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Monday, September 6, 2010

PM Najib goes after Nie Ching, Nurul to placate Umno hawks


Malaysia Chronicle

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Razak has backtracked on the multi-racial credentials he aired during a BN Youth town-hall meeting barely two weeks ago where he had played to the gallery, calling for zero-tolerance towards racism.

Over the weekend, he threw his support behind an Umno-led onslaught against Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching for entering a surau in Kajang.

According to news reports, Najib cited a fatwa or Islamic guideline approved in March that according to him, said non-Muslims could not enter mosques without the permission of mosques officials and should be properly attired.

“Only Muslims are allowed to deliver tazkirah in mosques or surau. If a non-Muslim enters a mosque and starts giving tazkirah to the Muslims that is against the teachings of the Prophet,” Malaysian Insider quoted Najib as saying, and even citing the Prophet’s tradition to back his claim.

Nie Ching at the Kajang surau
Although the PM also said he was not trying to revive the controversial incident, his words certainly created confusion. Pakatan Rakyat leaders have censured him for trying to waffle his way through the incident.

“He is trying to show the extremists in Umno he is scolding Nie Ching, but as always, he doesn’t take into considerations all the factors - only those that suit him. Firstly, Nie Ching has already said she entered the surau only at the invitation of the suraucommittee, which the surau officials have confirmed,” PAS national unity chairman Mujahid Yusof Rawa told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Secondly, PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat has said it is the duty of the surau caretaker to have ensured she was properly attired. Thirdly, Najib has completely ignored the fact that Nie Ching and the surauofficials have denied she gave any tazkirah in the surau. He also missed out the dakwah or missionary factor. Why doesn’t the PM comment on whether it is right for Umno to suggest that it is wrong for non-Muslims to enter mosques and suraus? Why doesn’t he answer if this doesn't go against our duty to propagate Islam to non-believers?”

Nurul next

Despite the criticism, it did not stop Najib from taking a swipe at another Pakatan MP – this time at Lembah Pantai’s Nurul Izzah Anwar. Nurul recently won widespread popular support with her two-part article Malaysia or Malaysaja that challenged ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa’s notion about Malay supremacy in the federal constitution.

Izzah challenged Perkasa to a debate
According to Perkasa, ketuanan Melayu was guaranteed in the constitution as was a 30 percent Bumiputera equity target. Nurul pointed out that the constitution only mentioned special position of the Malays, no Malay supremacy or 30 percent target.

“Nowhere in the written constitution is it mentioned specifically of the existence of the term ‘Malay rights’. Instead the only term spelled out is the ‘Special Position’ of the Malays in Article 153,” wrote Nurul.

“The Article contains specifically, of the powers vested in the Yang di Pertuan Agong to ensure that places in the civil service and institutions of higher learning along with quotas in the allocation of scholarships, and permits or licences required for business and trade are reserved for the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.”

Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, who called the Chinese “ungrateful” and “extremists”, has urged Najib to show where he stood in the battle.

“The prime minister must quash all the concerns and ensure that there are no Napoleons around him that are attempting to sabotage the Malay and Bumiputera agenda. If the government does not fix all of this then I believe Umno will feel the consequences in the upcoming general election,” Ibrahim said.

Pundits believe that an under-pressure Najib may have decided to blow with the wind again. He not only flip-flopped but clothed his words with ambiguity.

"He is going to end up doing nothing, even less legacy than Abdullah Badawi. By the time the next general elections roll along, it will still be the wishy-washy leadership. No clear direction, no reform," PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

At a speech during his department’s monthly meeting, it was clear he was censuring Izzah even though her name was not mentioned. He also gave no details to back up his statement or clarify what it was that he was saying exactly.

“We should uphold what has been agreed upon by our forefathers, by the past generations, which have enabled us to reach where we are today. If we can refrain from doing these two things, we can cool off a lot of heat and I believe it can contribute towards strengthening the country’s national unity and political stability,” Najib told his staff on Monday..

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