K word stirs up sleepy assemblymen

The Negeri Sembilan MB calls PKR’s Ravi a ‘kafir’.

SEREMBAN: The three-day state assembly sitting that concluded yesterday was tame compared with previous sessions since the 2008 general election, with their heated, noisy and sometimes even wild arguments that would include vulgar name calling and obscene gestures.

Even Umno’s Zainal Abidin Ahmad (Sungai Lui) and Aziz Samsuddin (Palong)—notorious for their rambunctiousness—were noticeably quiet.

The general belief is that the assemblymen on both sides of the hall were sobered down by thoughts that this was probably their last meeting before the 13th general election.

Nevertheless, the boredom was broken yesterday in the nick of time—just as Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan was about to end his winding up speech.

Mohamad used the word “kafir” on PKR’s M Ravi, the state assemblyman for Port Dickson.

The reaction from the opposition was immediate. Opposition leader Loke Siew Fook (DAP-Lobak) shot up from his seat and demanded a retraction as his colleagues drowned out one another’s words in expressions of outrage.

The K word popped up its ugly head when Mohamad was giving his response to Chai Tong Chai (PKR-Chuah) who, during one of the debates in the session, had accused the state administration of making false promises with regard to the economic development of his constituency.

Mohamad’s response was that he was a believer in God and a follower of the Quran, from which he quoted a verse commanding the fulfillment of promises. And then, casually addressing Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani (PAS-Paroi), he said: “ADUN Paroi, do you understand the meaning? ADUN Port Dickson is different because he is a kafir.”

In his protest, Loke said: “The last time I checked with Wikipedia, ‘kafir’ is a term used for a non-Muslim who does not believe in God. The term seems rude to me. You should have just said ‘non-Muslim.’”

Cha Kee Chin (DAP-Bukit Kepayang) got into the fray and said: “I’m a lawyer and I learned Islamic laws. The term ‘kafir’ refers to non-Muslims who are always against Islam. Port Dickson is not a person who is against Islam. So the term is not proper.”

Mohamad tried to explain what he meant but gave up midway and retracted the word.

The session closed in peace in time for lunch, where goodwill was very much in evidence. The assemblymen smiled and shook hands, and there was a lot of apologizing.

Even Mohamad and Ravi were seen exchanging jokes that must have been funny, judging from the way they were laughing. And Zainal Abidin, whom the opposition often described as “foul mouthed”, had a photo session with Ravi and Wong May May (DAP-Mambau), his favorite targets.