KOTA KINABALU: MCA Sabah Public Services and Complaints Bureau secretary Arthur SK Sim has described as absurd and very ungentlemanlike for Rekan Husin, the president of Perkasa Sabah Chapter and his national youth leader Burhanuddin to accuse Datuk Francis Goh of twisting Ibrahim Ali’s statement about minority rights and ketuanan Melayu spirit in Sabah during the launch of the Perkasa Libaran AGM.
Sim said: “Not only MCA’s Datuk Francis Goh, but PKR’s Christina Liew, Upko secretary Datuk Donald Mojuntin and The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) Tan Sri TC Goh had also called for the state government to ban radical racists like Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali from entering Sabah.
“It is clear how unwelcome Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa is in Sabah.
“Our MCA deputy chairman Datuk Francis Goh is himself a sino-Kadazan and a pure blue blooded Sabahan. He was just being honest and blunt by pointing out the outrageous contents of the speech by Ibrahim Ali.
“By saying a citizenship is not granted to him is again proof that Perkasa is a bunch of racists who always think that all Chinese in Sabah are ‘pendatang’.
“Goh believed that it was imperative to tell Ibrahim Ali in order to safeguard the precious peaceful and harmonious environment which the multiracial people of Sabah has since time immemorial.”
Speaking at a Perkasa special annual conference in Tuaran over the weekend, Ibrahim Ali emphasized that the minorities should not cross the line to the point of denying the rights of the indigenous people in Sabah. He was actually referring to the Chinese community’s demand for the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), adding that such demand was akin to stepping on the heads of the indigenous people.
Goh reiterated that Ibrahim Ali had gone too far in seeking attention for himself when he had atrociously pitted the local Chinese against the indigenous people of Sabah. Goh further added that spreading extreme racial hatred by racist bigots hiding under the umbrella of Ketuanan Melayu has no place in Sabah.
Sim blasted the national youth leader of Perkasa, Burhanuddin that to compare MCA to a well-known extreme racist NGO in Malaysia is beyond absurdity.
“MCA is a coalition partner of BN and her presence in Sabah is solely to assist the people in every possible way she can, regardless of race and religious affiliation. Whereas for Perkasa, her ultimate aim is to destroy the co-existence of the social fabric of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious unity and harmony. Sabah needs MCA; Sabah does not need an extreme racist NGO like Perkasa,” said Goh.
Sim stressed that Chinese education had contributed significantly to the indigenous people whereby there are quite a large number of indigenous students studying in Chinese schools in Sabah.
Even the Sarawak state government had in 2015, officially recognized the UEC as the entry requirement for its public university and allowed its holders to secure jobs in the public sector.
Goh feels that Ibrahim Ali should give a satisfactory explanation on how the demand for recognition of UEC is akin to stepping on the heads of the indigenous people.
“Failing which he should publicly apologise to the entire Chinese community in Malaysia and Sabah in particular,” he said.
According to Sim, what is there to twist if Ibrahim Ali had admitted that he is the King of Racist in Malaysia.