A multiracial Malaysia would be unconstitutional, says Mahathir in swipe at Anwar’s government

Promoting a multiracial Malaysia would go ‘against the constitution’ and possibly the rule of law, two-time PM Mahathir Mohamad said in a statement

He also accused Anwar Ibrahim’s government of being beholden to the DAP and claimed its ‘manifesto’ was to replace Islam as the official religion

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Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s former prime minister, claimed in his statement that current PM Anwar Ibrahim “has to follow DAP’s manifesto” of making the Southeast Asian nation multiracial “and replacing the official religion of Islam”. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 2:02pm, 4 Jul 2023Updated: 5:10pm, 5 Jul 2023

It is unconstitutional to promote a multiracial Malaysia, according to the country’s two-time former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

That’s because Malaysia being a multiracial country is never mentioned in the federal constitution, he said.

“I’m just raising the provisions of the constitution. Is it against the law to defend the constitution? Instead, what is against the constitution is promoting a multiracial country,” Mahathir said in a statement on Monday.

“Is the government going against the rule of law – including the constitution – which did not mention that Malaysia is a multiracial country? Instead, the constitution stresses a Malay-Malaysia.”

Anthony Loke, secretary general of Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party. Mahathir has accused the DAP of wanting to make Malaysia “multiracial” and ditching Islam to turn it into “a country without an official religion”. Photo: Facebook/lokesiewfook

Mahathir was responding to a call by Huzaidi Husin, the information chief of Umno’s Bukit Gelugor branch, for the elder statesman to stop fanning racial sentiments. In his response, Mahathir also took a swipe at the current cabinet line-up.