KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor owes a public apology for insinuating that Indian Malaysians are drunkards, Parti Amanah Negara said today.
The Opposition party’s Federal Territories chapter committee member R. Thenakeran described the PAS leader as arrogant in portraying himself a model Muslim leader who did not practise actual tolerance among Malaysia’s diverse races.
“We Indians in Amanah objected vehemently against the remark made by him which labeled the Indian community here as alcoholics.
“We therefore demand Muhammad Sanusi to apologise publicly through a press conference and ensure the matter will not be repeated in the future,” Thenakeran said in a statement, joining other politicians across the divide who have condemned the Kedah MB for his remarks after a Hindu temple in the northern state was demolished.
The Amanah man said Muhammad Sanusi should be ashamed of making such remarks and had failed to appreciate the sacrifice and efforts made by the Indian community for the sake of economic development at both the federal and state levels.
Muhammad Sanusi had defended the temple demolition Taman Bersatu, Kuala Kedah on December 1 as a legal issue and not one of racial or religious prejudices, saying it was built on gazetted land in response to criticism by MIC and DAP leaders.
Muhammad Sanusi also said his critics were speaking “because one is drunk on the toddy of popularity, and become race champions in the present” as they were quick to jump on the matter of temple demolitions, they were however silent on the demolition of structures belonging to Malays.
“Senior politicians such as they might as well not drink one bottle, but get drunk on two or three instead,” he was reported saying of his MIC and DAP critics.
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan claimed Muhammad Sanusi promise to inform him if any temples were to be demolished in Kedah.
Similarly Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll P. Ramasamy said Sanusi has proven himself to be a racist and religious extremist who should not remain in power, as well as questioning the need to destroy temples to build motorcycle parks or futsal courts.
