May 13 if Pak Lah Dont Go : Khir Toyo

Refer to original Khir Toyo Blog at http://www.drkhir.com/

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 – Senior Umno leader Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has insinuated that a repeat of the May 13 racial riots almost 40 years ago could happen again if Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi does not step down soon.

The Selangor Umno strongman is worried that people will go to the streets if the government did not act now.

Without being specific, the former Selangor menteri besar said drastic steps must be taken to ensure Umno remained relevant.

"Umno needs a new leadership to give a new breath of life to the party and the people. For me, between the leader and the party, the party is more important. But we the rank and file, are we willing to enact changes?

"We are at the cross roads now, between being loyal to the leader and the party. The knife and the cucumber are in our hands," he wrote in his blog today, echoing former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's call that Abdullah must resign now.

However, Dr Khir's use of the May 13 bogey was tempered by the united stand of the Malay-dominated Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance against racial politics.

After a meeting between Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Pas vice-president Datuk Husam Musa and DAP leader Lim Kit Siang today, they issued a statement rejecting Umno's "race baiting tactics in an attempt to safeguard the interest of its top leaders and cronies".

The three leaders reiterated their stand in upholding the principles of the Federal Constitution such as respecting Islam as the official religion and the freedom of religious practices; Bahasa Malaysia as the national language and the right to practise the people's mother tongue, the status and sovereignty of the Malay rulers and the Bumiputra special privileges and the rights of all races.

"Based on these constitutional principles, we reject strongly the narrow racist political approach which has been the policy of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

"Therefore, we condemn the remarks made by (Bukit Bendera Umno division chief) Datuk Ahmad Ismail who is supported by all Penang Umno leaders. The issue of his speech has reflected the racist policy of Umno whose only intention is to defend the interest of a certain group of rich Malays and their cronies who have used political power to reap the wealth of the nation by hiding behind the slogan of protecting the needs of the Bumiputra and the Malays."

Ahmad has refused to apologise despite making racial remarks suggesting that the Chinese in Malaysia, being squatters, should not be given full citizenship. Despite Najib apologising on his behalf, the defiant Ahmad refused to budge.