SHAH ALAM - Malay parties in this country are told not to take warnings made by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad lightly, if they do not want the Malays to continue losing power.
Fellow National Council of Professors, Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong said with the growing divide, it is not impossible for that to happen and Malaysia can become like Singapore.
Apart from the lack of agreement, he said the division was becoming more apparent with the existence of too many Malay-based parties in this country.
"I agree with Tun Mahathir's statement, although there are times when he is loud, but his warning is well-founded. In another 10 years, which means two more elections later, the Malays will no longer have power and will lose the country.
"I don't see it as impossible because look at the current situation. Although these parties form a coalition of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), there are too many Malay-based parties.
"The big impact we can expect is Malaysia becoming like Singapore. Only 15 per cent of the Malays in the country remain and we can see how the original population lost power in their own homeland. This is something that is happening right in front of our eyes," he told Sinar.
On Saturday, Dr Mahathir said that the Malay race was at risk of disappearing in the next 10 years if they did not unite from now.
The former premier said that the Malays would also be ‘captured’ and 'disappear without war' because no one cared about the fate of the nation at this time.
Commenting further, Teo said, in order to prevent that from happening, all parties need to push aside political sentiments and listen to Dr Mahathir's advice as an experienced statesman.
"Malays especially need to rise again to unite and show their abilities. Let's take an example of when the colonialists once forced the kings to sign the idea of the Malayan Union.
"However, due to the unity and the people standing together, it was finally cancelled.
"Tun Mahathir once predicted the destruction of Umno 10 to 20 years ago and it came true. So, what's wrong with us taking his warning as advice from people who have experience in maintaining Malay power in sovereign land," he explained.