Federal minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup had urged Putrajaya to remove the ‘race’ category from official forms yesterday and lamented that Malaysians are still divided by their racial and religious identities. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Malay groups today railed against recent calls to remove the “race” category from official forms, calling the proposal a sure sign of creeping liberal thinking within Prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

Both Perkasa and Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) questioned Putrajaya's commitment to uphold Malay rights, saying that the government should stifle views that question the position of the country's largest ethnic community.

“There is an agenda here, the fact that the government is allowing this kind of liberal thinking makes us wonder what is their official position on this,” Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

The Perkasa leader argued that removing the “race” category would only benefit non-Muslims as there would no longer be any way to differentiate Malays and Bumiputeras from ethnic minorities in the country.

“What will then happen to Bumiputera rights? When there is no way to differentiate the races, will that mean everyone has equal rights?” Syed Hassan asked.

Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman agreed with Syed Hassan's arguments, but went a step further by claiming that non-Muslim leaders from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had their own agenda for supporting this proposition.

“I agree, there is evidence of the government becoming even more and more liberal now. If we see MCA's remarks, and that of Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, it is consistent with what the DAP is also fighting for,” he told The Malay Mail Online via telephone interview.

“The agenda of the non-Muslims are alike, no matter their political affiliations, they want to be on equal footing with Malays, Muslims, Bumputeras, they are brought together by a common agenda,” Abdullah Zaik added.

The MCA today backed federal minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup’s bid to remove the “race” category from official forms, calling it a pointless exercise.

Kurup, the minister for national unity had urged Putrajaya to remove the “race” category from official forms yesterday, to help in its bid to form a unified nation.

Kurup also lamented that Malaysians are still divided by their racial and religious identities.

“Maybe it’s time we remove the need to state our race on any form in the country. But it is up to the council members who are more learned to suggest this to the Government,” Kurup was quoted as saying by English daily, The Star.

He made the suggestion yesterday while launching the National Unity Consultative Council’s (NUCC) first dialogue session.

Kurup also noted the divide in historical interpretation between Malaysians in East and West Malaysia, which remains unresolved even 50 years after the federation was formed.

The NUCC dialogue yesterday saw 30 NGOs representatives present, discussing issues ranging from racial politics, national language, migrant workers, to the welfare of the Orang Asli.

Accused of being unfit to spearhead efforts to establish a National Unity Blueprint, the fledgling NUCC has shrugged off the criticism, saying it can only prove its sceptics wrong through its work, which is already underway.

This comes as Malay rights group Perkasa denounced the 30-man panel for purportedly having members with an “anti-nationalist” bent.

The NUCC was formed last November 30, after a slew of issues and statements that touched on racial sensitivities that followed a fractious national election in early May.

A large range of prominent personalities widely known for their moderate views were appointed to the panel, including PAS’ Parit Buntar MP Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, former Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.