KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian ambassador to the United States, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, has praised the people of Sabah and Sarawak for embodying the true spirit of a multiracial Malaysia.
According to a news report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT), he urged Malays in the peninsula to follow their example, emphasising that the country belongs to all Malaysians, not just Malays and Muslims.
“This country is not just for Malays and Muslims. It is multiracial and multireligious. We cannot speak as if we only represent the Malays and Muslims,” Nazri was quoted as saying to the news portal recently.
Nazri highlighted that Sabahans and Sarawakians have a stronger sense of Malaysian identity, as they live together harmoniously regardless of race and religion.
“In Sabah and Sarawak, they run their states as Malaysians. They remain Malaysian regardless of their background and can live together. We should follow them,” he was quoted as saying.
In contrast, he pointed out that many Malays in the peninsula tend to prioritise race over nationality, only identifying as Malaysians when it serves political purposes.
He referred to such individuals as “fake Malaysians.”
“I do not agree that this country is a Malay country. (National sports icons) Datuk Nicol David and Datuk Lee Chong Wei did not compete internationally as Chinese or Indian. They played for Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying.
On another note, Nazri also criticised the continued presence of fugitive Indian preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia.
“He had problems in India and came here. And he wants to tell us how to be Muslims and how we should interact with non-Muslims. Don’t tell me (how to be a Malay-Muslim). I was born here. The reality has always been that we are multiracial and multireligious,” he said, adding that he has no issues coexisting with non-Muslim Malaysians.
According to FMT, the Home Ministry confirmed on Feb 21 that there is no ban preventing Naik from delivering public sermons in the country. A previous ban imposed in 2019 was later lifted.
Naik has been evading Indian authorities since 2016, facing allegations of making hate speeches and laundering money.
His name came under scrutiny after five militants carried out a deadly attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, leaving 29 people dead.
India has made formal requests for his extradition, but he remains in Malaysia, believed to be residing in Putrajaya after being granted asylum in 2018.
