Justice upheld, now time to safeguard the law

Appeal to the Prime Minister to normalise the laws on religious conversion so that it does not cause further distress.

COMMENT

from: A. Vaithilingam, via email

I am overjoyed by the unanimous decision of the Federal Court requiring Ms Indira Ghandi to be reunited with her daughter, and further compelling the police to enforce this judgment.

This is a decision that upholds the Federal Constitution, and will provide a huge relief to all Malaysians regardless of faith and ethnic background. It is hoped that the Courts will continue to uphold the Constitution in several other cases soon to be heard. The Inspector General of Police must respond by enforcing this decision without further delay by ensuring that the child is returned to the mother.

It remains to be seen if this will be carried out before we can regain assurance that the police will act fairly to uphold the law.

I remember very well the nightmare faced by Indira and her family when she first came to know of the illegal actions of her then husband.

The Malaysia Hindu Sangam and the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism & Taoism did our best to support her in her attempts to retrieve her daughter. We were surprised by the public support and sympathy that Indira received, even from Muslims.

I was then leading both MHS and MCCBCHST. During the same week, I was invited to attend a meeting together with five Federal Ministers (two from Umno, 1 from MCA, 1 from MIC, and 1 from Gerakan). All expressed shock and sympathy for the mother.

At the end of this two-hour discussion, they unanimously agreed that the government will propose a new law to stop conversion of minors. The following week, the Cabinet announced that it had approved this new law. Unfortunately, the tabling of this new law was delayed, and eventually shelved after protests from certain religious leaders.

It remains a great disservice to all Malaysians that this new law to protect the integrity of all families is still delayed. Since then, many Cabinet Ministers have expressed their sympathies and support for Indira Ghandi. Many leaders from the Opposition have also expressed their dismay about the travails of Indira Ghandi. Surprisingly, even some PAS MPs have recorded their sympathy to the injustice suffered by the mother.

Although things have dragged on for years, I am at last relieved that this matter has been resolved. My heartiest congratulations to the legal team headed by YB Kulasegaran. He has been able supported by some very dedicated lawyers, including K. Shanmuga, Fahri Azzat and Aston Paiva.

However, there is this issue of unlawful child conversion which is still pending, and several cases are still up in the air.

I fervently appeal to the Prime Minister to resolve this matter as soon as possible by normalising the laws so that it does not cause further distress to families – especially the children.

I pray to the Almighty God that our very vociferous IGP will show some compassion for mothers who lose their babies in such a cruel way. Abducting an 11-month-old infant from her mother and keeping the child away for years, is not only cruel, but now clearly established by the highest court of Malaysia, to be a criminal act!

A. Vaithilingam is a former president of Malaysia Hindu Sangam and the MCCBCHST.