In a statement, Ramasamy said the colonial government had ensured that racial compartmentalisation would be maintained so that the Chinese, the indigenous Malays and the Indians would lead separate existences.

There was never an attempt to bring the races together, he said.

“It is easy, convenient and even racist to say that the absence of assimilation in the country is the fault of the non-Malays, as though they were responsible for charting the course of the country’s history.”

Ramasamy also said Mahathir “conveniently forgets” that the ethnic political, social and cultural system that the country inherited was the product of history.

He was responding to the former prime minister’s claim that non-Malays in the country should have been assimilated into the Malay community, to form the Bangsa Malaysia concept he envisioned.

In a podcast hosted by former Umno leaders Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan yesterday, Mahathir had cited Indonesia as an example, saying other ethnic groups in the republic such as the Chinese had “successfully” assimilated and embraced the local culture.

Ramasamy said Umno leaders like Mahathir were equally to blame for perpetuating the ethnic, cultural and religious divisions in the country.

He added that Mahathir had been the prime minister twice, and questioned the latter’s contribution in terms of implementing assimilationist policies.

Apart from the Bangsa Malaysia slogan, the Look East Policy and others, “there was no substantive move to promote Bangsa Malaysia”, Ramasamy said.

The former DAP assemblyman also said the politicisation of ethnicity and religion for political expediency had benefitted Mahathir and Umno, despite it running counter to the Bangsa Malaysia idea.

“Mahathir cannot have the cake and eat it at the same time.”