Madani gov’t slammed for muted response to Ridhuan Tee’s UEC branding as “communist products”

POLITICAL commentator Prof James Chin has berated the Madani government for inaction over the alleged claim by Muslim convert preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah that Chinese independent schools and the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) are “communist products”.

This follows a recent statement by Sabah’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) vice-president David Ong Choon Chung who rubbished such claim while challenging the former Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) professor to show proof.

“What really frustrates me is that PH (Pakatan Harapan) used to say the government should take immediate action against anyone who stirs up racial and religious tension,” reacted the inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania in a social media post.

“But PH has been in power for four years now yet nothing has been done again hate-speech. In fact, hate-speech towards non-Muslims is worse than the BN (Barisan Nasional) era.

“The only logical conclusion is that these converts are either useful i*iots or they are tapping into a real and widespread anti-Chinese sentiment among parts of the Malaysian Muslim community.”

On Sunday (April 5), LDP’s Ong has defended the UEC which is taken by pupils in Chinese independent high schools in Malaysia as representing years of effort by the community to preserve language, culture and quality education.

“The UEC was established by Dong Zong in 1975, a long-standing and lawful education body in this country,” lambasted Ong.

“By making such accusations, is he (Ridhuan) implying that Dong Zong is a communist organisation? Is he suggesting that Malaysia allows or supports communist systems within its own education framework?”

Lax law enforcement

Elaborating further, Chin ticked off Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for condoning “these three converts who keep attacking the Malaysian Chinese community and Chinese education” with the “communists” and “anti-Malay” labels.

Editor’s Note:” The trio are Ridhuan Tee, Firdaus Wong and Adam Tan who is the New Muslims Development head at Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM), an NGO founded by Firdaus.

“They are given platforms to speak, hence the double standards mean those in power do nothing about it,” lamented the Madani critic who is also a senior associate at the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).

“PMX thinks he is playing smart  politics by ignoring this hate speech and doing nothing about the double-standards. But he will regret it one day when the same hate speech is turned against him.”

Meanwhile, DAP is not expected to do anything either given “their attitude is that these three converts will help consolidate support behind DAP”.

“… the more they attack the non-Muslims, the more the non-Muslim Chinese will move to support DAP out of fear and desperation. Now do you understand how crazy Malaysian politics is?”

Echoing Chin, vocal human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim bluntly put it that “Ridhuan Tee feels free to say these provocations and statements because the cost of saying it is low but the incentives are high”.

“He has built a public profile around provocative, identity-based commentary which generates attention (media + social media amplification), mobilises a specific audience base and positions him as a defender of a narrative,” observed the Orang Asli advocate.

“In today’s media environment, the more controversial the statement, the more visibility it gets. So from a purely strategic stand-point, there is very little downside unless consequences follow.”

This was further compounded by “weak or selective enforcement of laws” despite the Sedition Act 1948, Penal Code Section 505(b) & (c) and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 can apply to statements that inflame racial tensions.

“But the reality is enforcement is often inconsistent while action is sometimes reactive (unless there is massive public pressure),” chided Siti Kasim.

“This leads to a perception of double standards; when individuals see others not being held accountable, it creates a psychological effect: ‘I can say this and get away with it, too’.”  - Focus Malaysia