Malays face 'very frightening' social problems: Minister
Malays face 'very frightening' social problems: Minister
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's ethnic Malays face the "very frightening" social problems of crime, drug abuse and divorce, a minister said on Thursday.
Rais Yatim, a minister in the prime minister's department, called for the establishment of a "Malay Council" as a permanent forum to discuss the Malay agenda.
He said Malay intellectuals, leaders, professionals and individuals could become members, irrespective of political beliefs.
"What's important is having a unifier and direction for the Malays outside the confines of the prejudice of party politics," Rais said.
The minister, quoted by the official Bernama news agency, was speaking at a university forum.
A drift from the villages to towns and cities amid an industrialization drive has been blamed for some of the social problems faced by Malays.
Commentators say the sacking and jailing of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim has split the country's Malay community, which makes up just over half the population.
The ruling United Malays National Organization lost 22 seats at last November's election -- mostly to the opposition Malay party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia.
Officials of another opposition group, the National Justice Party, vowed on Thursday to hold massive demonstrations to demand freedom for the jailed Anwar and warned that the rallies could jeopardize next month's Formula One race.
Raja Petra Kamarudin, director of the online FreeAnwar Campaign, said that tens of thousands of people were expected to attend the protests in a dozen Malaysian cities and towns starting Oct. 11.
The Malaysian Grand Prix, which will end the Formula One season, will be held Oct. 22 and is by far the most high-profile sports event in this Southeast Asian country, reaching an estimated worldwide television audience of 660 million people in its inaugural run last year.
Despite regular opposition appeals for Malaysians to show support for Anwar, recent demonstrations have drawn only small crowds of several dozen to a few hundred people, a fraction of the tens of thousands that rallied to Anwar's banner two years ago.
Raja Petra told The Associated Press that the National Justice Party, led by Anwar's wife, was organizing the rallies to rebut government claims that the opposition movement is sputtering out.
"Mahathir won't find it easy anymore," said Raja Petra. "He must certainly be worried about how these demonstrations will affect attendance at the Formula One race."
Rais called for a cleaning-up in his own party, saying the UMNO cause could not be premised on money, rewards and corporate dividends.
He said the party must return to the roots of its struggle and undergo complete self-cleansing.
Rais told reporters later the Malays should learn from the Chinese, the second largest race. He said the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry talked "almost about anything" concerning their community.
"The Malays, likewise, should adopt the same approach. Among all the races the Chinese community is the most practical because they don't impinge upon prejudices or religious bigotry," he said.
The constitution reserves special rights for Malays. A decades-old affirmative action program also aims to narrow the gap with the wealthier Chinese, who dominate business.