FCAS: Ban Ibrahim from Sabah
Published on: Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has joined the chorus calling on the State Government to ban "racists" like Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali from entering Sabah. Its president Tan Sri T.C Goh said this is necessary to safeguard the precious peaceful-and-harmonious environment which the multiracial people of Sabah had been accustomed to long before independence. He was commenting on Ibrahim's provocative statement calling on minorities in Sabah to stop making "nonsensical" demands and just be thankful that they are recognised as Malaysians.ADVERTISEMENT Opposition Sabah Pakatan Harapan head Christina Liew made a similar call and also Sabah Action Party, (SAPP separate story). Speaking at the Perkasa special annual conference held in Tuaran, over the weekend, Ibrahim said minorities in Sabah should not cross the line to the point of denying the rights of indigenous people in the state. Ibrahim was 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. "In the context of Sabah, I want to remind the minorities who are Malaysian that we accept them as Malaysians. ADVERTISEMENT But, never step on the heads of the indigenous people. "Now, they are making many nonsensical demands that are against the Constitution and national policies, such as the recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC)," he said.
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However, Goh said Ibrahim went too far in seeking attention for himself when he wickedly pitted the Chinese of Sabah against the indigenous people of Sabah, using the UEC issue. "FCAS wish to set the record straight that in Sabah, contrary to the shallow view of Ibrahim, Chinese education has contributed significantly to the indigenous people whereby, quite a high number of indigenous students are enrolled in Chinese schools, especially in the rural areas. "We demand Ibrahim explain 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 of Malaysia, and Sabah in particular," said Goh who is also 1st vice president of Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zhong). He doubted that Ibrahim understands what UEC is and its significance in the era of the emergence of China as the economic powerhouse in the world, and how its (UEC) recognition by the government could better position Malaysia to benefit from the current "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) initiative of China. He said UEC is even accepted by such prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge. He also reminded Ibrahim that the Sarawak Government had in 2015 officially recognised the UEC as the entry requirement for its public university and allowed its holders to secure jobs in the public sector. He suspected that Ibrahim's statement was calculated to incite hatred against the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. Goh opined that it's probably high time to seriously consider enacting Anti-Discrimination law and National Harmony Act in order to prevent racists and extremists like Ibrahim from stoking racial sentiments that could ruin the nation."The government must nip the problem in the bud, so as not to be seen as condoning it. The government must treat this matter seriously like the way it deal with terrorism," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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In one of his most infamous acts a few years ago, Ibrahim invited elderly Chinese to a Chinese New Year dinner in peninsula where he distributed cash in white envelopes, which to Chinese is associated with death.However, he later apologised, saying it was not ill-intended.