Pointing to Chinese New Village and ‘bak kut teh’ issues, Ismail Sabri tells fellow lawmakers to be mindful of racial statements

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Former prime minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob today reminded political leaders to be mindful of their statements that could worsen the racial gap.

Seemingly directing his barb to the government’s announcements on Chinese New Villages as heritage sites and the inclusion of “bak kut teh” as national heritage food, the Umno MP said such statements would invite rift among the public.

“It is a big responsibility for leaders to be more mindful with their statements, statements such as making Chinese new villages as a Unesco World Heritage Site and bak kut teh as heritage food would not be able to strengthen the integration of races, instead could cause long-standing polemic,” Ismail Sabri said during his debate on the King’s speech in Parliament here.

He said it was disappointing that 70 years after the country’s independence, many Malaysians were still unable to speak Bahasa Melayu fluently

“We still failed at fostering unity as country that is known for its multicultural ethnicity. Racial integration only exists at the formal level, and not reaching to the grassroots.

“That is why I would like to uphold and agree with the Agong’s recommendations so that the social deficit gap is closed immediately,” he said.

On February 1, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming reportedly said plans are being drawn up to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor as a Unesco World Heritage Site to recognise their cultural and historical significance.

Nga said the Selangor government and the government would discuss the details soon.

He also reportedly said that it has been 76 years since the new villages in Selangor were founded in 1948 and that he will engage with the state government to begin a study on (the nomination process).

However, he drew backlash from several quarters including the politicians from the other divide.

He has since said that the proposal was not a zero-sum, and that it was still at the preliminary stage and should not be cause for friction among the country's racial communities.