I strongly condemn the statement by Perikatan Nasional Election Director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor that the Chinese have China, Indians have India, while the Malays only have Tanah Melayu.
This statement insults millions of Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent who were born, raised and have built their lives in this country. We are not citizens of China or India. We are citizens of Malaysia. We have only one country, live under one Jalur Gemilang and pledge our loyalty to Malaysia alone.
Our ancestors helped build this nation. Generation after generation has worked, paid taxes, served society and defended Malaysia’s interests. No political leader has the right to question our loyalty or claim that we belong to another country merely because of our ethnicity or skin colour.
Malaysia is not a temporary stopping place for non-Malays. Malaysia is our home. The rights and future of the Malays will not be protected by sowing fear and hatred against other communities.
Sanusi must stop using race relations as fuel for elections. He is taking Malaysian politics in a highly dangerous direction by dividing citizens between those who he claimed have only one country and those portrayed as having another country elsewhere. This is extreme racial politics aimed at gaining power by dividing Malaysians.
Statements like this contain elements of incitement, foster hostility between communities and threaten national harmony. The authorities should examine the statement and conduct an investigation under the laws in force. Political freedom must never be used as a licence to spread hatred against fellow citizens.
I also demand that the UMNO and Barisan Nasional leadership, particularly MCA and MIC, clearly state their position because this statement was made at a joint BN-PN political rally. Do they agree that Malaysian Chinese and Indians should be regarded as having another country? Remaining silent in the face of such rhetoric will only create more space for political extremism to grow.
Sanusi must withdraw his statement and apologise to all Malaysians. Malaysia was not built by one community alone, and its future cannot be built by excluding other communities. We may have different ethnic and religious backgrounds, but our citizenship and loyalty are the same.
This country belongs to the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, the communities of Sabah and Sarawak, and every Malaysian citizen. No Malaysian is a guest in their own country.