How could a legally trained person not understand that there is nothing racist about questioning why the Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) in Sarawak had placed restrictions on non-Muslim children, disallowing them the freedom to practice their religion within the college premises even though the constitution guarantees one’s freedom to practice the religion of his choice? 

 

To think of it, which party exhibited racism - the party that questioned why the non-Muslim students were not given the freedom to practice their religion, or the party that took away this constitutional right of the non-Muslim students in the first place?

 

That cabinet minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob cannot see the difference between his Facebook posting - which was meant to pit one ethnic group against another - and the questioning of the denial of the students’ constitutional right to practice their religion in the residential school, speaks poorly of him as a minister in the '1Malaysia' government.

 

Is he implying that for non-Muslims to question the bigotry of a few Muslims who do not adhere to the teachings of the Prophet, as far as the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims are concerned - and which is bad for national unity of the different races and religions - is racism?    

 

So, is he saying that whatever the bigots do or say must not be questioned by the non-Muslims?

 

As far as the Sarawak MRSM is concerned, good sense prevailed and Chief Minister Adenan Satem, along with Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal - whose ministry oversees the MARA colleges - took immediate action to allow the non-Muslim students to practice their religion in the college premises without hindrance.

Well done. Shafie must now go one step further and ensure that all non-Muslim students in any of the Mara campuses in the country have the freedom to practise their religion within college premises without any hindrance.    

 

By Ismail Sabri’s labelling of those who questioned the “Islamic rules” at the Mara college as racists, Shafie and the CM must be the biggest racists as they got those “Islamic rules” suspended and allowed the practice of other religions in the college premises.

What has Ismail Sabri got to say about this?

 

It was uncalled for, for Ismail Sabri to encourage one racial group to boycott another racial group without any evidence that only that racial group is responsible for not reducing prices after the fall of petrol prices. His Facebook posting smacked of racism.

 

Ismail Sabri should first get all the government-linked companies (GLCs) to reduce prices as a model for others to follow, before blaming any others for not doing so.