Step in ring for thrashing, Perkasa and Isma dared 
MalaysiaKini.com
Dec 19, 2014 

Their leaders claim that Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) have tremendous support among the Malays.

And now, the right-wing movements are being challenged to enter the electoral ring to prove their strength.

Should the dare be accepted, PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli is confident that his party would deliver a knockout blow.

"I expected that eventually, the leadership of Perkasa would moot the idea of forming a political party," Rafizi told Malaysiakini today.

"While I abhor a fringe extremist grouping like Perkasa, I think it is high time for the public to call Perkasa's bluff.

"If the likes of Perkasa and Isma believe that their extreme right wing and racist views have a place in our society, they should test it through the democratic process," he added.

The Pandan lawmaker was responding to Perkasa vice-president Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, who wanted the movement to register itself as a political party.

Umno's poison

Adding Umno to the equation, Rafizi said that both Perkasa and Isma have been a "poison" to the ruling party at the time when what Malaysia requires is for all political parties to move to the centre ground.

"As long as Perkasa and Isma remain the unofficial spokespersons for Umno to carry out the subcontracted, racially motivated campaign, Umno can only spiral downwards towards extremism," he added.

Calling on the movements "to do everyone a favour" and prove that they have the support, he said it is time that Perkasa and Isma formalise themselves as political parties.

"It will be our honour in PKR to thrash them in the electoral contest the way all other extremist parties always come last in general elections in other countries," he added.

Perkasa, whose adviser is former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is often linked to Umno and the government has even admitted to having disbursed funds to the movement.

The movement also consists of several former top officials, such as Abdul Rashid, who was the previous Election Commission (EC) chief and former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad. 

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