He was referring to the former prime minister’s assertion that promoting Malaysia as a multiracial country was against the Federal Constitution.
Ramkarpal said Article 3 explicitly states that Islam is the religion of the federation, but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony.
“The existence of Article 3 of the Federal Constitution demonstrates that Malaysia is a country comprising various ethnicities, cultures, and religions,” Ramkarpal said.
He also cited a Federal Court ruling last year in which the judges said that Article 3 is part of the “basic structure” of the Federal Constitution and that Parliament cannot amend it as it would be “unconstitutional”.
Apart from Article 3, Ramkarpal noted that Article 8 prohibits discrimination against any citizen solely on the grounds of religion, race, descent, place of birth, or gender, while Article 11 grants every person the right to profess and practice their religion.
“When read together, all the provisions of the Federal Constitution mentioned above recognise that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious nation,” the Bukit Gelugor MP said.
On Monday, the 97-year-old Mahathir controversially claimed that promoting Malaysia as a multiracial country was against the Federal Constitution, which he said “emphasises the ‘Malayness’ of Malaysia”.
Mahathir also questioned whether the current government is disregarding the rule of law as Malaysia was never described as a multi-ethnic nation in the Federal Constitution.
Ramkarpal said that during his 24 years as a prime minister, Mahathir had never questioned Malaysia’s status as a multi-ethnic and multicultural nation.
He also called Mahathir’s remarks “regrettable”, especially since Mahathir himself had previously acknowledged that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multicultural nation.
“Furthermore, as a former prime minister for over two decades, it is certain that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had access to legal advice through the Attorney-General, and therefore, was aware of the legal position regarding this matter,” Ramkarpal said.
“In light of the above circumstances, it is evident that Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was fully aware that his statement is entirely unfounded.”