Malaysia will face a very difficult 2014 and may even face a Syria-type crisis if people are allowed to openly annoy each other, ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

 

Mahathir said that he agreed with the Home Ministry's ban on human rights NGO Comango and also Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) actions last Thursday to take away Malay-language bibles belonging to Christians.

 

Both controversies were sparked by liberal groups who were out to test the boundaries of their new found freedom and were ill intentioned, the senior statesman said.

 

"If you break the law, people who enforce the law will take action," Mahathir told reporters at Angkasapuri in Kuala Lumpur.

 

"Before this controversy came up, I don't think Jais will ever take the bibles belonging to the Christians. You purposely come up with something to annoy people. It is not religious.

"It is just a means to annoy people and be uncaring about other people's sensitivities. If you start running down other religions, what will happen to this country. You want this country to be like Syria or something?"

 

Mahathir also said that the abolished Internal Security Act (ISA), which allowed detention without trial, could prove useful now.

 

"I think for some of these extremists, we need the Internal Security Act (ISA)," he said.

 

[More to follow]