Najib have to do thats..lets only Mr.Ahmad take
any action that he willing to do so..or the police act by any reports.
The important things here is how or what we should learn about Perpaduan…
ahmad is a racist which only cause kiosk in our beloved country. he should be taken serious action.
i’m mad at him not bcuz he labelled the chinese as penumpang, but his attitude, he refused to apologize, wad kind of pemimpin is this? malaysian are tired of those racist politicians.
stop playing race isssues. stupid. and pak lah didn’t act well in this issue either. i’m deeply disappointed with current situation!
I am said that Indonesia’s closest neighbor is on a bad trouble. I just hope that this tension will not shift into economy. All the best to malaysian