KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has slammed Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, accusing him of making a racist statement about the government.

Zahid described the remark by the former attorney-general as "Malay-phobic", deeming it insensitive and irresponsible.

The Bagan Datuk member of parliament said Thomas had contradicted himself when the latter drew comparisons between the current government dominated by Malays and the previous Pakatan Harapan-led (PH) federal administration.

"He stated that the current 'failed government' is dominated by Malays. He also praised the then-PH government although the 22-month-long administration was also led by Malays. 

"In fact, many of them (who were previously members of the previous PH government) are now in the (current) administration. And they (the composition of the existing government) not only comprise Malays but also Indians, Chinese and Dayaks.

"This means Thomas is extremely obsessive and prejudiced to the extent of labelling the Malays without looking into a more thorough and wider perspective," he said in a posting on his Facebook account.

Zahid also accused Thomas of disregarding 2021 statistics that showed the Malay and Bumiputera communities accounted for 69.8 per cent of the country's population, followed by Chinese (22.4 per cent) and Indians (6.8 per cent).

"What do the statistics mean? It means that any political party should not neglect the ethnic majority (in the country's population) in any of its politically-related decisions as well as the formation of the government.

"The distribution of positions in the cabinet should also be based on the country's population, which has happened since then until now and accepted by all. It has also become democratic practice without neglecting any ethnic minority," he said.

Zahid asserted that the Malay and Bumiputera communities had always been tolerant and not racist.

He cited many Malays not being able to pursue their studies in medicine despite scoring cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) of 4.0 during their foundation and matriculation studies.

"They, however, did not use this issue to show that they were neglected. They are not envious of other races who obtained placements.

"In any Malay settlement, there are shops operated by the Chinese and Indian communities. Their businesses prospered as a result of support from the Malay-Bumiputera economic power without any prejudice and racism," he said.

Zahid claimed that Thomas had forgotten that he was appointed attorney-general by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong because Malaysia was a nation that upheld harmony and unity.

"It is unwise for Thomas to issue a blanket accusation. It shows that he is prejudiced. As the people of the country, we should reject racist behaviour which could disrupt religious harmony," he said.

In a forum titled "Dark Forces Towards GE15" on Saturday, Thomas had suggested that the opposition bloc focus on three "critical areas" to repeat the outcome of the 14th General Election.

He had said the opposition must get voters to ask themselves whether having a "Malay government" had made the country better and more efficient.

Thomas had also reportedly claimed that the reason Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had resigned as the seventh prime minister due to the impression that his government was not "Malay enough".