Guan Eng: Cabinet must act against 'racist minister'
The cabinet has been challenged to prove its multiracial credential and act against a minister for condoning Perkasa’s call to burn the Malay language Bible.
The cabinet has been challenged to prove its multiracial credential and act against a minister for condoning Perkasa’s call to burn the Malay language Bible.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today slammed Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan’s defence of Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali’s previous call to burn the Bible containing the word ‘Allah’ as “racist and extremist”.
“This is a shocking statement. How can it be proper for a racist and extremist like Ibrahim to burn the Bible as an act of correcting the Bible?
“Just as non-Muslims should not be allowed to burn holy books of other religions, Ibrahim Ali should not be allowed to burn the Bible, especially when this is done as a protest against Christianity,” Lim said in a statement today.
“No one can understand the logic and rationale for Abdul Rahman’s ( above, in suit ) statement that Ibrahim Ali's call to burn the Bible containing the word ‘Allah’ cannot be compared with the present case against the sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee for insulting Muslims.
“By failing to act against Ibrahim Ali, one can only conclude that insults against non-Islamic religions are permitted,” Lim added.
“The important question now is whether the cabinet, including both Muslims and non-Muslims, will address such shocking remarks from a new minister from Sabah who has no respect for Christians and non-Muslims.
“Can cabinet members, especially non-Muslim ministers, accept Abdul Rahman’s racist and extremist views that insult their religion are normal?” Lim asked.
‘BN double standards’
Lim, ( below, right ) who is also Penang chief minister, said while DAP supports acting against the couple known on their Facebook as ‘Alvivi’, he asked why similar action had not been taken against those who had made statements against other religions.
“For Abdul Rahman to even state that Ibrahim Ali’s threat to burn the Bible was normal is a reflection that both of them share a twisted mind that is anti non-Muslim, which has clearly buried the prime minister's 1Malaysia concept,” he said.
Lim also cited how BN candidate for Shah Alam Zulkifli Noordin had been let off the hook for making anti-Hindu statements, as shown in a video on YouTube .
“Clearly, BN practises double standards and selective prosecution by only punishing anti-Muslim statements but not anti non-Muslim statements,” he said.
Meanwhile DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said Abdul Rahman was trying “to defend the indefensible” in his argument that Ibrahim’s 'burn the Bible' call should not be compared to the acts of Alvivi.
“No right-thinking Malaysian would believe the explanation that Ibrahim’s fiery and emotional remark was just an innocent and virtuous attempt to ‘correct the error of printing’ in the Bible.
“And even in the unlikely earthshattering event that it was, that is no defence against the current Sedition Act,” Pua said.
‘1Malaysia only for 1Race’
In contrast to Ibrahim, he said, the Alvivi duo “who probably thought it was ‘funny’ to ridicule fasting Muslims, ‘justice’ was meted out even before they had the opportunity to defend themselves”.
Furthermore, while justice needed to be served on the couple, Pua (
left
) noted how “they have been denied bail on the basis that ‘both accused had a tendency to upload pictures that could arouse public outrage’, making them guilty before their defence is called”.
This, he said, showed “clear-cut double-standards” and “proves the hypocrisy of the 1Malaysia slogan preached by Prime Minister Najib Razak”.
“It also makes a mockery of our federal constitution which provides that all Malaysians are equal before the law.
“The fact that Ibrahim Ali, who made the open and defiant call for the Bible to be burnt was not only left uncharged, but also now defended by the Umno minister, while summary punishment was meted out to the blogging duo who carried out the tasteless prank, confirms that the federal government practices not 1Malaysia, but ‘Malaysia for 1Race and 1Religion’,” Pua added.
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