COMMENT PAS Research Centre director Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki alleges that just prior to the last general election, Israel offered DAP a sum of RM1.2 billion in exchange for diplomatic recognition and the establishment of an Israeli military base in Port Dickson.
The pro-BN NGO alliance, always desperate for attention, now wants the police to investigate this allegation.
Not to be outdone, the MCA has also jumped in, demanding that the DAP clarify its position vis-à-vis Israel. Lacking the courage to deal with real issues, it seeks to score cheap points whenever it can. It has lost sight of the big picture and what this issue is really about.
No wonder most Malaysians don’t take them seriously anymore - but that is another story.
Allegations like these, as well as those involving Christians, are now becoming increasingly common in Malaysia. It is yet another reminder that some of our politicians, and their hangers-on, are becoming progressively more irrational, insecure, and paranoid.
They see enemies lurking behind every bush. They seem ready to believe that Jews and Christians are hatching all sorts of wild schemes to usurp power, undermine the position of Islam and challenge the Malays.
These politicians are fighting a war that ended centuries ago. They feed off their own fears and end up as victims of their own propaganda. A rumour, a whisper or a vague insinuation is sufficient to set them off on a frenzy.
In the Middle East, Jews and Christians have, of course, long been convenient scapegoats. I suppose it’s more convenient to pick on minorities at home and enemies abroad rather than to face up to one’s own failures.
Sadly, it appears that this culture of blaming others and demonising Christians and Jews has now spread to Malaysia as well.
A flight of fancy
The latest allegations, for example, are so far-fetched that it should have been consigned immediately to the rubbish bin. After all, what proof did Zuhdi offer? What evidence did he bring forward to substantiate his accusations?
As far as can be ascertained, none. It was simply a figment of his own imagination, a flight of fancy, but, it was apparently enough to get some people worked up.
No doubt it will soon become an urban legend. As Hitler’s propaganda minister said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
The fact of the matter is that the Israelis are too preoccupied with securing their own borders to think about establishing a military base 7,612km away. And even if Israel wanted a military base in the region, Malaysia would be the last place it would consider, given that Malaysia is one of the most anti-Semitic nations in the world.
Furthermore, Israel already has extensive military and political ties with Singapore and would presumably have access to Singapore facilities if it needed them.
As for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, can anybody be that brainless to believe that even in the highly unlikely event that the DAP takes power in Putrajaya, it would be foolish enough to incur the wrath of the majority of Malaysians by establishing relations with Israel? It is simply not believable.
Of course, DAP didn’t do itself any favour by making trite remarks on no-win issues, as it did recently on the participation of Israeli athletes in the Langkawi sailing competition.
However, the point is that we can disagree with Israeli policies, and most of us do, but let’s not make a fool of ourselves with all these outlandish allegations.
The real scandal
In any case, all those who are now howling against the DAP don’t seem to see the irony of highlighting these allegations at a time when the nation is transfixed by a real scandal - the RM2.6 billion which the prime minister has admitted was given to him by a mysterious Arab donor for reasons still unknown.
It is strange how some of our politicians are becoming so unreal, so out of touch with reality. They strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. They have eyes to see but they do not see. They worry about imaginary threats and ignore the real dangers in front of them.
I dare say that most Malaysians are not worried about Jews and Christians; what really bothers them are unscrupulous politicians who exploit race and religion for their own purposes; leaders who sell key national assets to foreigners in order to salvage their own position, men in robes who want to lead us back to the dark ages, and the cronies who are robbing us blind.
Isn’t it about time that we stop this perverse preoccupation with non-existent dangers and start focusing on the real threats to our nation?
Let us all come together with whatever faith that inspires us to launch a jihad against corruption, injustice, the abuse of power and the subversion of our constitution.
DENNIS IGNATIUS is a former Malaysian ambassador. He blogs here .
