KUALA LUMPUR - THE term Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) is not about the Malays being in a position to dominate, rule over and force their power on other races, said Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

Instead, he said, it was meant for Malays to aspire to be a successful and developed race.

'If they are not successful and developed, then they are not tuan (masters), therefore they will be coolies (labourers). I am sure we do not want to become coolies who do not play any role in development because we are weak and not able,' he told reporters after chairing an Umno meeting on Monday evening.

'So when we talk about that, we mean we must be successful in many fields. It is never about ruling over others, or forcing our power upon them,' he said.

The Prime Minister, who is also Umno's president, was asked about Malay supremacy being weakened due to crushing losses suffered by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in last month's general election.

The multiracial platform espoused by the opposition alliance was favoured by voters, including younger Malays, who delivered five of Malaysia's 13 states to the opposition.

BN also lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in 39 years.

Questions over diminished Malay political power were also raised after Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein apologised for wielding the keris (Malay dagger) at the annual party assembly in the last three years. The keris act was widely seen as a threat to non-Malays against questioning Malay supremacy.

But Datuk Seri Abdullah said: 'We are not going to be a race that dominates others. We want to be a party that represents the Malays and that is ready to cooperate for the future of Malays and the people.

'That is Malay supremacy and I hope people will understand it.'

On Datuk Hishammuddin's apology for wielding the keris, Datuk Seri Abdullah said it was a brave act. 'He wanted to put the issue to rest. I must say it is a brave move because he knows that many Malays might get angry with him,' said the Premier.

When asked about the disappointment felt by some Malays - including those in Umno - that he had apologised, Datuk Hishammuddin said he was putting the party first.

An Umno division in Johor asked him to step down for apologising as it reflected political weakness in defending a symbol of power of the Malays.

'It is not as if I only wanted to think about my political position. I am willing to sacrifice my political career for the party. We will get nowhere if we continue to have conflicts,' he said on Monday.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

ON TUAN AND COOLIES

'If they are not successful and developed, then they are not tuan (masters), therefore they will be coolies (labourers)...So when we talk about Ketuanan Melayu, we mean we must be successful in many fields. It is never about ruling over others, or forcing our power upon them.'

PRIME MINISTER ABDULLAH, explaining the significance of the term Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy)