MM Lee remarks hurt Malays: Zainul Abidin Rasheed
Did the remarks of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on the integration of Malays and Muslims adversely affect the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP's) performance in the recent General Election (GE)?
MM Lee, who later said he stood corrected on the issue, felt they hadn't, but Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed said on Thursday that many Malays and Muslims in Singapore "were hurt by those remarks and remain so".
Speaking at a media conference, Mr Zainul pointed out that the timing of the release earlier this year of MM Lee's book containing the comments "was bad for the GE".
Regarding his plans, the 63-year-old minister, who was part of the PAP Aljunied GRC team that was defeated by the Workers' Party, said that he has left it to the PAP to decide if he will contest in the next GE, but it will be unlikely given his age,
He said he will do what he can for as long as he is able, and he will continue as Advisor to the Aljunied Grassroots Organisations for now.
The GE result does not change his resolve in serving the nation, he was quoted by Channel NewsAsia as saying.
Not the next Speaker
However, he revealed that he would not accept the post of Speaker of Parliament even if the Prime Minister offered it to him.
While sad that the PAP team lost Aljunied GRC, Mr Zainul said he is energised by the love and concern shown by his family, friends and Aljunied residents who did not vote for the PAP team.
He observed that many residents voted based on issues beyond those concerning Aljunied GRC.
"The national mood, the national issues just swept us from under out feet," he was quoted by Today newspaper as saying.
"When we realised that, in fact, it wasn't just local issues, but national issue that had taken a different priority, I thought it was rather too late," he said.
Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua, both part of the losing Aljunied GRC team, announced that they were leaving politics.
