The unabashed ‘proselytisation’ of Malaysia

In its lust for power, Putrajaya has chosen to close an eye to the racism and bigotry fast crippling the nation's peace and harmony.

COMMENT

Forty-five years after the May 13, 1969 racial riots, Malaysians continue to face the onslaught of racial harassment at the hands of the very people who professed to care. Be it Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak or his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, both have let the rakyat down with their racial rants and rhetoric.

Najib has decided ‘Islamising’ Malaysia is his best bet of getting the rakyat’s attention and support. His much hyped ’1Malaysia’ way of life has died a natural death, all because he refused to act against individuals and organisations who show no signs of ending their ‘bash the non-Muslims’ agendas.

Just about all Malay extremist groups have humiliated, insulted and threatened non-Muslims, targeting their religious beliefs and faiths. From Perkasa to Pekida to Isma, they are all guilty of inciting unrest among our peace-loving rakyat.

Yet, Najib shows no interest in wanting to calm the already livid minority communities. It is this repugnant silence and disinterest that continues to ‘boost’ bigotry in the country. Former Court of Appeal judge Mohd Noor Abdullah exposed his bigotry when he voiced his displeasure over deities in a Hindu and Buddhist temple built in the open.

Mohd Noor complained about the Lord Murugan statue at a Hindu temple in Batu Caves and the statue of Kuan Yin at a Buddhist temple in Penang, both of which he claimed were an affront to Islam as the religion forbade idolatry.

His rantings that Islam is superior to other faiths based on the Federal Constitution, which states that Islam is the religion of the federation, has made the man a laughing stock. Mohd Noor by any measure is intolerant, his complaints that such ‘huge’ sculptures of non-Muslim deities would make the Muslim-majority feel threatened is simply outrageous.

It comes as no surprise why the Najib administration has chosen to close an eye to the racism and bigotry fast crippling Malaysia’s peace and harmony. ‘Islamising’ Malaysia has become Najib’s misison. While addressing the Pekida general assembly in 2011, the premier went on to say that Umno would not allow the Malay race to be oppressed in its own land.

“We will not surrender even an inch!” said Najib.

Najib’s ‘Islamisation’ agenda

Clearly, playing the race card has become an obsession with BN, all for the sake of retaining power. Perkasa has the blessings of patron and former controversial premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Despite its many racist and damaging statements including calls for the Bible to be torched, denying the Christians the use of the word ‘Allah’ and threats of another race riot if the majority of the Malays remained poor, Perkasa remains ‘untouched’ by the ‘powers that be’.

The ruling Barisan Nasional government’s interest in such extremist outfits does not end with Perkasa whom it has confessed to funding. Also enjoying federal impunity is Pekida (Malaysian Islamic Propagation Organisation) better known as ‘Tiga Line’. With members ranging from politicians to government officials, the well-funded Pekida acts as Umno’s proxy in defending Article 153 of the federal constitution which protects Malay rights and priviliges.

Be it Perkasa or Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), they come with one focus – ‘Islamising’ Malaysia at all cost. Fighting menaces such as Perkasa, Pekida and Isma requires relentless determination and commitment, something which the ruling Barisan Nasional government is not interested in.

The worry that these extremist organisations continue to harm race relations in the country does not rattle BN, never mind that Isma has gone on record to insult the non-Muslims of this country, condemning the Chinese as ‘trespassers’.

Then again, the once subtle and now unabashedly daring ‘proselytisation’ of Malaysia by the likes of Perkasa and Isma only confirms the fear of non-Muslims that the government has no interest in upholding democracy by ensuring all its citizens enjoy equal respect, their faiths and beliefs regardless.

And the ‘Islamisation’ of Malaysia continues, the damage to race relations done for good. Academicians like Ridhuan Tee, notorious for his extremist views continue to worsen matters by taunting non-Muslims.

Ridhuan’s inflammatory remarks that those unhappy with life in Malaysia should pack their bags and head for greener pastures further wrecks havoc on the already maligned racial ties in Malaysia. “Why do these irresponsible parties not move abroad? Because Malaysia is heaven. Why are they still making insistent demands? Because they want a better heaven,” he wrote in his Sinar Harian column.

M’sia will remain a secular state

Isma and Ridhuan have no fear in disrespecting non-Muslims. Why? Because they know they have the unconditional backing of both Najib and Umno Baru. Had respect for non-Malays and Malays been alike for Najib, he would never have tolerated Umno Langkawi MP Nawawi Ahmad’s disrespect shown via his insensitive Facebook posts on Karpal’s death.

Portraying typical indifference, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor said while the party did not condone talking ill of the dead, it would take no action against Nawawi as the latter had shown remorse and apologised for his behaviour.

It was precisely this ‘Malay supremacy’ that rankled the late Karpal Singh, who never tired of condemning ‘Islamising’ Malaysia and call for hudud, his defence being that Malaysia is a secular state and that even a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat cannot amend this constitutional guarantee.

But now with the former DAP national chairperson having passed on, the bigots in BN and Umno are rejoicing that the roar that denounced any move to ‘Islamise’ Malaysia and bring about hudud has ended.

When the non-Malays raised their displeasure over schools being turned into abattoirs where slaughtering of cows took place during Hari Raya Haji, the Education Ministry was quick to justify such actions.

However, the same ministry was unwilling for a school to be used as the venue for the late Karpal’s memorial service, giving the excuse that it was a political event. How lame of the Education Ministry to cite the most ridiculous of reasons, that too when the event was about paying one’s last respect to a dead man?

Dare the Education Ministry deny that it was all about pleasing its ‘political master’? And so the ‘Islamisation’ of Malaysia continues. Never mind that the rakyat suffers another May 13, if the threats made by Pekida that it would go to any length to defend the word ‘Allah’, including suffer a bloodbath, is anything to go by.

On May 5, when the High Court ruled against the Sidang Injil Borneo church, claiming ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Islam, the Muslims rejoiced. The High Court struck out Sabah SIB’s 2007 lawsuit against the Home Ministry for confiscating three boxes of Christian publications that contained the word “Allah”.

“This is definitely a victory for us, for Muslims nationwide. We are not talking about who is right or wrong, just that ‘Allah’ has always been for Muslims,” Perkasa youth chief, Irwan Fahmi Ideris, told an online news portal.

The extremists are not about to give up. Still, try as they may, the truth remains that no attempt will ever help Putrajaya ‘proselytise’ Malaysia. This is a nation not just for the Malays. Malaysia is home to the non-Muslims as well, so stop the racist rants and treat the latter with equal respect, if not more.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and an FMT columnist.