Ti said Azmi may be correct to say that Article 153 only provided special treatment for bumiputeras in certain situations and should not be treated as a given right.
However, it was wrong for Azmi to assume the majority shared his view, Ti said.
Ti told FMT that it was “simplistic” for Azmi to think that everyone shared the same sentiments, and that the likes of Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali would feel otherwise.
“Ibrahim is not as learned as Azmi but he has greater influence compared to Azmi. That’s the sad truth, and it would be simplistic for Azmi to deny this too.”
Stressing that though he did not advocate for the removal of these provisions especially at this juncture, Ti, a former Pahang assemblyman, hoped that the likes of Azmi Sharom can educate the people on the true intentions of the Constitution.
If there’s a clear understanding of the Constitution, Ti argued, than there was no need to touch the provisions of the Constitution. “If it’s still unclear in the minds of many in Umno, PAS and even PKR, then we are still not there yet.”
Yesterday Azmi had criticised Ti for claiming last week that racism in the country stemmed from ambiguities or a lack of clarity in the Federal Constitution. He had stated it was “overly simplistic” for Ti to fault the constitution.
He also explained that the Federal Constitution was based on equality as stated in Article 8 with exceptions as in Article 153, and lamented that Umno had perverted the stipulation.
Ti then argued that because the education system failed to explain the true meaning or intentions of Article 153 , it was often repeated or referred to to justify racial fervour.
“If Article 153 is so obvious, why are the likes of Ibrahim Ali getting overly excited when I mentioned that the Federal Constitution could be reviewed once Malaysia became politically mature.”
Ti also said it was unfortunate that the Constitution was sometimes wrongly used to justify racism, a situation made worse by the DAP who, he said, often stirred racial issues which the Barisan Nasional had worked hard to contain.
In that context, he said Azmi’s decision to blame the racism in the country entirely on Umno, MCA and MIC was simplistic. “If Azmi wants to argue along such lines he must not ignore the fact that the Opposition are just as racist,” he said.
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Ti: Constitution coloured by racial, religious provisions