KUALA LUMPUR: All quarters need to study history when commenting about the past.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was well documented in the nation’s history that all ethnic groups in Malaysia had banded together to battle the Communist threat.
“Historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim had also written that the battle against the Communists was fought together by people of all races and backgrounds.
“History has chronicled the various contributions of all groups in the fight against the Japanese occupation of Malaya as well as the Communists,” he said.
Zahid said it is best to disregard individuals who claim that only one particular ethnic group had played a part in the fight for the country.
“We are a multicultural society. Ignore those who are trying to break our unity as what we have here is a firm foundation,” said Zahid.
His comments came on the heels of remarks by Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah) chairman Ismail Mina Ahmad, who allegedly claimed that it was only the Malays who had resisted the British colonists, Japanese occupiers and the Communists.
He reportedly said that it was the Malays’ battle against the Communists which made the community a target for four decades.
His comments sparked outrage among various quarters, some of whom had urged for him to be probed for sedition.