Of book-burning and busybodies: Yes, you - Ibrahim Ali!

If you happen to see Ibrahim Ali now, please ask him about the Bible burning.

I guess he might question you back: "What? What Bible burning? Did I say anything like that? No, I never said that. I'll sue you in court if you pursue this matter further."

Or maybe he would say: "I think you've got me wrong. I didn't say I wanted to burn the Bible. I was saying I wanted to read the Bible, in particular the Alkitab (Malay Bible). This is the way to dissolve religious alienation and promote interfaith understanding."

Of course Ibrahim wouldn't say anything like this. To be honest, I do hope that he would say something, or at least show his face.

Nevertheless, he chose to stay out of public vision, which is not a good thing. What I'm trying to say is that having created such a mess and then falling dead quiet, Ibrahim should at least set things forthright.

If he keeps hiding his face, I think we just have to think it over what kind of lesson or inspiration we can draw from this incident.

Firstly, we are now living in the third millennium, not during the reign of book-burning Shi Huangdi.

Secondly, instead of burning books, why not read them over properly? While burning books would fume up emotions and retard our brains, reading books stimulates the development of brain cells, making us smarter and more logical.

The decision by some residents to read all sorts of religious books at the KLCC Park is, to be honest, a whole lot lovelier than the clumsy design of Ibrahim Ali and his Perkasa gang.

Thirdly, the level of Malaysians' mental maturity far exceeds Ibrahim Ali's imagination. Hardly anyone turned up at the Butterworth padang, not even the Perkasa "casual strollers."

Indeed, different people have different perceptions of things, and some could be unhappy with certain matters. However, we in Malaysia choose to respect and live harmoniously with one another, not creating conflicts and contradictions.

Fourthly, Ibrahim Ali's fumbling show is pathetically patronised, and if he keeps doing this, he might as well wrap up his political life right away.

As for the other politicians eager to bring up religious and ethnic issues to confound the public, this incident should serve as a timely lesson to prompt them into shifting their course.

-Sin Chew Daily