24-7-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has cautioned Malaysians against becoming “poor people” in a “rich country” in a Facebook post. To illustrate his point, he drew a comparison to Ukrainians defending themselves against a Russian invasion, stating that they could submit to the Russian invaders and give up its territory to stop the war, but instead refuse to do so and keep on fighting.
Mahathir then turned to Malaysia, saying that the country is willing to accept foreigners as citizens and share its land, but not until the country is occupied by descendants of foreigners and Malaysians become poor in their own country. The 98-year-old former minister has previously stated that promoting a multiracial Malaysia is “unconstitutional” and will “wipe out” the Malay land, a statement which has been met with opposition from several political figures.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has emphasised the importance of manners, participation, and understanding of not just Muslims, but also non-Muslims in the Madani concept espoused by the federal government under his leadership. Former Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq has also pointed out that a united Malaysian nation was once Mahathir’s vision.
However, Mahathir’s post has been criticised for being shared at a sensitive time, as Malaysia’s domestic trade minister Salahuddin Ayub had just passed away the day before. Salahuddin underwent surgery after suffering from a brain haemorrhage on Jul. 22 but eventually succumbed to his condition. Various political leaders have expressed their condolences to the minister, including Anwar, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid, and Johor’s Menteri Besar (chief minister) Onn Hafiz Ghazi. Mahathir expressed his condolences for Salahuddin’s family five hours after his Facebook post.
إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُون
DariNya kita datang, kepadaNya kita kembali.Saya mengucapkan takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham YB Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub di atas kembalinya ke rahmatullah.
Saya mengenali beliau dengan lebih rapat ketika bersama dalam Kabinet… pic.twitter.com/jfrE5iO6Jo
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) July 24, 2023
