Mohamad Hasan, the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Malaysian state Negri Sembilan, has charged the opposition coalition – Pakatan Rakyat – of intending “to invite Singapore to rejoin Malaysia if it wins control of the Federal Government.
Malaysia news portal, Free Malaysia Today, reported:
Launching the Rembau Umno divisional meeting, [Mohamad Hasan] said:
“I guarantee that three days after the opposition forms the Federal Government, it will have its first cabinet meeting, where the main agenda will be the reunion of Singapore with Malaysia.
“This won’t need any amendment to the Federal Constitution. It needs only the approval of the Federal Cabinet, the way Tunku Abdul Rahman threw Singapore out.”
He said one of the consequences of the reunion would be the addition of 89 seats to the Malaysian Parliament.
“All those 89 seats would be non-Malay seats,” he added.
“So before this happens, let’s work hard and ensure that Umno remains in power so that the dignity of the Malays is protected.”
There has been no reaction from the opposition coalition so far.
Mr Mohamad Hasan is a somewhat controversial figure in Malaysian politics. In 2012, for example, Prime Minister Najib Razak was said to want to have him replaced, and that he was a puppet of his older brother, Azman Hasan. (See here.)
In 1996, Singapore’s former Prime Minister and Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, created a stir when he said that “any reunification must be predicated on Malaysia’s pursuing Singapore-style economic policies and abandoning its pro-Malay structure for a system of meritocracy like Singapore’s.”
”It will be difficult to achieve for a very long time, but I hope it will happen,” he reportedly said.
His remarks were greeted with disapproval, with 6 out of 10 people in a poll disagreeing with Mr Lee’s remarks or the idea of re-union.
Then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, ”I do not think it is time yet’.”
And with reference to Mr Lee’s remarks on meritocracy, he added, ”We do practice meritocracy, but one based on race.”
10 years later, Mr Lee again spoke of merger with Malaysia.
“They have got all the resources. If they would just educate the Chinese and Indians, use them and treat them as their citizens, they can equal us and even do better than us and we would be happy to rejoin them,” Mr Lee said in 2007.
Do you think Singapore should consider re-joining Malaysia? Click here: “Singapore should rejoin Malaysia?”
