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I am perplexed how former journalist Sidek Kamiso was arrested for allegedly insulting Islam over the death of PAS spiritual leader Haron Din. I can understand if it is stated that he insulted a Muslim leader and the course of action will be for the family to initiate. Yes, Haron was the spiritual leader of PAS which is an Islamic political party. He stood three times for elections and lost.

The late Harun Din was a preacher, bomoh, politician and faith healer who was held in high esteem but he was never a prophet and to claim that any statement made since his demise is an insult to Islam is setting a dangerous precedent. He was in the public space and while what was expressed is unwarranted, let us not take it to levels that many would not agree with.

We are into dangerous territory as we will have to be very careful as to comment on muftis and other learned individuals when they express their alleged stupidity. Further, which school of thought from within Islam do you come from and if this is contrary to the prevailing thought process in Malaysia, then the interpretation of the inspector-general of police (IGP) would obviously be final and conclusive!

Maybe we should seriously consider promoting a mufti to become the next IGP or have a mufti be a special religious adviser to the IGP. The problem is not with Islam but with Muslims who think that they are better than others.

We have in this incident to look candidly at the intelligence of our IGP Khalid Abu Bakar. Very soon we will have people arrested for speaking out against Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) as this can also be construed as against Islam. What disturbs me most with regard to this issue is the manner in which Sidek Kamiso was arrested and then taken to Johor Baru. Is there in this instance a serious misuse of power?

Arrested in the wee hours of the morning and the manner of entry into his house and the way his wife and children were startled is not something smart. Who is to determine whether a warrant is required or otherwise? The man is not a terrorist! It is actions like this that make people lose confidence in the police.

There seems to be a lot of selective prosecution and action must be taken to ensure that the IGP both understands the law and works within the confines of the requirements. He must be held accountable.

A former Malacca chief minister got away with insulting the sultan’s son by paying a fine of RM1,900; no action has been taken against the Umno leader from Langkawi who insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. What about former Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin’s statement following the death of Karpal Singh? One could say that he insulted Sikhism. Where will all this take us as a nation?

All this describes a nation in in limbo without leadership and clarity. There are too many slogans with little substance ranging from ‘1Malaysia; Satu Jiwa Satu Hati; People First, Performance Now’ and no leader coming out with any clarity on the issues of the day. Those who can give clarity are silent while the cronies go on squeaking and embarrassing themselves and the nation.

So we are left with the remnants of the New Economic Policy (NEP) now in leadership who shout their heads off without thinking and add insult and injury to the nation.

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