KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Perak DAP deputy president Abdul Aziz Bari has reiterated once again that his party does not pose a threat to the Malay community.

He told Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, in response to a reader’s letter, that the accusation was questionable since the party has never had a say in Malay interests in the first place, and therefore, was not in a position to be considered a threat.

"Perhaps the author of the letter only knows politics after Umno fell from the heights of power after the political tsunami of 2008,” the Perak Opposition chief stated.

He added that Umno’s narrative of race and religion only began in earnest after this, even though it had largely been used to sweet talk supporters (bertanam tebu di bibir) previously.

"From as long ago as independence, Umno has adopted a pragmatic approach to politics. Religion and race were pure rhetoric that the Malays who were not well-versed in politics and history swallowed wholeheartedly,” he added.

Abdul Aziz, who is also the assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi, said that in the Westminster system of governance, everything that happens is the responsibility of the ruling government.

"In this context, who were the prime ministers or mentri besar for the past 60 years since the nation's independence, Umno or DAP?” he was quoted as saying.

He recommended that the author of the letter examine the status of the Malay community in Selangor and Penang post-2008 to see how weak Umno is in both states.

Abdul Aziz added that while Umno won 20 seats in Selangor during the 2008 general election, the party was left with only four seats 10 years later, in poorer and disadvantaged areas of the state.

As a result, he claimed that "some Umno leaders think that the Malay-centric party should consider cooperating with DAP”.

"The group might be small now, but it could well grow in the future,” he was quoted as saying.