‘Walk the talk MB, suspend Hasan’

Former MCA chief Ong Tee Keat says Khalid Ibrahim must act swiftly to allay fears of religious intolerance.

UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim should suspend state exco for religious affairs Hasan Ali for defending the raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church, said former MCA president Ong Tee Keat.

In a statement today, Ong said Khalid must act swiftly to allay fears of religious intolerance creeping into the state by censuring Hasan.

“Failure to suspend Hasan pending investigations on the shameful intrusion of a religious ground without valid reasons could be perceived as an act of condoning the deed,” he said.

On Wednesday, several officers from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) and the police raided a multiracial dinner event held at the church without a warrant after receiving an unspecified complaint.

While Khalid expressed regret over the incident and instructed JAIS to submit a report on the incident, Hasan claimed that there were elements of Christians proselytising among the Muslims at the event.

Selangor PAS had since condemned the raid and instructed Hasan to explain his statement to the party leadership.

Calling it an encroachment of citizens’ right to assembly, Ong, who is also Pandan MP, said Khalid was duty bound to reveal the outcome of his investigation to the public.

He added that there was no point for anyone to point fingers because it would not help in keeping bigotry at bay.

“The JAIS raid is indeed a real acid test to the upholding of the 1Malaysia concept in the present social fabric,” he said, urging the Pakatan Rakyat state administration to “walk the talk”.

MCA boss lashes out at DAP

Ong’s successor Dr Chua Soi Lek, meanwhile, lashed out at DAP for dragging its feet in condemning the raid, saying the party was impotent in the face of crisis.

“DAP calls for Barisan Nasional leaders’ resignation for the flimsiest of errors.

“So what is Selangor DAP leaders’ stand on the issue? Do they have the courage to demand for Hasan’s resignation?” he asked.

The MCA president called on DAP to condemn JAIS for showing little respect for a place of worship.

“Let’s see some honesty from DAP leaders by expressing regret over the incident,” he said.

This morning, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang criticised Hasan and accused him of breaking ranks with the state government in his defence of JAIS.

Suaram coordinator Sarah Devaraj welcomed Khalid’s remorse over the raid and called on JAIS to disclose details about the complaint that led to the raid.

“Since no warrant was issued for the raid, we believe JAIS acted arbitrarily and with no regards to the legal process,” he added in a statement.

Khalid had since issued a gag order on his excos regarding the matter pending an audience with state ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

MAC disheartened

In another devleopment, the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) said it was disheartened over the JAIS raid at the HIV fundraising dinner.

MAC president Zaman Khan said in a statement that he was seeking cooperation from JAIS officials to provide a detailed explanation on the issue for immediate resolution.

“The dinner was organised by the church for a good cause. It was intended to raise funds to support Harapan Komuniti, whose primary aim was to help Malaysians living with HIV, regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.

Harapan Komuniti is a non-profit organisation and a partner organisation under the MAC umbrella.

He said the raid could potentially compromise the integrity of Islam, and urged the authorities to take precautionary steps and seek cooperation from the parties involved to avoid any inter-racial or religious conflicts.