Utusan, Perkasa apologise for twisting prince’s speech

Perkasa accused Tunku Zain of 'saying things he did not say' in speech about treachery and Constitution.

KUALA LUMPUR: Utusan Malaysia and the Perkasa movement have made a public apology to a Negeri Sembilan prince, Tunku Zain Al-Abidin, for comments made about his speech in May when he defended the Constitution from sectional and sectarian interests.

Tunku Zain Al-Abidin had said that certain articles of the Constitution had been twisted to advance certain interests above others. Words had been taken out of context “to advance certain interests – divergently defined – above others”, he had said.

However, Utusan Malaysia had published a report on June 2 in which the Malay rights movement Perkasa had accused the prince, who is president of the Ideas think tank, “of saying things he did not say” when he launched the Harmony Malaysia society at an Ideas function.

In a statement today, Tunku Zain Al-Abidin said Utusan and Perkasa had now published an apology on Perkasa’s website and on the front page of Utusan Malaysia on Friday, and retracted the report.

Tunku Zain Al-Abidin said: “I am happy that Perkasa and Utusan have admitted their mistake. This public apology enables us to acknowledge that humility and forgiveness are intrinsic to the Malay culture that we all wish to celebrate and preserve, particularly as Ramadhan comes to a close.”

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of Ideas, said the organisation took a serious view of false accusations by any media or individual. Criticisms were welcome, “but I ask that they please do their homework first before jumping the gun”

In his speech, the prince had said the attempts to twist the Constitution could be regarded as treacherous.

The prince did not explicitly state which special interests were being served but his speech was viewed as referring to provisions on Malay rights and Islamic religious law. Major political controversies have arisen about discrimination in the civil service and the economy, and syariah law’s impact on the civil rights of non-Muslims.

The Perkasa movement, headed by politician Ibrahim Ali, regards itself as a champion of Malay interests.