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.