COMMENT There is scepticism all over when the Christians for Peace and Harmony Malaysia (CPHM) movement was launched recently by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

As a Christian, I feel sad that I have to be the one to openly question the real motives behind the NGO, especially since there are already other existing groups that have been working hard on bridging the widening gap between Muslims and non-Muslims in this country.

As far as I know, there are already pockets of people who have been doing various kinds of social and community work involving people from different races and religious backgrounds.

Churches, too, have been urged to do gotong-royong with their local community so that they do not become exclusive clubs.

Others such as Parit Buntar MP Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS, photo ) have also been invited to speak at special Christian meetings which encourage dialogues between people of different religions.

These NGOs and individuals have humble approaches, instead of basking themselves in all the glamour.

Najib should take heed

Najib, if he is serious about race relations, should immediately put a stop to the politics of race and religion that has often been played up by Umno and its supporters.

We all know the real reasons behind the challenging times facing the non-Muslim community in this country since 2008. We have often been intimidated with the ghosts of May 13 and when the Barisan Nasional government lost its two-third majority, we are always the ones to be blamed.

From the political tsunami (coined by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang)  in 2008 to the Chinese tsunami (coined by Najib himself in 2013), how do you expect anyone to continue to support BN after it has been in power for nearly 60 years?

If not because some groups were playing with fire and trying to fish for Malay votes, what else could it be?

In the Taman Medan protest, for example, the elder brother of the current inspector-general of police (IGP) and his group of protesters claimed that they were ‘representing’ the majority Muslim community in Taman Medan in demanding that the cross be removed.

What ‘majority’ was Abdullah Abu Bakar of Umno referring to? In the last general election, results showed that Umno’s candidate Munalisa Hamzah lost to PKR’s Haniza Mohd Talha by a majority of 4,433 votes. Tell me, who is really representing the majority in Taman Medan?

What it takes for peace and harmony to prevail in this country is for the government, including the IGP Khalid Abu Bakar, to uphold justice. If Khalid failed to uphold justice, he should not be in the position. Period.

At this point of writing, this group of Taman Medan protesters have been let off the hook, like other provocateurs, and Najib has failed to apply the long arm of the law on them.

And now, despite the signing of the 10-point agreement, Najib has done nothing to withdraw the Home Ministry’s standard operating procedures to ban the import of the Alkitab from Indonesia into peninsular Malaysia. Can the Christian (or even Hindraf) community still trust Najib?

The crux of the matter

Here is the crux of the matter - in a country where its leaders do not uphold justice, there will not be peace and harmony. Peace and harmony occurs only as a result of a government that upholds justice. This is the golden rule from time immemorial.

History has many lessons we can learn from. How the last emperor of China, for example, lost his throne was because of the way the Empress Dowager ruled the nation. Before the French Revolution, we are told that France was also ruled by a king and queen who were disconnected from the peasants. The people no longer trusted their monarchs.

By applying double standards, Najib will find that whatever initiative that he implements will not earn the people’s trust. Instead, this will only cause Umno to further lose its credibility over time. In fact, Umno’s own credibility is at the lowest at this juncture after nearly six years of Najib’s premiership.

By allowing the right-wingers in Umno to rear its ugly head from time to time, Najib has in fact distanced himself from the ordinary citizens of this country. On one hand, he projects himself as a moderate; on the other hand, he has failed to uphold justice.

This leaves groups like ‘Putrajaya-backed’ CPHM only having to do the firefighting and work of appeasement, with its leader Rev Wong Kim Kong ( photo ) saying, “Give Najib a chance. He is a good man. Christians must learn to forgive and forget.”

This is why I find it such an irony why any group would spend so much money doing the whitewashing, yet does not deal directly with the crux of the matter. It is the same reason why Najib has lost his credibility with the Chinese, after trying to woo them in the lead-up to GE13, but subsequently used the Chinese as the punching bag when BN performed badly.

Support the good organisations

Most of these NGOs and individuals which are already involved in building bridges  are not so well-funded, but they are sincere and upfront about their role.

A good example is the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST). Its representatives have also spoken up on a number of issues that could affect the harmony of the races, but has Najib even paid any attention?

There are also groups of people who have from time to time invited Dr Mujahid for dialogue sessions. These are peacemakers who play an important role to mend the social fabric of this nation. Why is Dr Mujahid not given a chance to speak on national TV?

In fact, the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat also demonstrated what it is to be a menteri besar who upheld the federal constitution. The non-Muslims in his state enjoy more freedom to exercise their faith, compared to people in Umno-dominated areas.

Nurul Izzah Anwar ( photo ), in her interview with Patrick Teoh,  once said that she does not understand why we are still talking in circles about the different races in this country, when the country has become Independent since 1957. She put me in uncontrollable tears.

Marina Mahathir has been very outspoken, and she is respected within the Christian community for her views, compared to the CPHM.

At around the same time as the banquet launch of CPHM, a group of concerned Christian individuals have also come together to form the Kairos Dialogue Network , where they are also hoping to mend broken bridges.

At a conference on ‘Shaping A Shared Future in Malaysia’ which will be held on July 11, the group only charges RM20 per person which basically covers the refreshments. As Proverbs 16:8 puts it, “Better is a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.”

Part I: What could be the hidden agenda behind CPHM?

Part II: PM Najib’s change of strategy?

Part III: The acid test for Christians for Peace

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.