There was an absence of magnanimity, except only an abundance of arrogance, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim slammed his critics for being inflexible when he accused them of exaggerating and politicising “small” issues.
If only Anwar would stop living in denial and start to connect with the electorate instead of just placating the Malays and having minimal engagement with the non-Malays.
He could at least try to be the prime minister for all Malaysians, at all times, and not just in the run-up to the general election.
He should leave his ego at home and stop taking criticisms personally.
Anwar and his sycophants fail to understand that people who censure him do so out of concern for the future of the nation.
They speak out not because they hunger for power, prestige, position or a post in a GLC or other public institution.
Anwar singled out the temple relocation controversy and the scuffle between an unlicensed balloon vendor and enforcement officers as minor issues.
He said, “Small matters which can be questioned in a good way are made into big issues as if a war is going to happen.”
Name-calling unhelpful
Upset that his critics dared to undermine his authority and criticise him, he called them “bebal” (stupid).
“Bebal” appears to be the current fashionable word in Putrajaya. It was first used five days ago by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek to lash out at a Perikatan Nasional activist, Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, also known as Ratu Naga.
Fadhlina said Syarul Ema was suffering from “bebal-ism” (being stupid) and spreading “kebebalan” (stupidity), for mistakenly accusing Chinese school pupils of disrespecting the national anthem, when in actual fact, they were singing the Perak state anthem.
Prime ministers and ministers who freely label their critics as “bebal” show that they are insecure. They appear vulnerable, lack intuition and are out of touch with the electorate.
Instead of processing and paying attention to what had been said and taking note of any constructive criticism, these ministers fail to listen hard to what their critics are saying.
The temple issue and the balloon vendor fracas are not “small” issues as described by Anwar. “Small” issues which are not managed with the delicacy and urgency they deserve may escalate into major issues.
Self-serving politicians will almost always complicate matters and allow the problem to spiral out of control.
Temple issues
There have been many other temple issues nationwide.
in 2018, the 120-year-old Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya arose from a relocation issue between the temple authorities and the developer. A riot broke out, which resulted in the death of a firefighter, Adib Kassim.
If temples which are over a hundred years old face such threats, do mission schools and churches also fear the risk of being relocated or their lands seized, and their tenants issued with eviction notices?
Developers with powerful political friends appear to be able to purchase prime land with ease, often under cover of secrecy.
When a scandal erupts, these politicians often use the religious factor, Islam, to seize ownership of the land on which these buildings are sited.
What ‘strength’?
At the groundbreaking ceremony of Masjid Madani, Anwar said that he wanted to "showcase Islam’s strength".
Is this "strength" connected to the rising fundamentalism in Malaysia? An increasingly conservative Muslim society does not bode well for a multi-cultural Malaysia.
The following examples are probably "small" issues for Anwar. He may recall that last Ramadhan, an old Malay man slapped a non-Malay for eating in a shopping mall.
Was the mental and physical assault of the non-Muslim, this Malay's version of "showcasing Islam's strength"?
On April 8, we learnt that the state government of Perlis, the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council, the State Registrar of Converts and the mufti Asri Zainul Abidin were denied their chance to exercise their religious might over the rights of the individual, the single mother Loh Swee Hong.
Loh's three children, all Hindus, were unlawfully converted by her former abusive husband. The Perlis authorities demanded Loh bring the children up as Muslims. Which politician dared show support for Loh?
Losing sight of important matters
Will our MPs initiate a debate in Parliament about banning child marriages? Some Muslims consider it their religious right to marry an underage girl, just like their religious right to have four wives.
When Bernama reported a rise in incest and statutory rape cases in Kelantan, the most conservative state, only Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman expressed disgust.
The other MPs, including the prime minister, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) Naim Mokhtar, and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said nothing.
Large-scale corruption, slapping, hate speech, destroying/relocating temples, child marriages, incest, underage sex, and sexual abuse of tahfiz pupils and children in Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) are all perpetrated by Malays.
Despite the increased religious education, their moral values appear to have diminished.
No Malay MP has shown the courage to undo the decades-long religious brainwashing at home, in school and in the mosque.
So, would solving these "small issues” interest the PM? - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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