The prime minister’s announcement that the government has no plans to establish a non-Muslim affairs department as requested by Indian NGOs is a blow to fair-minded and peace-loving Malaysian of all faiths.

There were high hopes that the recent Hindraf issue will jolt the ruling party into decisive action aimed at mending the country’s frayed religious relations. With this negative response, the government seems intent on continuing its pretense that existing channels within Barisan Nasional and the bureaucracy are sufficient to address the religious grievances of non-Muslims. The government has indicated that it may set up a new non-Muslim issues committee or panel, at most.

Even if the Hindraf rally had not taken place, it is clear that the present mechanisms for non-Muslim concerns and grievances are totally inadequate. The establishment of yet another administrative panel or committee will not lead to fairer implementation of religious freedoms pertaining to non-Muslims. Neither will it improve inter-religious dialogue and harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims.

This is evident in recent experiences with similar ad-hoc bodies entrusted with improving national unity. Unfortunately, it is also due to the impotency of ad-hoc bodies seeking to bring about racial or religious fairness within an increasingly Malay/Muslim-dominated civil service at federal and most state levels.

A non-Muslim affairs department, though not an ideal solution, can provide an impetus to inter-religious dialogue and harmony in a way that panels and committees, however “special” they are, can never hope to achieve. By providing an institutional anchor and committing the government machinery and resources to the implementation of fair treatment towards adherents of non-Muslim faiths, the department can be the first major step in bringing about changes in the current policy making, its implementation, culture and mindset. These changes are essential if the nation is to avoid similar Hindraf-like incidents.

Barisan Nasional federal and state representatives including its ministers should be well aware of the difference between the significance and effectiveness of work undertaken by government departments and that of panels and committees set up on an ad-hoc basis.

I hope that all fair-minded and concerned parliamentarians and state assembly representatives will stand up and lend their voices to persuade the government to reconsider its position on the establishment of a non-Muslim affairs department.