In a bid to further make a hero of himself, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali has mooted a leadership award in his own name for both male and female students at the UiTM. And to sure that there will be applicants for The Ibrahim Ali Leadership Award, the man himself is sponsoring a cash prize of RM5,000.
"Not that we want to undermine him, but really, when I first heard of it, I though it was a joke like Monty Python," PKR legal affairs director Latheefa Koya told Malaysia Chronicle.
"I am glad UiTM spelt out the criteria or students might think that to win, they have learn to shout and holler, rabble-rouse and create trouble like him. The key thing though, it is not all about money. Ibrahim stands for racism of the worst sort and students should think carefully if they want to endorse such a character like him and what he stands for."
A chequered and undistinguished career
Based on school's website, students must prove that they have "clear and consistent" principles in upholding their race. Applicants must also have a minimum CGPA of 3.0, zero disciplinary or criminal record and must not have been declared bankrupt during the course of their studies.
Ibrahim, a UiTM dropout, mooted the idea late last year. He studied there from 1971 to 1974 and was an active student leader. The Pasir MP has had a chequered career and does not command much respect due to his party-hopping ways.
He finally broke into national prominence when he formed Perkasa in early 2010 - many say at the request of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to make up for the lack of fire in an UMNO Youth led by Khairy Jamaluddin.
Since then, life has been hectic for the chubby 60-year old with a thunderous voice. Partly because of their age, Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa members have failed to ignite the imagination of a Malay youth, nowadays more engrossed and even obsessed with the Internet than in any brimstone-and-fire racial rights championing.
A thowback to the Nazi era
However, to minority races who have been hurt by Ibrahim's wild and insensitive rantings, the award was a disgrace and reflected the BN's endorsement for someone who stood for racial disunity and misunderstanding rather thann unity and harmony.
"He is a clown, a self-made one. This is a revolting new development which illustrates the failure of moral leadership in the BN. UMNO itself is the secret hand behind this political extremist. The Ibrahim Ali award is a throwback to the Nazi era and projects a poor image of the country. UMNO is fully responsible for this new madness," N Surendran, human rights lawyer and PKR vice president, told Malaysia Chronicle.
The award is intended to be given annually ands expected to be presented during the university's convocation ceremony in October or the month after.
Other criteria include being a leader of a registered organisation under UiTM's Student Affairs and Alumni division, such as a Malay art and culture association or other national associations that are considered successful or effective within or outside the campus; being a leader or committee member of an off-campus organisation that defends the race and culture, such as GPMS, Abim, Perkasa and Gapena; and having received recognition from bodies outside of UiTM.
