Patriots who react: 1,347 reminders for Zahid Hamidi
Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA: At times you should take offence. Like when your defence minister says maybe why you are not in the military is because your ethnicity makes you
lack patriotism. So I’ll take offence, and I’ll ask for an apology.
Since his major misstep two days ago, Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi has tried to
wriggle out of the growing perception he does not think non-Malays are patriotic enough.
A politician lives by perception and when he finds it worthwhile to point out “low patriotism” may be a factor for negligible military recruitment of non-Malays, irrespective of its impact, he has blundered.
More so when this is your defence minister, the man expected to lead the defence of the country by galvanising the spirit of its people to the defence of the “tanah air.”
More telling when you are the Umno vice-president with the highest number of votes, technically you are the third-ranking Umno leader, and the second in line to succeed the prime minister if Barisan Nasional (BN) stays in power.