Anwar Ibrahim must lend his voice to end the violence perpetrated against the Hindus in Bangladesh, said Charles Santiago.
The former lawmaker said the premier has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to justice and defending those who are oppressed.
“Given that the prime minister has a leading role in the Islamic world, he should address the Muslim leaders in Bangladesh to exercise compassion and call for an end to the attacks,” he told Malaysiakini.
Charles pointed out that numerous Hindu groups in Malaysia have also expressed dissatisfaction with Anwar’s silence on this issue.
“These groups have taken to social media to air their concern about the situation in Bangladesh and are urging the Malaysian prime minister to make a stand,” he added.
Furthermore, Charles said there are some 500,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia.
“We do not want the problem in Bangladesh to play out in Malaysia as well.
“So to avoid such a situation, it would be wonderful if Anwar, who commands respect among Muslim nations, can play a key role by calling for calm and rule of law to prevail in Bangladesh,” he added.
Bangladesh unrest
Based on his research, Charles said there have been some 200 attacks against the Hindu minorities in 46 districts, which erupted following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to Reuters, a school teacher was killed in the attacks which targeted residences, places of worship, and businesses.
Hundreds have also taken to the streets of the capital Dhaka to protest against the violence.
Al-Jazeera reported that the Hindus, who comprise the largest minority faith in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, were perceived largely as supporters of Hasina’s party, the Awami League.
On Sunday, Bangladesh’s interim government vowed to “immediately sit with the representative bodies and other concerned groups to find ways to resolve such heinous attacks”.
Meanwhile, former DAP leader P Ramasamy, who now heads the yet-to-be-registered United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai), has questioned Anwar’s silence on the situation in Bangladesh.
“Even if taking up the issue of human rights in Bangladesh has no local traction, Anwar, who represents the multiracial and multi-religious population of Malaysia, should register his protest with the interim government in Bangladesh,” he said.
He also censured DAP and PKR leaders for not speaking up on the matter. - Mkini
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