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KUALA LUMPUR – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin has lambasted political researcher Wong Chin Huat for purportedly propagating separatist sentiments between East and West Malaysia.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Khaled said he vehemently opposed Wong’s assertion that many in Sabah and Sarawak are looking forward to Peninsula Malaysia “kicking them out” of the federation.
Khaled said Wong’s assessment is without merit and he, as an academic, should be more responsible and astute in providing his opinion to the public.
“Fanning the flames of separation from Malaysia by implicating every dissatisfaction with Umno is not a mature or progressive approach.
“I hope academics should be more responsible in giving their opinion. Do not take advantage of a difficult situation. Stop calling for disunity or separation,” he said.
The former Johor menteri besar also said that such a statement not only fans sentiments of statehood that demean the spirit of cooperation within the federation, but also does not focus on the real issues within Sabah and Sarawak.
“The issues in Sabah and Sarawak should be resolved by ensuring the development agenda in both states is implemented more effectively, not by leaving Malaysia,” he said.
Khaled was responding to a Facebook post by Wong, who had said that certain people in Sabah and Sarawak want to be kicked out of the federation just as Umno had done to Singapore, allegedly because Umno could not tolerate the People’s Action Party’s threat of control over the Malaysian federation.
Checks done by the Vibes revealed that Wong’s post has since been taken down. – The Vibes, September 20, 2022