KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that being born a Malay does not give him permission to be a “racist” or to deny non-Malays their rights.

Speaking at the International Malaysia Law Conference 2023 on Monday (July 10), Mr Anwar said that it is of utmost importance that Malaysia takes the position to uphold the Federal Constitution as the nation’s supreme law. He also gave the assurance that he will use all resources at his disposal to see the matter through.

“I am a Malay, I respect the Malay culture, tradition, rulers, language, but that does not make me racist or deny the rights of others.

“Yes, the Constitution is very clear on the position of the Malays. But the Constitution is also clear on protecting the welfare of all citizens in this country and the future is for all Malaysians.

“I cannot understand why we are stuck in 2023. We are not talking about governance, economic advancement, or digital technology. We are stuck on who this country belongs to, the Malays or the Chinese or the Christians,” he said in his speech.

Mr Anwar also challenged those who claimed to be championing Malay rights by "putting their money where their mouth is".

“They are all billionaires, their children are billionaires.

“They talk about Malay survival, I challenge them, if it’s true you want to help the Malays, then surrender half your wealth to the Malays,” he said to loud applause from the audience.

On July 3, former two-time Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad claimed Mr Anwar was beholden to the Democratic Action Party (DAP) even though the party only had four ministers in the Cabinet.

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

In a series of tweets, Dr Mahathir claimed that the DAP had a “manifesto” to turn the country into a multi-ethnic secular one without a religion of the federation, and that Mr Anwar's administration would collapse if the party’s 40 Members of Parliament chose to withdraw their support for the Parti Rakyat Keadilan president.

Dr Mahathir's remark was slammed by many in the Government as baseless, including Mr Anwar and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.

The Malaysian Bar, a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia, has also condemned him for selectively interpreting the Federal Constitution.

Mr Anwar said Dr Mahathir's remarks was a last-ditch effort by the former Prime Minister "to remain relevant".

He added that the Dr Mahathir had lost most of his influence after suffering a decisive defeat in Malaysia's 15th general election.

“(Mahathir) lost his deposit in Langkawi. I don’t think we should take him very seriously.

“Of course, this is his last, desperate effort to be seen as relevant. I am going to make him irrelevant, Mr Anwar said. MALAY MAIL