'Proclamation does not reject non-Malays rights' - Tun Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR - Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad insisted that the Proclamation of the Malays was not to reject the rights of other races, but rather to help the problems faced by the Malays.

Dr Mahathir explained that Malays today are faced with many problems especially poverty.

"On average, they (Malays) are poor and because of their poverty, they face many problems.

"So the first effort we are making is to issue a proclamation that lists the 12 problems faced by the Malays," he said at a press conference after a closed meeting of the Malay Proclamation round table negotiations on Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir said that for more than 60 years, the Malaysian government was dominated by the Malays and when they dominated Malaysian politics, other races showed a change towards success.

"At that time, we could see that many Chinese were successful to the point of becoming world entrepreneurs during the reign of a government dominated by Malays," he said.

At the same time, Dr Mahathir informed that the proclamation was made to make the Malays aware that their position is not so strong, and is now weak and becoming increasingly shaky.

He explained that a movement must be made to overcome the problems of the Malays.

"A movement must be held to unite all people, parties, individuals or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who are concerned about the future of this (Malay) nation.

"That's why we need to have influence in the government that can deal with the problems of the Malays," he said.

He informed that his party is ready to cooperate not only in the election, but also during other times to ensure that the proclamation efforts do not fail.