In a statement, Lau said he found the remark “highly embarrassing and inappropriate”, especially considering that he had championed the Vision 2020 programme in the 1990s.

Vision 2020 aimed to create a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race), among other things.

“It is sad that the former prime minister said in the recent interview that the non-Malay community has already been ‘compensated well’ for their contributions.

“Can we ‘compensate’ our own people?” he asked.

Lau, whose party is a component of Perikatan Nasional (PN), revealed that Gerakan had previously expressed dissatisfaction to Mahathir in a meeting following his controversial statements in the run-up to the Pulai by-election last September.

Mahathir was reported to have called political parties led by non-Malays as “immigrant parties”.

“Gerakan believes that such statements from someone seen as a statesman are highly offensive and the government should advise him against perpetuating differences that could potentially fracture the spirit of the Malaysian nation that we have built over the years,” he said.

In a recent interview with Chennai-based Tamil news channel Thanthi TV, Mahathir said Indians in Malaysia must remember they are Malaysians more than they are immigrants from other countries.

He reportedly claimed that Malaysian Indians want to identify themselves with their country of origin instead of fully assimilating and “becoming Malay”.

While Mahathir agreed when the interviewer pointed out that the Federal Constitution enshrines the rights of all minorities, he said that while Malaysian Indians “have certain rights, they cannot claim that this country belongs (to them)”.

He drew brickbats from various quarters for his remarks, including national unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang, digital minister Gobind Singh Deo, Muda and a few former DAP MPs.