BN leaders unite against Perkasa except Chua Soi Lek .
Maybe he is afraid that Ibrahim Ali will call him a porn actor again .PUTRAJAYA, Sept 10 — Barisan Nasional leaders finally came together today in an apparent face-off with Malay rights group Perkasa and its controversial president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who has been seen as a thorn in the side of the Najib administration.
Umno’s top leaders, who have kept silent so far on the topic of Perkasa, dropped their defences when approached on the matter today and while they remained cautious, they agreed that supporting the controversial group’s views could prove detrimental to BN’s struggle.
Leading the fray was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who told The Malaysian Insider that it was “about time” that Umno made a strong stand against Ibrahim and the fledgling Perkasa.
“I have said this much earlier — Umno should have come out much earlier. Only now they are echoing my views.
“But it is good, yes, it will help us in our struggle because to disassociate ourselves from groups like this is very important.
“Perkasa is very much against our 1 Malaysia policy,” he said when approached at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Seri Perdana residence here for his Hari Raya open house.
“Who are they? Has-beens. They are people who failed to get positions in the party so they run to Perkasa.
“And Dr Mahathir? Has-been,” he said.
In a statement to an English news daily front-paged yesterday, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said he had told his counterparts in all BN parties that Umno would not back Perkasa or its president Ibrahim in the next general election.
The leader reportedly admitted that any move to support Perkasa would only erode BN’s support from the non-Malays.
Speaking to The Malaysian Insider, Tengku Adnan even said that Umno would field its own candidate in Ibrahim’s Pasir Mas constituency in the next election.
He also said that BN leaders agreed that distancing themselves from Perkasa was the best way forward, acknowledging that Perkasa had successfully pitted BN component parties against one another.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin agreed that Perkasa’s views were lopsided, saying that Umno never subscribed to the group’s ideals.
“In Umno, when defending the rights of the Malays, we try to be fair.
“What Perkasa is doing is that when they bring up something, it is perceived that they fail to take consideration or interest in other races. Umno does not subscribe to what Perkasa is doing,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
He reminded Ibrahim that the nation was bound together by its diversity and lived in harmony because of the understanding and social arrangement already agreed upon in the past.
“If we upset the equilibrium, surely that will cause an upset.
“That is why in Umno, we defend Malay rights but we believe there is a place for all Malaysians. We want all groups to understand this part,” he said.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi further distanced Umno from Perkasa, pointing out that the group’s struggles were very “ethnocentric” in nature.
“We should reject ethnocentricity in this country. It should not be encouraged.
“I am worried that other groups will start fighting for their own ethnic needs,” he said.
He pointed out that Umno may belong to the Malays and the Bumiputeras but it still fought for the rights of the non-Malays.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan echoed Zahid’s views, pointing out that Perkasa’s fight was for the rights of one single race.
“We fight for all. Umno’s struggles are by far bigger than Perkasa’s struggles.
“Umno fights for the Malays and for the country and the international stage. Perkasa only struggles for the Malays,” he said.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar said Perkasa was merely an “NGO”.
“We have to be able to tell between a political party and an NGO. They should work as an NGO and that’s all. They can organise their functions and carry out their programmes as an NGO,” he said.
The Umno leaders also acknowledged that many Perkasa members were from Umno, but insisted that this was a minority.
“They do not represent all of Umno. Anyone can join an NGO,” said Khaled.
Nazri, however, insisted that these were “sunset politicians”.
“They have no impact on us. No one cares about Perkasa. They are only famous in the media,” he said.
He predicted that should Ibrahim recontest his Pasir Mas parliamentary seat in the next elections, he would lose.
“Because he cheated PAS and won on a PAS ticket. But who will support him now as an independent?” he said.
Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk M. Saravanan also joined his BN colleagues in rejecting Perkasa.
“MIC is happy that we are moving now to distance ourselves from Perkasa. They will not in any way help the BN,” he said.
Several MCA leaders also commended Tengku Adnan for calling on BN leaders to reject Perkasa.
MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said that Ibrahim was a “nobody” and should be ignored.
“We should not dignify him with so many answers and replies,” he said.
Fellow vice-president Datuk Chor Chee Heung said that Tengku Adnan’s statement was the most sensible statement made by an Umno or BN leader.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek refused to comment on the matter. Sudah hilang bola !
However, it is understood that there is no love lost between Dr Chua and Ibrahim, who have been at each other’s throats over their differences in opinion.
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