PETALING JAYA: We are all Malaysians, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong in an obvious swipe against recent remarks about minorities being “foreigners” in the country.

“We are not ‘foreigners’ and we are not the grandchildren of ‘foreigners’. We are legitimate children of Malaysia forever, ” he wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday (Oct 8).

His post comes following remarks by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had described the minority community in Malaysia as “foreigners” during the Malay Dignity Congress on Sunday.

Dr Mahathir had said in his speech that the foreigners felt comfortable and wanted to stay in the country, and that the Malays have to accept them or independence would not have been achieved.

His controversial comments led to intense backlash, especially from moderates.

Dr Wee, in his Instagram post, had posed alongside MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan in Parliament and included the hashtag #WeAreMalaysians.

He also included the Malay proverb “Di mana bumi dipijak, di situlah langit dijunjung” which means that one should follow the customs and laws of the land that one is residing in.