YOURSAY ‘With the path we are now on, is country’s constitution in jeopardy?’

Zaid: Form new coalition to defend secular M'sia

Ksn: Great call, Zaid Ibrahim, in the interest of our secular nation, Malaysians of different faiths and our future. That was the way the founding fathers of our nation intended for Malaya to develop.

Now I wish to hear the views of MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP and other non-Umno Baru members of BN.

This issue has to be settled once and for all. Are these parties up to the call from Zaid to walk out of BN in the interest of the people they claim to represent and form a new coalition?

That will be the right thing to do but I have serious doubts. If they fail to, they are traitors to the people they claim to champion for.

Relevancy: The country is founded on secularism. Lately, it is moving towards Islamism. The question is whether we have crossed the Rubicon on this issue and as well as others?

Is the country’s constitution in jeopardy? I’m afraid so with the path the country, the leaders and the people are now on.

Swipenter: Fascism, Umno Baru-style, is alive and kicking in Bolehland. The cabinet is useless, toothless and gutless in the face of an all-out onslaught by right-wing Islamists.

The minorities must brace themselves for further and more vicious onslaughts to erode their rights. There will come a time when the tipping point is reached. The normally level-headed Muslim/Malay politicians are too paralysed to do anything.

All of them are now pussycats afraid to be labelled traitors to their race and religion and of losing Malay votes.

Whatever ideals, sense of justice and decency they have, are thrown out of the window when confronted with the 3Rs - race, religion and royalty. They are inherently feudalistic in mind and body.

Fourtan: Secularism is the only way to go. You just have to "sell" this concept to the benighted religionistas.

For example, secularism is not anti-Islam for a start. The Malays must reflect deeply on this. They must reform. For wherever they go, the country goes.

Mohd: For me, the best way is for a referendum. Until then, no one can in definitive terms claim that secular law or Islamic law is to be imposed on Muslims without question.

For those who state that secular law is to run supreme on Muslims because of the constitution, then the argument will be that democracy is to be decided by the majority - thus the need of the referendum to settle this issue once and for all. Anything against it is just sheer hypocrisy.

Observer: Exactly, there are many Malay Muslims who do not want hudud. Furthermore, international Muslim associations have called for a moratorium on hudud.

ChaSL: That's right, Zaid, many political and Umno-funded NGOs leaders in this country have been using and abusing Islam for their self-serving agendas for the last 50 years or so.

They are the biggest hypocrites of all. Our constitution is largely based on secular democracy. If any non-Muslim tries to defend secular principles of our constitution in this country, he or she risks being labelled as insulting Islam.

Your call to reaffirm our secular state is indeed a bold and noble one but your credibility is somewhat dented by your stint with PKR not long ago. It takes only a moment to ruin one's reputation but it takes years to rebuild it.

I hope you meant what you said and will follow up with more concrete actions to substantiate it. Perkasa may be banging on your door soon.

JMC: Well said and I feel that the people must unite to defend our secular state. The problem is that it must be led by the Malays with the others joining in. That is the biggest problem here, to get the Malay majority to stop the rot going on in the country.

KKCheong: I fully support Zaid. Let's called it Parti Sekular Malaysia.

Quigonbond: DAP is against hudud, full stop. It does not matter whether hudud is only applicable to Muslims or not.

It’s not true that DAP is okay with hudud as long as it's implemented only on Muslims. Mischaracterisation of this nature only goes to show how far Zaid has fallen from grace.

Right after GE13, he was saying all the right things. I suppose because no one wants him to join their coalition, he has to resort to something else. And I suppose he still has faith that he commands some influence, since the press still publishes his statements.

This goes to show the dearth of the moderate-ish voice in Malaysia. Anyway, it’s too late to set up a third force, which is what blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin has been banging on for some time now.

With only four years to go, this third force will not have the moral legitimacy, political gravitas nor electoral wherewithal to fight either BN or Pakatan Rakyat. It’s better to put hope on Pakatan to take us through in this round.

Onyourtoes: Quigonbond, it is easy to say DAP is against hudud but how to do you eventually reconcile with your partner whose raison d’etre is the Islamic state and hudud once they form the government.

Before attaining power, they have a common enemy so everything is hunky dory. Once they have attained power, that’s where different aspirations will come into play. What was suggested by Zaid is not necessary a third force. At least he is putting everybody on notice.

Look, we have to be fair here. I think what Zaid said made sense and should be supported. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. For too long already this country is in limbo, it is time to settle it.

Zaid, please go ahead to form the coalition to defend secular Malaysia. I volunteer to be your first member. I think the vitality of this country is gradually being snuffed out by pseudo-religious/pious people.

Christianity did the same thing centuries past. Just look around us, almost without exception, all successful nations with good governance are secular states.

Norway does not produce as much oil as Malaysia, but the country has invested sufficiently to make every Norwegian a millionaire. Granted Malaysia has a higher population, but can’t our oil make us half-millionaires at least?

Survivor: PAS and DAP are very clear and certain. PAS wants hudud and DAP is against hudud. DAP will make a stand against PAS on the hudud. It is Umno Baru bigots who are flip-flopping for fear of losing power if they don't, or fear of succumbing to Islamic law if they do.

For MCA and MIC, they are sycophants who need the crutches from Umno Baru and are unable to make clear stands. This is the problem as far as hudud is concerned.

Rajakera: Well spoken, Zaid. It is a pity that you have no major party to apply these great principles.

PKR and Anwar, take heed of this good advice and get all the other parties that form your alliance to also make a push for and advertise this fact and implement this to the hilt.

It is a pity that Zaid wants it to be his way or the highway. He must learn that in a democracy you do not always have it your way.

I hope that he will find a way to make peace with PKR and himself and join forces so as to be able to implement a secular government in Malaysia and bring to heel the fanatics who are out to destroy peace and harmony in Malaysia.

The way the country is run and the mockery the BN government makes of civil law brings absolute shame and disrepute to our country.

This shambles in managing the country brought (unfortunately and undeservedly) many people to make hurtful comments about MH370. All this only because they lost all respect for the current government and their leaders.

Cry, My Beloved Country: Zaid, Malaysians had tremendous respect for you when you resigned as the law minister on principle.

When you joined PKR and held a responsible senior party position, there was hope you would be able to move forward the support, the desire and hope of all Malaysians for change. Instead of working with others in PKR, you did much damage during the party elections.

The rest is history. While Malaysians will continue to work for a secular coalition and a containment of religious bigotry and rabid racism, you no longer inspire the confidence necessary for trust.

Malaysians do not know what your current motives are but they are very much aware of your shifting gyrations in the political wilderness.

When you had the opportunity of office, held a senior position in PKR, you were well-placed to do so much, but did so little. Why should any Malaysian take cognisance of your pontification?

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