Putrajaya’s unity council calls for action against extremists behind racial slurs

A group of people take part in a racially provocative protest in February this year. The National Unity Consultative Council has urged for action on the part of the government against extremists who make racial slurs. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 17, 2014.The National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) has urged Putrajaya to take "prompt and effective action" against extremists and those behind statements undemining racial ties in the country.

In a statement today, the six month old council expressed concerns over the recent rise of statements which could cause public unrest and disunity.

“All Malaysians including political parties, religious organisations, civil society, the public and private sectors must be sensitive to one another's feelings and aspirations.

“Restraint must be applied when giving speeches and actions which could undermine national unity and harmony in Malaysia,” NUCC said, following its third meeting today.

The NUCC was formed in November last year following a spate of race-related incidents surfacing in public. It has been tasked with formulating a National Unity Blueprint within two years, but had said it will produce an interim report in six months.

The plea comes hot on the heels of several provocative statements by controversial Muslim group, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).

In its latest salvo, Isma vice-president Abdul Rahman Mt Dali accused DAP of likely causing another May 13 racial riots if the party was "left unchecked", adding that DAP's struggle had hurt Muslim feelings.

"If DAP is left alone, it could cause splits and divisions similar to what happened on May 13, 1969," Abdul Rahman said.

Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman earlier drew condemnations when he labeled Chinese Malaysians as "trespassers".

Abdullah has refused to apologise, and instead said the Chinese "should be mindful of our (the Malays') feelings”.

“Who gave them (the Chinese) citizenship and wealth until the results of their trespassing are protected until this day?

“This was all the doing of the British, who were in cohorts with the Chinese to oppress and bully the Malays," he went on, writing on the group's website.

Separately, a controversial seminar on the theme of the "Christian threat" was held at the Universiti Technologi Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam last week, triggering outrage among the Christian community.

The seminar saw one of its speakers putting forward "10 reasons why Christians should become Muslims", as well as the distribution of two books published by the Selangor religious authorities on the threat of Christianisation and alleged evangelism among Muslims in Malaysia.

The incidents prompted the president of The Bible Society of Malaysia, Bishop Datuk Ng Moon Hing, to warn Putrajaya that a generation of Malaysians was in danger of growing up distrusting each other.

"Malaysia's multiracial society is being torn apart, there will come a time when the Chinese will not trust the Malays and vice versa," Ng said.

The developments prompted a strong rebuke in an editorial in London-based The Economist, saying Putrajaya must drop the Islamist card and uphold the rule of law and human rights if it truly wants to be a democracy.

The newsweekly noted a strong temptation for office-holders and would-be office-holders to play the Islamist card, and warned it was at the cost of the minorities.

“Majoritarian democracy won't be enough to keep them stable, unless it is underpinned by respect for the rule of law and civil and individual rights,” it said.