Datuk Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldest ...

Hashim Suboh is a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (UMNO), party of the

Perikatan Nasional The National Alliance ( ms, Perikatan Nasional; abbrev: PN) is a political coalition composed of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). This coalition was pr ...

coalition. He is the former Deputy Chief of the party's

Kangar Kangar ( Northern Malay: ''Kangaq''; Jawi: كڠار) is the state capital and the largest town in Perlis, Malaysia. It has a population of 48,898 and an area of 2,619.4 ha. It is located next to the Thailand border, in the northernmost point ...

division. Hashim made headlines in Malaysia in 2006 when he made a number of controversial remarks at the UMNO General Assembly that some labelled as seditious. He currently is a member of Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU).

Controversy

In 2005, Education Minister and UMNO Youth Chief

Hishammuddin Hussein Hishammuddin bin Hussein ( Jawi: هشام الدين بن حسين; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as Senior Minister of the Security Cluster and Minister of Defence from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Unite ...

brandished a ''

kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

'' (Malay dagger) at the UMNO General Assembly. The ''kris'', named ''Panca Warisan'', made another appearance at the 2006 General Assembly. On both occasions, it had been used in the context of defending certain special privileges accorded to the

Malays Malays may refer to: * Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands ** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas ** Cape Malays, a communit ...

under the Constitution of Malaysia. These privileges, sometimes referred to as the

Malay Agenda The Malay Agenda is a concept in Malaysian politics related to the ideal of ''ketuanan Melayu'' (Malay supremacy or dominance). Although it did not feature in public discussion for much of the 20th century, in the early 2000s, it came to prominen ...

, formed half of the

Malaysian social contract The social contract in Malaysia is an artificial political construct first mooted in the 1980s, allegedly to justify the continuation of preferential policies for the majority Bumiputera population beyond the envisaged 20-year initial duration o ...

, which granted citizenship to non-Malay Malaysians in return for special rights for the Malays. (Such special rights feature heavily in the ideal of '' ketuanan Melayu'' or Malay supremacy, which is a feature of UMNO's ideology.) It was after the second instance of Hishammuddin's actions that Hashim made headlines, when Hashim, speaking as a UMNO delegate from the state of Perlis, asked: "

Hisham has unsheathed his ''keris'', waved his ''keris'', kissed his ''keris''. We want to ask Datuk Hisham when is he going to use it?" He continued that "force must be used against those who refused to abide by the social contract", insisting that Hishammuddin be tougher in dealing with the Chinese national-type schools, which though publicly funded, are generally independent of the public national school system. Hashim's remark provoked a response from the opposition Democratic Action Party, which accused him of creating "concern and disquiet among non-Malays in the country. The statements amount to sedition as they have a seditious tendency". The original Malay remark was: "Dalam Perhimpunan Agung Umno ini, Datuk Hishammuddin dua kali berturut-turut angkat ''keris''. Jadi, kita nak tanya bila Datuk Hishammuddin nak bertikam pulak?" Translated literally, this would read: "At this UMNO General Assembly, Datuk Hishammuddin has twice raised the ''keris'', So, we want to ask when Datuk Hishammuddin will stab instead?". Hashim was later reprimanded for his statement by UMNO.Hong, Carolyn (2 December 2006)
Umno reprimands Youth wing leaders for speeches on race
. ''Malaysia Today''. He stated that he was surprised at the backlash, and that:

Honours

* : **

Companion Class I of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DMSM) – Datuk (2006)

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hashim Suboh Living people Former United Malays National Organisation politicians Malaysian United Indigenous Party politicians 1959 births