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Interfaith body: Small fry, little role, no power
Published:  Apr 13, 2010 7:41 AM
Updated: Apr 14, 2010 12:36 AM

your say 'The government has always had the stand that religion is a sensitive matter that needs careful deliberation, thus the need for an interfaith council. What the DPM is now saying is contrary to the government stand.'

 

DPM: Interfaith panel just 'small fry'

KeepYourHead: Koh Tsu Koon, I wonder how long you still want to stay in this government and cabinet where you don't get any respect. Even a nobody like Ibrahim Ali can criticise you and the deputy prime minister called your interfaith panel a small-fry before it has even started to function.

What can you actually do by staying put in this government? Get out of it and pull your party out, and you may still garner some respect from the people.

Yuvan: I am just astounded by what the DPM has said about the interfaith panel in the PM's Department. So the panel was set up to be just a "small fry" with no sincerity at all to improve understanding and tolerance among people of different religions. And to rub salt into the wound, the government admits that it knew very well that the panel will not serve any purpose and is absolutely useless.

Time and again, the BN government's '1Malaysia' propaganda seems nothing but a joke. With such insincerity and gimmicks, I do not think that it will ever be able to fully regain the trust and respect of the Chinese and Indians.

I am now convinced that the National Unity and Integration Department itself overseeing the committee is a complete farce and was also set up to be just another ‘small fry'. If Koh Tsu Koon has any dignity at all, he should throw away his ministership in the PM's Department without second thought and ‘save' his face.

Argonist: So Minister Koh, where do you hide your 'water-face' now for parading your great idea of harmony and peace in Malaysia via discussions and negotiations? I guess you are going to have to change your expectation of the committees's role?

Govindasamy: Small fry, small role and no power. Then why set it up in the first place and have it headed by a senior politician? DPM Muhiyddin, who are you trying to please? Perkasa?

1Malaysia is an eye-wash. The government has always had the stand that religion is a serious and sensitive matter that needs careful deliberation, thus the need for an interfaith council. What you (Muhyiddin) are now saying is contrary to your own government's stand.

MY2Centsworth: There you go, right from the horse's mouth: the panel is nothing but small fry (translated: insignificant, rubber stamp, toothless, mouse, etc) and headed by another insignificant minister. What a load of hogwash. Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa must be rubbing their hands in glee.

Rayfire: DPM, if the committee is meant to be small fry, please refrain from forming it in the first place. This goes to show how much understanding and respect they have towards other religious leaders in this country.

The katak says only his religion is God-sent - that itself shows his ignorance, and now the DPM seems to endorse his views by calling it a small fry committee with no powers. Koh Tsu Koon, I presume that includes you as well.

We are going towards a dangerous trend here in favour of Perkasa's short-sighted ideas and views. Just check their website - there is one special column to monitor Chinese newspapers as well.

These people have tendency to cause havoc and Umno is just downplaying the threat due to endorsement by Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Damn these racial and religious bigots!

GK: Small fry or big fry, so long as it can promote better understanding among various religions, it is justified for its purpose and existence. But, I doubt it can function well with such extreme Muslims like Perkasa around. Even before it gets started, Ibrahim Ali already made so much noise as to who should head the panel.

What if a Christian heads the panel? Right-thinking Malaysian will not question that, but Perkasa will. They'll go on street demonstrations shouting offensive words, burning effigies, threatening to kill and destroy property.

Daniel Tan: Why then, may I ask, is the interfaith committee being set up if it's going to be a toothless committee? Just to gain votes from the non-Muslims?

That's why we don't trust the idiots in Umno-led BN, and this include this ‘I'm Malay first' minister. I think the Hulu Selangor voters must take note of this and return Pakatan Rakyat with a greater majority.

Perkasa outraged over interfaith body

Makcik Har: Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria? Wasn't he the one who got a church surrounded by thugs with a hundred-or-so little girls about to take the holy communion quivering in fear inside?

In the name of the future of this country and of national unity, get this man as far away from any public office as possible. An interesting point to note is that the state ruler never reprimanded him.

Ruler or mufti, in the afterlife, we are all equals. God is watching.

Lucia: Good Lord, he suggested Harussani? Heaven help us if that man heads the committee. He is as bad as Ibrahim Ali. He was the one responsible for nearly causing a riot at an Ipoh Church, saying the church was converting Muslims when it was young innocent Catholic girls being confirmed.

And yet he blamed it on some poor woman who spread the SMS. He was not charged or reprimanded.

For the rakyat's sake, I hope to God the mufti of Perak will not be appointed to head the committee. If he is, they might as well not start the committee at all.

Hamisu: Fear, simply put, is an irrational feeling of something you do not understand. Without discussions, there will never be understanding, thereby deepening an already fearful psyche.

One of the best way is to bare all that we may have misunderstood throughout our lifetime and then have a constructive discussion to remove doubts and most importantly, fear.

 


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Muhyiddin gilds the lily and shreds it
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