PETALING JAYA - Malay scholars welcome the open letter jointly signed by 25 Malay dignitaries, saying their remarks have reflected the voices of the "silent majority."
The Malaysian Bar and the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia also agree that it is now time to discuss the influences and issues pertaining to the Syariah law.
The open letter was signed yesterday to express their concerns of the current situation in the country, including some religious agencies acting overboard by issuing verdicts contravening the Federal Constitution in an undemocratic manner.
'They are not the majority'
The Institute for Democracy & Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan told Sin Chew Daily that the "voices of Malay" had been all this while been dominated by the viewpoints of the extremist and aggressive groups, adding that they nevertheless did not represent the majority of Malays, but were the "noisiest" groups.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan
"issuing the open letter is a very good and positive development. I am very glad that the silent majority are willing to speak up. The positive statements from these 25 Malay leaders have allowed us to move forward towards real solidarity."
Wan Saiful nevertheless said the interracial relationship was still quite OK without major problems. However, Malaysians are well aware that if there is any racial problem in this country, certain individuals are set to benefit from it.
"If we don't have people to confront these extremist voices, interracial relationship in this country will become even more tense in the future. As such, groups which are unwilling to see racial problems in this country must really voice up. This is of utmost importance. Such an open letter should have emerged long ago."
He said if the Malays were to live in fear, they would feel intimidated and their status eroded, allowing certain irresponsible quarters to gain political interests. Because of this, we have a lot of problems that do not help address the national unity issue.
"Most importantly the silent majority supporting progressiveness and liberalism must speak up their minds proactively for the sake of the country. I hope this open letter is not the last."
Umno, PAS not respecting human rights and democracy
Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) chairman cum director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa said the recent racial and religious tension had been attributed to the extremists in Umno and PAS trying to woo the support of the Malay community. He slammed both the parties for not respecting human rights and democracy.
"The predominant group in this country is the Muslim population. Because of this, both Umno and PAS have to compete to fight for the support of the Malays. And when PAS said they wanted to implement the hudud law and establish the Islamic state, Umno was quick to dance to their tune.
"We have been thrown into these two forces. They both do not show respect for human rights and democracy."
He told Sin Chew Daily that it was timely for these Malay leaders, including several retired senior civil servants. to speak up or the country's po.litical agenda would be wholly hijacked by the extreme rightists groups.
"This open letter very likely represents the voice of the silent majority. What we see nowadays is that there are many extremist voices against liberalism, including the just concluded Umno general assembly.
He said secularism, liberalism and democratic values had been demonized. He urged Malaysians not to be influenced by these extremist groups.
"Promoting liberalism is seen by these extremists as lacking religious values. Liberalism is against all sorts of oppression, fighting for the interests of the minorities as well as fair and just elections. How is it contrary to our religious teachings? I really don't understand!"
Ahmad Farouk said Malaysia had been a member of the UNHRC and was recently elected a non-permanent member of the US Security Council. He said if the government was not willing to show r respect for human rights, it should not have contested for the posts.
"Why do they tell the world they embrace human rights while they do things against the principles of human rights back home? I fully support this open letter."
Dialog to resolve problems
Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia president Musa Awang said his association respected the open letter asking for open debate of Syariah law.
"However, this issue should not be open for discussion. Instead, representatives from relevant units such as the judiciary system and religious agencies should sit down together to explore ways to resolve the problems in a government-brokered dialog.
He said if the dialog were to open to the public for discussion, then there might be people not well aware of the whole thing expressing their own views, and this would not help resolve the problem.
He nevertheless admitted that one dialog alone would not solve the existing problems.
The Malaysian Bar Syariah Law Committee chairman Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari said overlapping and conflicts between Syariah and civil courts had been in existence for many years, adding that he fully supported the open letter to seriously address all our controversies today.
Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari
He said the Federal Constitution was the supreme set of laws in this country and all other regulations and laws by state assemblies shall not override the Federal Constitution.
He said if there were any discrepancies between the hudud law and the Federal Constitution, the Federal Constitution shall prevail and all other laws were invalid and unconstitutional.
He agreed to review the existing Syariah law through open debates or dialogs, but said these dialogs had to be conducted in a rational manner.
font color=blue>Support from MCA senators
MCA vice president Senator Datuk Hou Kok Chung said all MCA senators unanimously supported the viewpoints of the 25 Malay dignitaries, and hoped the prime minister would continue to defend the Customary Law and safeguard the constitution spirit.
He said during a press conference at the Parliament lobby that we should continue to have such voices in the country.
"We hope more liberal individuals will stand on our side to preserve the integrity of our Constitution."
He said MCA supported the prime minister's moderation approach, adding that the PM should listen to the views of more liberal leaders. - Mysinchew
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