KUALA LUMPUR – PAS lawmaker Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib (Maran-PN) has expressed his affection for Chinese people, following a lengthy spat in the Dewan Rakyat earlier today over his comments linking Chinese new villages with communism.
Ismail, a former Umno MP, also stood by his remarks on “historical facts” behind the establishment of the villages, which he said were formed by the British to prevent the spread of communism.
“As part of the Briggs Plan (during the Malayan Emergency) from 1948 to 1960, the British moved the Chinese people to new villages to make sure that the Chinese were not influenced by communism. (The move) was meant to save the Chinese (from communist ideologies).
“We ‘sayang’ (love) Chinese people, they’re like the Malays and Indians too,” Ismail said during a press conference in Parliament today.
The press conference was called by Ismail and Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN) to clarify their positions during the earlier ruckus in the Dewan Rakyat.
Ismail reiterated he was merely citing historical facts in his debate in the Dewan Rakyat, during which two DAP lawmakers, R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong-PH) and Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas-PH), repeatedly urged him to retract his statement.
Taking a jibe at Rayer, Ismail at the press conference said: “Jelutong doesn’t have a new village so maybe wasn’t influenced (by communist ideas), but the Chinese and even the Malays were affected,” referring to how settlement villages were not formed for the Indian community during the Malayan Emergency.
Wan Fayhsal then challenged the DAP lawmakers to suggest a change in the school history syllabus if they had an issue with the historical portrayal of Chinese new villages.
“It’s a historical fact that communist ideologies spread more strongly and rapidly among the Chinese community at that time. Even the Japanese ‘bantai’ (assaulted) the Chinese more than they did the Malays during the armed struggle then,” Wan Fayhsal said.
“(Ngeh and Rayer) were citing all sorts of Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders and claimed (Ismail’s statement) touched on 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues, but it’s about history.
“I challenge the government, specifically DAP, to amend the history syllabus for our Form 4 and 5 high school students if they think that the British interpretation of our history is wrong.”
Shouting erupted in the lower House earlier when Ismail claimed that plans to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor as Unesco World Heritage Sites would be tantamount to the government acknowledging the “communist fight”.
He said this in questioning Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming’s (Teluk Intan-PH) suggestion to propose Chinese new villages as Unesco World Heritage Sites.
Ismail’s remarks prompted Rayer to cite the Standing Order for MPs on using words that are likely to promote feelings of ill will or hostility between different communities, urging Deputy Speaker Alice Lau (Lanang-PH) to take action against Ismail.
Ngeh had also said Chinese people were victims during the communist insurgency in Malaya, accusing Ismail of “twisting history”.
Ismail retracted his statement, while still stressing that he was speaking about historical facts.
Nga’s proposal, made over a month ago, is still stirring debate with claims that it was insensitive to the Malays and Bumiputera. To this, the minister has said that such accusations are nonsensical as the proposal was just for nominations and should not be racialised. – March 5, 2024