I refer to your report Attempt to silence non-Muslim ministers which quoted DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng as insinuating that the vehement protests by several quarters against the submission of a memorandum to the prime minister "... an act of totalitarian rule".

In this particular case, I dare say that Lim has got it totally wrong.

I do believe that the vocal protests being made by parties against the submission of the memorandum to the PM was more a case of demanding decorum and respect for the man rather than for the stifling of free speech.

The cardinal principle here is the fact that the nine ministers could, nay, should have availed themselves to the opportunity to raise whatever issues they wished to raise in the cabinet itself and not resort to grand-standing by publicising and resorting to submitting a memorandum.

Indeed, if, for whatever reasons, they felt that they were not being accorded the opportunity to so do, then, resorting to the cardinal principles of good political governance, all of them should have simply resigned, period.

In any case, they were all appointed to the post of ministers by the PM, weren't they?

Perhaps, an injustice was actually done to the late M Moorthy's widow and family, perhaps the civil courts should have acted more wisely, perhaps, the Islamic Affairs Department ought not have been too blatant and uncaring in their act of retrieving the late Moorthy's body. But all these, in no uncertain terms, permit the nine ministers to do what they did.

The ministers were uncouth. Religion had nothing to do with it.