Start barking or Malaysia will go to dogs, PM told

The prime minister has been told to show leadership in tackling inflammatory statements by groups such as Perkasa, lest the country "goes to the dogs".

The government's silence in the face of "perilous and dangerous words" uttered by the Malay supremacist group is a sign of powerlessness, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president Wilfred Bumburing said in a statement today.

Instead, remarks such as Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim's threatening call, claimed to have been said in error, to "chop off" the heads of those who ridicule Islam and the Selangor sultan "should have been taken very seriously by the government".

"Again, for the umpteenth time, l call upon the prime minister to provide us the kind of leadership the country needs.

"Otherwise the country will go to the dogs," said Bumburing (left).

The Sabah leader said it was ironic that Penang assemblyperson RSN Rayer could be charged in court for uttering the word "celaka", although it was spoken in the "constitutionally protected environment" of the state assembly.

In direct contrast, one who threatens to chop people's heads off are "let running around", the Tamparuli assemblyperson said.

"The government's continued silence and inaction in tackling these issues only go to show that Malaysia is moving towards 'mobocracy', where the government of the day is powerless to apply the rule of law," said the Sabah veteran.

Ruslan this week said he had mistakenly called for the chopping off the heads of four Selangor PAS parliamentarians who alling on the state to amend its laws to limit the powers of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) to be under the state's directive.

The Perkasa leader later explained he had meant to call for their political careers to be decapitated, not their heads.