Racial discrimination: Ibrahim refutes Obama's statement

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali had lashed out against US president Barack Obama’s statement on Sunday that Malaysia will not succeed if non-Muslims in the country are not given equal opportunity.

Ibrahim said Obama’s statement was not true as 60 per cent of the country’s economy is in the hands of the non-Muslims.

“If what Obama said is true, then why non-Muslims hold 60 per cent of the country’s economy? Who owns the skyscrapers, warehouses and shop lots in the city areas?,” he asked in a press statement, Monday.

“The government is also supporting the vernacular schools although some claim that it is against the Constitution. So, whoever says that Malaysia denies the rights of non-Muslims is both crazy and silly,” he added.

On Sunday, Obama said at a town hall session that Malaysia must ensure that the non-Muslims in the country are given the same opportunity as the majority of Muslims here if Malaysia is to prosper.

He said the non-Muslims in the country today face animosity and feel discriminated.

He also said that Obama himself had never told Israel to not ill-treat the original citizens of Palestine and questioned the double standards.

"Why Obama did not advise the non-Muslims in the country to respect the Muslims who form the majority here? Like other American presidents, Obama is also not transparent,” he said.

Ibrahim said Obama’s statement had only strained the already strained relationship between the races in the country.

Earlier today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had also refuted Obama’s statement adding that Malaysia had never practiced religious or ethnic discrimination against its citizens.