Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia‘s ruling party will forbid live telecasts of its upcoming annual congress, an official said, after speakers from the Malay Muslim majority fueled racial anxiety among the country‘s ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities last year.
Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, secretary general of the United Malays National Organization, noted that broadcasts of the party‘s 2006 general assembly sparked controversy because some viewers were shocked that delegates used harsh rhetoric to debate race relations.
"We consider the sensitivities of everybody," Radzi told a media briefing late Thursday. "That is why we have decided there will be no live screenings" of this year‘s Nov. 5-9 congress.
UMNO is the dominant party in the ruling National Front coalition of multiracial political parties. It represents the Malays, who comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia‘s 27 million people. Ethnic Chinese make up about a quarter of the population and Indians nearly 10 percent.
UMNO delegates last year vowed to safeguard the status of Islam and affirmative action programs for Malays, sparking fear among minorities about their religious and economic rights.
Two speakers said Malays must be ready to fight "to the last drop of blood" to defend their rights, while others warned minorities not to make demands that tested the patience of Malays.
Open friction is rare between Malays and the Chinese and Indian minorities, whose faiths include Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism, despite frustrations over various issues.
Radzi said that some 2,500 delegates who are scheduled to attend this year‘s assembly would remain free to raise any topic, as long as they avoid insulting the monarchy or making legally questionable statements about unresolved court cases.
"We know how to behave. ... UMNO is very mature," Radzi said, stressing that the public should not be oversensitive about potentially fiery speeches.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is widely expected to use this year‘s congress to boost party unity ahead of general elections that most observers believe will be held before mid-2009.
Racially sensitive subjects include an affirmative action program instituted after deadly race riots in 1969 that give Malays privileges in sectors such as government jobs, bank loans, housing and state contracts for business opportunities to help them catch up with the wealthier Chinese.
Minority groups have sought concessions from Malays to roll back these privileges among others, such as granting secular courts authority to overturn verdicts by Islamic courts in cases where non-Muslims are involved.
Source: www.chinapost.com (29 Oktober 2007)
