Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks during press conference after a bilateral meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh March 27, 2023. — Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA (April 4): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malay Muslims who are the majority group in this country should not feel too comfortable and conceited, that other groups cannot be appreciated.
Anwar, who is also the Minister of Finance, said this was one of the lessons that he learned during the recent work visit to Cambodia, where the Muslim population is only 10 per cent in a predominantly Buddhist country.
In Cambodia, he said Muslims are highly regarded, mosques are not demolished, their rights are protected and one was also appointed a minister to represent their interests.
“So when I was given the privilege to deliver a speech before going to the mosque, I mentioned that this shows how a Buddhist majority country respected the Muslim minority by participating in iftar, giving several other opportunities including appointing a Muslim minister.
“That’s why I said this was a lesson because sometimes when we are the majority we feel so highly of ourselves thinking that other groups do not deserve respect,” he said at the Ministry of Finance’s monthly assembly here today.
Anwar said while looking after the interests of the Malay Muslim majority in Malaysia, he has chosen to uphold the principle of mutual respect, celebrate diversity and grant citizenship rights to all. – Bernama