Cross protesters must be charged, Umno man says

Former Temerloh MP says the Sedition Act 1948 must be used fairly regardless of who the offending parties are.

KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities must act fairly by using the Sedition Act 1948 against those who desecrate places of worship, regardless of who the offending parties are, said the former Umno MP for Temerloh Abdul Aziz Rahman.

Abdul Aziz, who is also the president of Mubarak (Malaysian Council of Former Elected Representatives) was referring to the 50 protesters who demanded a church in Taman Medan remove a cross that members of its congregation had displayed at the front of their church.

“Of course, of course! You are desecrating a religious institution… you have to be fair,” he said in regard to the authorities using the full extent of the law against those who protested in front of the church during their Sunday service two weeks ago.

“In fact, now we are concerned as to why these people who attacked others (non-Muslims) are less subject to the law,” he told Malay Mail Online after a press conference yesterday.

He said the law needed to be executed fairly and that immediate action had to be taken against the 50, one of whom was the brother of Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar.

He also said he supported the retention of the Sedition Act simply because it helped prevent certain individuals from committing acts of extremism and of provoking sensitive issues.

He mentioned the demand to remove the cross from the church’s facade as well as those who complained about the azan (the Muslim call to prayer) as examples of sensitive issues that demanded the use of the Sedition Act.

The protesters in Taman Medan wanted the cross at the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church removed because they said it was a challenge to Islam and the sight of it in a predominantly Muslim area would influence young Muslims.

The pastor of the church eventually took down the cross for fear of aggravating the situation if he refused.