COMMENT | Dear Inspector-General of Police,

Firstly, let me declare that I am a non-practising Hindu. I am not one of those who make holy pilgrimages or pray regularly at temples. I offer my prayers and thank the Almighty in a way which I think is correct. No one and nothing can change that – however hard anyone tries. I have visited temples, churches all over the world and even attended Friday prayers in an East London mosque.

There’s nothing to be proud or ashamed of. It was and continues to remain my choice. I have attended religious meetings and talks from supposedly leaders of various faiths. I attended them to widen my knowledge on the teachings of the various books of God, but never at any time did I lose my resolve in my beliefs.

No one knows the number of atheists in the world, let alone in Malaysia. Among us, there could be many who do not believe in the existence of God. There are many, too, who don’t believe that God and religion have exclusive rights to enable one to practise good values and morals. Some are of the belief that they don’t have to go to houses of worship to show their “religiosity” and believe God is in their hearts.

I don’t propagate any religion nor do I run down any faith. For me, to each his or her own. My father was born a Hindu in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and died a Hindu in Malaysia. One of his brothers was a Catholic priest (there’s a hall in a church in Vattukottai named after him) while another was an Anglican school teacher. There was no animosity among the siblings and I still keep in touch with cousins who are now domiciled all over the globe.

Mr IGP, I don’t mean to lecture you on this matter but your warning not to cause “unease” among Malaysians, particularly Muslims is a non-starter. And your claim that “atheism is not mentioned in the Federal Constitution” borders on absurdity.

It has become a trend now to blame anything and everything said to “confuse” Muslims. Anything that resembles a cross, even dolls and statutes, is deemed to “cause confusion.” Even a well-designed air-well of a building is seen through the blinkered eyes of bird-brained people, which prompted me to suggest that the “plus” and “multiplication” signs be changed! It was stupidity of the highest order and such foolhardiness continues, no thanks to instruments of the state.

I don’t know about you, Mr IGP, but I have many friends with their own cultural and religious upbringings. Some are overtly religious but they have never objected to my views when we have healthy discussions over the narrow-minded minority who thump their chests and claim “my religion is better than yours”. Religion, as I have said several times before, is a personal matter and should be left to the individual to make his or her choice.

As a young reporter, I sat and played gin-rummy with an army general and he termed it as “past time” - not gambling. There were no winners or losers - at one sen a point, all money won or lost was put on the table and spent on late-night suppers.

I also had drinks with a senior naval officer who declared: “This is between me and God. Let me answer my maker, not some human being who wants to dictate how I should lead my life.”

Although I don’t have separate utensils when I host parties, I do ensure that I buy chicken from the supermarket which has been certified halal. When I tell friends that the “special dish” is wild boar meat and that they should not touch it, some of them go for it saying: “We came to your house for this speciality – not anything else.”

No compulsion

When I train young reporters, it is routine for them to be invited for a fellowship where everyone lets down his or her hair and have a fun time after weeks of classroom lectures. I always tell them that they can choose any drink of their choice and there’s no compulsion. Some of them have a beer, others opt for gin or Baileys (wherever they picked the habit) while many stick to water or juice.

They remain until the bar closes and my reasons are practical and part of the training. To get a story, sometimes you have to go to some strange places, meet people with strange tastes and you have to be patient until they are willing to talk.

Almost all of them believed in this mantra and many of them are still teetotallers and are now flying high in various media organisations. Did I confuse them? Did I influence them?

No, Mr IGP! Their belief in their values and their faith were so strong that nothing would have changed them. To suggest that atheists “cause unease” is a figment of your imagination.

As a young police officer, you would have raided gambling dens where there would have been thousands of ringgit on the tables. I am sure you didn’t touch a single ringgit from the money you would have seized as exhibits. That’s because of your steadfastness to be an honest cop. Surely, the RM100 notes in front of you did not confuse you or make you change your beliefs or values.

Supposing, I attend the meetings of an atheists’ club. What wrong have I committed? Like meetings of parents and teachers association and the local residents association, every citizen has a right to attend any meeting without being threatened. That is a given.

If sections of our society are against those who are irreligious, so be it. It is a choice I make. It is no business of anyone, not even members of my family. I am an adult and I have a choice whether I want to believe in God or refuse to subscribe to any religion. Is that any business of yours or the state?

R NADESWARAN has for long made a stand that he would not comment on race or religion, but remaining silent is no longer an option. Day by day, religious zealots, egged on and supported by instruments of the state, are interfering in the personal choices of ordinary citizens. Enough is enough, Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.