By Ahmad Fairuz Othman

JOHOR BARU - Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman has lambasted those who continue to stand by the "Malaysian Malaysia" concept. Making no direct reference to any political party, Ghani said the concept was a violation of the Federal Constitution and was against the motto of 1Malaysia.

"These people claim that the Malaysian Malaysia concept is about equality, but it contradicts the Federal Constitution which protects the rights of all Malaysians," he said during the closing speech of the Johor Komuniti Bestari (smart community) convention at the New York Hotel here yesterday.

Ghani said the action of certain parties to uphold the Malaysian Malaysia concept could destroy the freedom that have been enjoyed by the people since independence.

"Imagine after being colonised for almost 500 years, and only after more than 50 years of Merdeka, there are those who want to go against our Federal constitution.

"Even the United States' constitution has been preserved for hundreds of years," said Ghani, adding that those who supported Malaysian Malaysia were stoking racial disunity.

The "Malaysian Malaysia" concept was first used in the early 1960s as a motto of the Malaysian Solidarity Council, a gathering of political parties that rallied against Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which involves the safeguarding of rights of the Malays and other indigenous peoples.

In the same speech, Ghani criticised those who urged for a two-party political system, saying that it would only lead to disunity within certain communities.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had refuted claims by DAP in Parliament in June that the 1Malaysia concept was taken from the DAP's Malaysian Malaysia concept.

Najib had said this during a question-and-answer session during the opening of Parliament's latest session.