‘He needs to stop’: In podcast, Khairy and Shahril lambast Dr Mahathir’s outdated racist attack on multiracialism

July 8, 2023

‘He needs to stop’: In podcast, Khairy and Shahril lambast Dr Mahathir’s outdated racist attack on multiracialism

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — Former Umno leaders Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Sufian Hamdan have today described Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent attack against multiracialism in Malaysia as racist.

Speaking in their latest “Keluar Sekejap” podcast episode, Shahril said he is disappointed that in this time and age, Dr Mahathir is still resorting to racial rhetoric with his claim that the Federal Constitution is steeped in “Malayness”.

“For a former prime minister who has helmed the country twice, he needs to stop. It is time to stop rationalising for Dr Mahathir,” said Shahril in his conversation with Khairy.

Khairy however pointed out that Dr Mahathir’s sentiment on Malay supremacy is not new, and is something he has always relied on since his entry in politics.

“I believe Dr Mahathir doesn’t create things as he is a politician of conviction. This is him ever since he wrote the Malay Dilemma in the 1960s,” he said.

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Describing the country’s longest serving prime minister as a strict orthodox nationalist, Khairy said Dr Mahathir was a one of the few who had lived through most of our country’s modern history.

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“He comes from a different time and is a creature of his time,” he said, pointing out that he was not defending Dr Mahathir but rather attempting to understand his reasoning.

However, Shahril disagreed and added that after many generations why is there a need to question a Malaysian’s race, adding that it is a weakness in the country’s race development.

“This is 2023 and Dr Mahathir is still using a race as narrative and rhetoric. I want to be complementary to a statesman like Dr Mahathir, but it’s sad that he chooses to spend the tail-end of his life like this,” Shahril said.

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In response, Khairy proposed that there is a fine line between Malay nationalism, ultra-Malay nationalism and just racism.

“Unfortunately, Dr Mahathir falls into the racist category,” said the former Umno Youth chief.

Both Khairy and Shahril also dismissed Dr Mahathir’s meeting with Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, saying it would not affect the state elections much as Dr Mahathir’s reputation has diminished.

Dr Mahathir triggered a firestorm on July 3 when he falsely claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was purportedly beholden to the DAP even though the party only had four ministers in the Cabinet.

He claimed that promoting a multi-ethnic Malaysia is unconstitutional, and alleged that the Federal Constitution is steeped in “Malayness”.

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The nonagenarian further claimed in the series of tweets that the DAP had a “manifesto” to turn the country into a multi-ethnic secular one without a religion of the federation, and that the Anwar administration would collapse if the party’s 40 MPs chose to withdraw their support for the PKR president.

His remark was slammed by many in the government as baseless, including Anwar and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke. The Malaysian Bar has also condemned him for selectively interpreting the Constitution.