The ex-law minister says Lim Kit Siang’s remarks on the possibility of a non-Malay becoming prime minister are not legally or morally wrong.
“Of course, some Umno and PAS leaders cried foul, they said not to provoke the Malays.
“The prime minister should set the tone right for the country. He must take the lead by setting the standards for what is permissible, right and wrong.
“If we continue at this primitive level, we have no hope of becoming a happy, progressive place and we will forever be second-class in Asean,” Zaid Ibrahim said in a posting on X.
Bukit Aman had confirmed that it would record Lim’s statement tomorrow over his comments, adding that the DAP leader had touched on constitutional issues.
In a speech to Malaysian students in the UK last month, the former Iskandar Puteri MP expressed hope that Malaysia would not have to wait as long as the US to have a leader from an ethnic minority.
He was referring to former US president Barack Obama, who was elected to the White House some 230 years after independence.
Lim said Malaysians, regardless of race, must share a Malaysian dream and not a mono-ethnic dream. However, he admitted that it was unlikely a non-Malay would become prime minister in the next 100 years.
Umno Supreme Council member Hasmuni Hassan was among those who criticised Lim and said his remarks were hurtful to the Malays.
Yesterday, Lim said he had been accused of provocation over his remarks but maintained that was not his intention. – FMT