“That is the only way we can be strong in accordance with the constitution,” he said on the “Sembang-Sembang Sejarah” (History Chat) session organised by the Malaysian Historical Society at Wisma Sejarah, here, Saturday.

Hanif said the people should appreciate the concept initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to reflect the actual situation in the country today.

“I think the spirit behind it is OK, as long as there is a need for the Malays to come out of backwardness. But if we are already equal, what more do we want?” he said.

Hanif also said that former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) secretary-general Chin Peng was not allowed to return to Malaysia because he had never been a citizen of the country.

“Chin Peng was not a citizen of Malaya. He was born in Dindings, Perak, which was then a settlement ceded to the British. So, he became a British subject.

“When Perak was no longer under the British administration, the Malays in Dindings became subjects of the Sultan of Perak, but Chin Peng, no longer a British subject, became stateless.

“People say we could accept Shamsiah Fakeh and other former Malay communist leaders, so why can’t we accept him (Chin Peng)? (The answer is) because he is not a subject of the sultan,” he said.