MP SPEAKS The Malaysian Insider in a report by Elizabeth Zachariah on Jan 28, headlined ‘Malaysia no longer land of peace and tolerance, says Pakistan website’, is an indictment and stain on the efficiency, professionalism and career of Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.

 

This follows weeks and months of incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions with the police adopting a “hands-off” policy, resulting in the Molotov cocktail attack on a church in Penang on Monday, a day after provocative banners, ‘Allah is Great. Jesus is the son of Allah’ were hung outside five churches in Penang without knowledge of the church authorities, and the vandalism of eight gravestones in a Christian cemetery near Kuantan yesterday.

 

As the writer of the Pakistani website, Masood Khan, said: For the rest of the Muslim world, Malaysia used to be an island of peace and tolerance.

 

“Sadly, it’s no more as an evil eye has cast its bad shadow on a moderate and progressive country.”

 

As IGP, Khalid should ask himself why he has been so remiss in his duties and responsibilities as the No 1 Policeman in the country to allow Malaysia to slide down the slippery slope, as if Malaysia wants to compete with Pakistan in terms of religious strife, intolerance and conflict!

 

Khalid must always remind himself that he is IGP for all Malaysians, and not just IGP for any one race or religion, and any divergence from this guiding principle amounts to criminal negligence of his high office.

After a long and eerie silence

 

I am glad that the IGP has finally spoken up after maintaining a long and eerie silence, issuing a “strict warning” on Wednesday to those responsible for the incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension “to immediately stop such provocations which can jeopardise public order”.

 

The more relevant question is, why has Khalid taken so long to wake up to the racial and religious “provocations” of a small group of irresponsible and reckless traitors out to destabilsie the country and cause another May 13?

 

However, it is better late than never and all Malaysians hope the IGP and the police will be on constant standby to stop in their tracks the conspirators who want Malaysia go up in flames in a racial and religious conflagration and give them no space or room to carry out their nefarious and treacherous activities.

 

The problem in Malaysia is not that the IGP and the police lack the numbers and firepower to keep these conspirators under the radar 24 hours a day and to nip in the bud their nefarious plans, but purely because the police lack the political will and mandate to discharge their first duty – to keep the country and citizens safe and secure.

Prompt, proactive police action needed

 

Prompt and proactive police action to nip trouble-makers in the bud and to send a clear signal to those who want to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions based on lies and falsehoods that the police will brook no nonsense from them will do wonders.

 

This is illustrated by the pro-active and most commendable police action in Penang, which investigated a group of about 150 people from NGOs that protested at the Bayan Baru mosque on Monday night, on grounds that they suspected the mosque  may be attacked – when the police dismissed talk there were plans by certain quarters to attack the mosque.

 

This is not unlike the Penang Umno protest a week ago that raising the spectre of May 13 when its blood-red banners screamed that the DAP was the cause of May 13, with speakers asking whether DAP wanted another May 13.

 

This is just like the “thief shouts thief” ploy to blame others for a crime or wrong when the person concerned was the perpetrator himself.

 

Muslims in Penang and Malaysia can be assured that if mosques and surau are attacked, non-Muslims, whether Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs or Taoists, will come to their defence. In the same manner, if non-Muslim places of worship are attacked, Muslims should be in the forefront of their defence.

 

If we can arrive at such an understanding and concord in multi-religious Malaysia, it will be a big step forward in promoting harmony, unity and tolerance in the achievement of a Malaysian Dream.

 

Recently, there had been proposals for the police set up a shariah unit or even a squad to check on the prices of consumer goods.

 

The police should not divert from their main duty of keeping crime low and Malaysian citizens, investors and tourists safe and secure. And, most of all, to ensure Malaysia regains her international reputation as a “land of peace and tolerance” and a model in a conflict-filled world.

 

LIM KIT SIANG is the DAP parliamentary leader and the MP for Gelang Patah.