Ethnic Malay group to hold rally against Chinese demands

Ethnic Malay group to hold rally against Chinese demands

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): An influential ethnic Malay student
movement renewed threats on Wednesday to hold a massive protest
against an ethnic Chinese group that has demanded an end to
affirmative action policies that benefit Malays.

The Federation of Peninsular Malay Students' stance amounts to
spurning calls by government leaders for both parties to end
their spat, which the country's leadership fears could aggravate
racial animosity and tensions.

The student movement said its protest would be held any time
after Jan. 14 if the Chinese group did not withdraw demands that
the government repeal special privileges accorded to Malays, who
form the majority of the country's population.

The privileges, ranging from cheaper bank loans, government
contracts, reserved access to universities and government jobs,
have been in effect for three decades and are aimed at raising
the economic clout of the Malays, who were traditionally poor.

Such privileges have caused deep resentment among the large
Chinese and Indian communities.

Malays account for 55 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people
while ethnic Chinese and Indians account for 30 percent and 10
percent respectively.

The Chinese group, which claims to represent 2,000
associations, said late on Tuesday that it does not intend to
withdraw its requests, which say that the current system does not
reward individuals based on merit.

The Malaysian Chinese Election Appeals Committee, or Suqiu in
Mandarin, had asked the government -- which is led by ethnic
Malays and depends on their support -- to give equal treatment
for all races, curbs on corrupt practices and more government
transparency.

"The Suqiu Committee is always prepared to discuss and have a
dialog as we believe this is how different sectors and parties in
a modern society should engage as well as the right way to react
to reach consensus," Suqiu said in a statement.

The statement followed a call by Hishammuddin Hussein, chief
of the youth wing of Mahathir's political party the United Malays
National Organization, to hold talks with the Chinese group.

"I welcome Siqiu's seriousness in wanting to meet me, and I
hope to be able to meet them after Hari Raya (Idul Fitri)," the
national Bernama news agency quoted Hishammuddin, who is also the
cabinet Minister for Youth and Sports, as saying.

"Their demands reek of extremism," Suhaimi Ibrahim, leader of
the student group, told reporters. "We ask all Malays to unite
and join us in our protest."

He claimed at least 100,000 Malays would participate in the
protest, which would be held in an open stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Suhaimi said his movement would present a list of 100 demands to
the government urging more Malay rights, including that the prime
minister's post -- which has always been held by a Malay -- be
reserved for Malays.

Government leaders, including Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad,
have repeatedly said the demands made by Suqiu threat the
delicate balance of racial harmony between the majority Muslim
Malays and the smaller ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Mahathir has said the government would defend the special
privileges accorded to Malays. Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin
has said Malays needed protection from the government because
they still lagged behind other races in terms of education and
economic power.

The affirmative-action policies have forestalled any renewal
of the race rioting in 1969 that caused hundreds of deaths, and
Mahathir says that tampering with the system could trigger new
violence.