Ezam Mohd Nor – another backdoor political liability

Umno Senator Ezam Mohd Nor has come to the defence of Islam and is even willing to wage war against those who tarnish the religion which includes burning the offices of certain online news portals.

“We have no choice but to wage war to protect the Muslim faith. We give you a last warning. If you don’t stop, we’ll burn,” said Ezam. He also warned Muslim staff of Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider not to become agents for infidels.

Not satisfied, he then extended his warning to Selangor’s Christian exco members- Teresa Kok, Elizabeth Wong, Ronnie Liu and Xavier Jayakumar. We have a problem if the Menteri Besar pawns Islam for votes. We have problems with infidels who convert Muslims,” he said.

This was the level of Ezam's commitment and love for Islam, or so he told a gathering organised by newly formed Gerakan Cegah Murtad, an NGO to hunt down those who tried to proselytize innocents Muslims in the aftermath of the JAIS raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church.

But PKR vice president N Surendran says Ezam has behaved like a criminal. Surendran has called on the police to take action against the UMNO Senator over his threat to "burn". Surendran said it was appalling that a senator should utter such words of violence threatening grievous harm or even death against staff, writers and other occupants of the online firms.

A disgrace to the Malays and Muslims

And so the story, sad and tragic, continues to unfold. As expected, the culprits have finally shown their true colours. Who else but UMNO would dare to do such a grevious harm against Islam's image? Right from day one, something smelled fishy in the JAIS raid.

The target was the Pakatan Rakyat state government and not the Christians. This raid, including Ezam's outburst, is aimed at showing the Malays and the Muslims in Selangor how 'inept' and'untrustworthy' a multiracial state leadership can be to the community's interest. At the heart of it, UMNO is appealing to the closet racists in the Malay community. UMNO is asking the racialist in each Malay to vote for BN in the next GE and not Pakatan.

Senator Ezam Nor continues to show his true colours. Since abandoning Anwar Ibrahim three year ago and even forsaking his previous threats to expose the corruption in the BN government with his few precious boxes of 'secret' documents, he has managed to wangle himself a cushy job as a Senator in the Dewan Negara. Wonder what happened to those boxes of information against the BN?

Prior to that he headed the Malaysia Gerakan Rakyat Anti Korupsi Malaysia or GERAK - an anti-corruption movement, but everyone is flabbergasted with his lack of output. Where are the corruption revelations, how come the information in the boxes never see the light of the day. Was there a trade off with BN?

Well known for his sensationalism and harmless threats, today Ezam is largely ignored by Malaysians who are aware of his empty drum that makes the most noise. However, Ezam’s bizarre statements on Friday have riled up the people. Do the Malays and Muslims need another Ibrahim Ali to futher damage them? Purportedly to defend Islam, his unbecoming words are not only an insult to non-Muslims but also a disgrace to Malays and Muslims in general. Muslims simply do not go about defending Islam with threats of arson, jihad (holy war) and other abuses against Muslim employees in media organizations.

A political desperado, one cannot help noticing his desperation as he issued the ultimatum: We have no choice but to wage war to protect the Muslim faith. We give you a last warning. If you don’t stop, we’ll burn.

This guy seriously needs to get his head checked. Like Ibrahim Ali, he has just dissuaded every non-Malay to side with the ruling government. Most Malays are not amused at his fiery display of passion either. In fact, many find it downright insulting to utter such disgusting words in purported defence of Islam. It is people like him that make Muslims question their own faith!

With insensitive nutcases like him running around, the Islamic Outreach Missionary Body should just close shop. So many potential ‘saudara baru’ (converts) will be turned off.

Overstepped the boundaries, this time it is criminal

Most of Ezam's capers have been ignored in the past, as most Malaysians have seen through him and his veiled warnings. Writing him off as a rabble-rouser with a penchant for sensationalism, nobody takes any serious interest in him and the mere mention of his name invokes laughter and scorn.

But this time, he has overstepped the boundaries of political decency. Perhaps he is under pressure to perform and make good on his promises after being awarded a Senatorship, perhaps the powers-that-be look to him to deliver the 'goods'. In his haste to fan racial conflicts at the expense of religion, he keeps on tripping over himself to plot the ultimate controversy, the 'one' that will turn the tide for UMNO and BN.

His antics are starting to resemble those of Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali. Physically, Ezam is younger and less plump. But despite the different 'face' and 'body', the tactics are the same. Ezam is now aiming for express fame and the hero-worship of the extremists in UMNO. But whether they realize it or not, he may be bringing them ruin - just like Ibrahim Ali, whom pundits say might even lose his Pasir Mas seat.

Concerned Malaysians have challenged Ezam to walk the talk and start burning, if he dares to do it. Don’t try to be a hero at the expense of national security. Like Ibrahim Ali who vowed ‘Jihad’ but went missing during the July Bersih 2.0 rally, Ezam is expected to walk down the same road.

Others have commented that it is because of people like Ezam and his so called band of NGOs, that Muslims feel embarrassed about themselves. With his kind of sick mentality, most people think he won’t last in the political arena let alone be a future leader of this country. Everyone will shun him like a fat toad (no pun to Ibrahim Ali).

“Sikit sikit mau jihad. The last time I looked at the penal code, Arson was a crime. What's happening? Now all arsonists have to say "In the Name of Islam" and all will be right? Soon they will rob and rape and all will be justified if they shout the same?” a comment by a reader best sums up this sad and sorry episode.

And by the way, what are the chances the BN and the police will take action against Ezam on this latest ruckus? Will it be more deafening silence, shall we expect Nazri Aziz, the minister in the PM's department, to excuse it away as he did for Ibrahim Ali? No wonder, Malaysia is in a fine mess and sinkng fast.

- Malaysia Chronicle