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Yoursay: PAS can’t have ‘freedom of speech’ cake and eat it too

YOURSAY | ‘It needs openness to be an effective opposition, yet wants it curtailed.’

Speech 'too free' under Harapan, cautions Tuan Ibrahim

BraveMalaysian: PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, I see you as one of the very few sensible leaders in the Islamic party.

Let’s be objective. As far as I know, no one has directly criticised Islam. Presenting alternative views does not equate to criticising Islam. The interpretation of some Muslims does not necessarily represent the absolute truth of Islam.

For example, criticising child marriages does not equate to criticising Islam because among Islamic scholars, there are different thoughts on this too.

I think Malaysians in general have a healthy respect for Islam. It is how extremists and perverts exploit the religion and smear its good name that has brought out right-thinking Muslims to say what they think.

But it is concluded that they are criticising Islam - that is your own shallow thinking and probably for political mileage.

Anonymous_05cafebd: Indeed, who is questioning religion? No one is.

The correct question is, who’s questioning the people who are using religion and race to manipulate the rakyat?

Every right-minded person should, as it would be their patriotic duty to do so.

Quigonbond: PAS needs openness to be an effective opposition yet wants it to be controlled. It’s like they want the cake and eat it too.

To cope with more open and intellectual debate on religious issues, it should start recruiting technocrats to show how its brand of conservative Islam can co-exist with modern civilisation, failing which I suppose this is the start of its decline.

Anonymous 2413471460628504: "Speeches should be free but controlled"? This is utter rubbish.

People should just learn to be mature and take criticisms. That is how we improve ourselves for we are all imperfect; we can always learn to be better. Listening to others is one way to improve ourselves.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Islam and the Malays are under threat because a bumiputera who happens to be a Christian is head of the judiciary and a Malaysian who is an expert in the law is the attorney-general?

I think that reasoning smacks of bigotry and racism. I think that kind of thinking was thrown out by the people. In fact, PAS should also have gone the way of MCA and Gerakan.

David Dass: How does the appointment of non-Muslims into those positions affect the position of Muslims and Islam?

In fact, the non-Muslim chief justice has said that all constitutional law questions will be decided by a quorum of at least seven judges. That ensures the majority to be Malays and Muslim.

And what can the attorney-general and the de facto law minister do that will affect Malays and Muslims adversely?

The real objection is that these positions are seen by some as symbols of Malay dominance, and to appoint non-Malays to those positions disturbs that.

These extremists do not want non-Malays to be given positions of real authority as in the previous administrations. They are now disturbed by the fact that non-Malay ministers are actually involved in the administration of the country.

It will take some time for these elements to accept the changes. This is how the system was meant to work. This is what equality of all Malaysians means. This is what democracy means.

It was Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa who said that democracy means government by the majority for the majority. For Ibrahim Ali, the majority are always entitled to more rights than the minority. That was actually what was happening.

The non-Malay leaders were content to let things go. The Indians became marginalised, excluded by their race from everything. The Orang Asli were abandoned. And the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak were betrayed by their own leaders.

In that time, extremists became accustomed to dominance, and are troubled when their symbols are removed.

Gerard Lourdesamy: Ninety percent of the superior court judges are Malay/Muslim. Ninety-five percent of the AG’s Chambers consists of Malay/Muslims, and virtually all heads of divisions except for the civil division.

The Law Ministry has a deputy minister who is a Malay/Muslim and 98 percent of the senior officers and staff are Malay/Muslims. So what is the issue?

What about the appointment of the President of the Court of Appeal and Chief Judge of Malaya? Both are Malay/Muslims.

True, there are suitable Malay/Muslim candidates who are eligible to be appointed but what about the suitable non-Malay/Muslim candidates? Is it right to discriminate against them despite their seniority, experience, competence and integrity just because they are not Malay/Muslim?

Discos are regulated by local authorities. What about tahfiz schools? Who approves the curriculum and teachers? Are they regulated in terms of facilities, students' safety and well-being?

PAS should be reminded that Malays only make up 51 percent of the population. The remaining bumiputera are from East Malaysia - about 12 percent. The majority of them are Christian and not Muslim. So do we discriminate against them despite Article 153 of the Constitution?

In Sarawak, the clear majority are Dayak Christians but they have effectively ceded political power to the Malay/Melanau Muslim minority since 1966. So in Sarawak, shouldn't all senior positions be held by Christians from the Dayak community?

PAS should also be reminded that in the Quran there is not a single chapter or verse that elevates any single racial group to an exalted position in all of Allah's creation.

No doubt we are a Muslim-majority country and political power is correctly in the hands of the Malay/Muslim majority, but there is a sizeable non-Malay/Muslim minority - about 40 percent who are also entitled to fair, just and equal treatment.

Appointing a few of them to senior positions in the government, judiciary, public services and universities is not going to undermine or destroy Islam.

Anonymousytmq123: We have freedom of speech, and Tuan Ibrahim, that's why you said what you just said.


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