PUTRAJAYA — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on the Malays and Bumiputera to place their trust in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) as the party that will save, develop and bring success to them.
The Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman stressed that the party knew how the Malays and Bumiputera could succeed and thus save themselves.
“There’s no need for me to elaborate here on how Bersatu can change the future of the Malays and Bumiputera. What we ask now is just your trust and willingness to follow our way.
“Believe that the Malays are capable of saving themselves. Believe that only the Malays can save the Malays,” he said in his policy speech at the second Bersatu annual general assembly here tonight, which was also attended by party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In his frank speech, Dr Mahathir said that the Malays were currently in a state of uncertainty and had lost their direction following the defeat of the party which had represented them for so long but seemed to have split to the extent of being seen as nonexistent.
Dr Mahathir said he would be accused of being racist for giving emphasis on the future of the Malays and Bumiputera, but he felt it was necessary for him to do so as for he had seen the deterioration of the race over the period of more than 70 years.
“It’s okay if people want to say bad things about me as long as my race realises the terrible fate that awaits them in the future. We must realise now that we too are at fault. Do not look at other people’s fault.
“The choice to make amends is on our hands. It does not need so much efforts, but InsyaAllah all our sacrifices will pay off,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said he was now focusing on what could be done by political leaders from Bersatu in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“The power of the government leader is to develop the country so that the people can live more comfortably and perfectly,” he said, adding that it was never meant to obtain personal gain.
The ultimate goal, he said had remained the same, which was to make Malaysia a developed nation, or at par with the others in the world, and not to be the poor among the rich countries, and also to ensure that the country’s wealth is shared by all the races.
For the weak (race), Dr Mahathir said a ‘walking stick’ could help, but such an aid must not be retained and need to be dropped when the race’s ability to walk has been restored.
“We entered politics so that we will no longer need to depend on politics. We entered politics to save and free ourselves by creating success stories that will prove that we are capable of competing with any quarters and that each of us is self-reliant and need not use the walking stick,” he stressed.
He said the perception that a ‘walking stick’ was a symbol of honour was wrong, as those who could stand up in the face of challenges were actually the ones that symbolised honour.
The three-day Bersatu annual general assembly, which is taking place at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, ends tomorrow.
— BERNAMA
