Anti-Chinese remarks by Malay politician
Updated
Malaysia's prime minister has reaffirmed his commitment to his multi-racial coalition after a ruling party member's incendiary comments about ethnic Chinese.
A UMNO leader from northern Penang state, Ahmad Ismail, sparked the row by describing ethnic Chinese as lodgers, and escalated the situation with an outburst in which he warned the community not to seek political power.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised stern action against the politician.
It has also triggered unprecedented criticism from Chinese-based parties within the Barisan Nasional coalition, which is led by Mr Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation or UMNO.
Malays are dominant in politics in Malaysia, while ethnic Chinese are prominent in business.
Past violence between the two communities has made discussion of racial issues extremely sensitive.
