The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), in its latest press statement, is pushing the country into a state of anarchy.
If, as prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak is unable to bring things into order, I am afraid both he and his cabinet, and the entire Barisan Nasional government, is as good as gone.
If Dr Mahathir Mohamad were still helming the country, I believe he would have long been thrown out of Putrajaya by now, judging from the people's response to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) in the 2004 general election.
I find that even the latest statement by Nancy Shukri, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department to be unpalatable. To put it crudely, she must be out of her mind to be saying that the police will not follow a court’s order until the entire legal process is exhausted.
This is both an insult to the rakyat of Malaysia and to the Judiciary system. It is time for all Malaysians to be fully aware of where the nation is heading to, unless some sanity returns.
Pitching Muslims against non-Muslims
The hard stance by Mais chief Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa, if not being checked, will continue to pitch the non-Muslims against the Muslims, and in particular, those of Umno, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and Perkasa, and vice versa.
Here is a case where the Alkitab was approved by the Home Affairs Ministry and were meant for the Malay-speaking Christian community. They were kept in the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) premises in Damansara Kim, when the raid was being carried out on Jan 2 by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).
Copies of the Alkitab were confiscated by Jais, although these copies of the Alkitab were never even used in any act of proselytisation of Muslims. Copies of the Bup Kudus are in fact used by the East Malaysian Christians, and I wonder if even any local Malay understand the language used in the Bup Kudus. For one, I am sure not even Adzib understands the East Malaysian language!
The Selangor state government had all taken the trouble to consult the attorney-general and the Home Affairs Ministry over the issue of the Alkitab, which was seized from the BSM on Jan 2.
This was done to ensure that a final solution can be sought, despite the numerous brickbats that the menteri besar of Selangor had received from the people, including the former BSM president.
To me, although the solution took a longer time to achieve, it was still the best solution, thanks to people like YB Elizabeth Wong, YB Sallehin Mukhyi and YAB Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. There were also others like YB James Masing, YB Joseph Kurup, YB Senator Paul Low and YB Senator Idris Jala who were working hard to find a solution to the problem created by Jais and Mais.
I wonder now if these cabinet ministers should keep their cabinet positions especially if Najib and the rest of the cabinet are leading this nation on the downward path.
Stop the rot
Now, after the AG and the Home Ministry had acknowledged that copies of the Alkitab were to be returned, we are now seeing another bigot trying to play the hard stance.
If this is allowed, more religious bigots will continue to bark within the next two weeks, and this will lead to more religious and racial tension, and if it leads to any form of bloodshed, then, the blame will be on the DAP and, where previously, it was also blamed on the Communists, now, the perpetrators of hatred will conveniently blame it on the Church.
In the past, the world would believe Malaysia's stories if the government had blamed the Communists for trying to use May 13 to destabilise the country, but no one will ever believe the government of Malaysia now (after the MH370 fiasco) if the blame is conveniently placed on the Church.
Most people by now will know who were responsible for the May 13 bloodshed. The circumstances surrounding the riot were similar to those of 2008, except that there is the element of PAS and PKR in the defeat of Umno, and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was quick to warn Pakatan against holding a victory parade. Anwar understood Umno well.
This is the problem with the BN government, when it is bankrupt of ideas of how to win back the hearts of the people. This is one major reason why the people, after realising the truth, thanks to the online media. It is no wonder why Malaysiakini is being singled out to be sued by Najib in his personal capacity.
Having said this, I make a sincere appeal to two persons who have the power to bring some sanity into this country. If they fail, they are failing at least two generations of Malaysians.
One is Najib himself to stop making statements that are unprecedented, which would later be parroted by his ministers. It is shocking to hear from a cabinet minister, Nancy Syukri, that the police will be ‘hands-off’ until the entire legal process is exhausted.
I am sure that there will be more brickbats coming from various quarters, but Najib should at least consult Barack Obama and other world leaders to see if his views hold water. Nancy’s statement is nothing but an insult to the people of Malaysia and to the Judiciary.
Secondly, to the Baginda Sultan of Selangor, whom I know as a gentleman and a peace-loving sultan, it is time for him to intervene. I sincerely have no reason to believe that someone like Adzib should be allowed to create more religious tension in the state.
This will not only affect the relationship between the non-Muslims and the Muslims in the state, but also between the non-Muslims in this country and Mais in particular, although Mais under His Majesty should only be involved in the Muslim affairs within the state of Selangor.
Personally, I am really angry with the latest development in our nation. If we do not stand up and be counted, we will be allowing our country to literally rot to the core, no thanks to 60 years under BN rule.
STEPHEN NG is a chemist by training. He dealt with printing ink, paint and emulsion polymer for 15 years before becoming a freelance writer.
