BALING, MALAYSIA: Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim should apologise over his remarks on the concept of Malay supremacy.

Syed Hamid, who is also the home minister, said Zaid's statement showed that the latter was a traitor to his own race and he should apologise for his remarks.

"There should be no attempt to deny or tarnish the history of the struggle by the Malays," he said after attending a forum on 'Politik Melayu, Islam, Konflik dan Penyelesaiannya' here yesterday.

On Friday, Zaid was reported to have said that the concept of Malay supremacy had failed and was a distraction from the real issues confronting the country now.

In Batu Pahat, Ayer Hitam Umno division chief Datuk Samsol Bari Jamali said Zaid's remarks were a mere populist opinion.

Samsol Bari said the Malays and Umno still appreciated the special rights that were guaranteed under the country's Constitution and would continue to defend it.

"However, this would not be at the cost of infringing on the rights of other races," said Samsol Bari, who is also the Semarang state assemblyman.