Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail has not only refused to apologise over his alleged racist remark but has demanded that Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Chinese community leaders apologise to him instead for asking him to express regret.
Ahmad said these leaders, including those in Barisan Nasional, had “blindly” made unnecessary comments to inflame the issue.
“Dr Koh is diverting from his own weakness by claiming that this issue resulted in Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the Permatang Pauh by-election.
“He should accept the fact that the Chinese no longer support him or Gerakan. Therefore, there is no need for him to look for a scapegoat,” he said during a one-hour press conference at Menara Umno here yesterday.
At the press conference, state Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah said Umno’s 13 divisions in the state supported Ahmad’s decision not to apologise over his remark.
Ahmad, who read out his 16-page statement to a room packed with pressmen and Umno supporters, reminded Umno leaders not to be weak and get carried away by taking care of the feelings of others while being insensitive to the feelings of the Malays.
He said he wanted the reporter who reported his alleged remark in a Chinese newspaper to apologise to him, his family, friends, the Malay community and Muslims for “manipulating” his speech at Kampung Pelek on Aug 23 at a ceramah held during the Permatang Pauh by-election.
“I am not denying that I made the statement but I had merely said that the Chinese were squatters in the country then because that is a fact and furthermore, at that point in my speech, I was referring to the pre-Merdeka days,” he said.
It was the reporter who deliberately turned this statement into a racial and sensitive issue, he said.
“I am not going to apologise as I do not owe any apology to anyone on this issue. I have done nothing wrong,” he said.
After the press conference, Ahmad told reporters that even though he respected Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s advice to him to apologise, he had his own principles.
Read:
BN politicians no shame, no moral, no ethics
Extremists fragmenting Malaysian society and destroying the Malaysian identity
Malaysia – a sensible lot giving in to extremist tendencies
Umno Bukit Bendera chief Ahmad Ismail’s racist remarks rattles BN partners
Umno lacks intellectual capability, courage, energy to lead
Umno hegemony is under threat, Malays are not under threat
Umno is a nest of conspirators
Umno rebuked for its arrogance, corruption and shrill racist rhetoric
Umno’s formula – turn everything racial
Umno’s day is over until it learns to respect Malaysian people with more dignity
What leadership should be, but is not in Malaysia’s politicians
omong 
[…] Umno Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail refuses to apologize […]
[…] Umno Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail refuses to apologize […]
please do not simply pass remarks especially when there’s something called “brain” in every human. if you don’t mind, can you kindly use your brain before saying things so that it makes sense and not merely passing some remarks
that could cause disturbance to the races in
the country. Have these so called “squatters”
not made contributions to the country and have
they no right to deserve some respect?
im not a malay nor does i am chinese. however his remarks shows the bad site of the party which in this case is was umno. could it be that its been a hidden agenda that was kept by umno? believe, “kerana nila setitik rosak susu sebelanga..” what our society wants right now is unity and a new reformation where everyone is equal.. we’ve been merdeka fo 51 years now… why is there still differences of social and political gratitiude today?
uity is all we want.. all the best and god bless malaysia… my home my country.