Art blames gov’t for rising bigotry, Islamic fundamentalism

Lawyer says freedom, liberty and equitable distribution of wealth as envisioned by our forefathers was destroyed by the government "in the name of political expediency and vote baiting."

PETALING JAYA: The present government has destroyed the principles of freedom and liberty as cemented in the Rukunegara and replaced it with a climate of fear by creating imaginary enemies for the Malay masses, said lawyer cum social activist Azhar Harun.

In a recent Facebook posting, Art, as he is popularly known, said the vision of our forefathers who wanted “freedom and liberty” as well as the equitable distribution of wealth had been destroyed by the government of the day “in the name of political expediency and vote baiting.”

He added, “Instead, they (the government) espouse inequality under the guise of pseudo-nationalism that is premised upon racial superiority and inequality by subjugating the unsuspecting Malay masses; creating and subjecting them to a state of fear by the creation of imaginary enemies and bogeymen.”

He said the government would never admit it, or were likely oblivious to this fact, but that their actions had resulted in the Malay masses having re-embraced parochialism while seeking security against the “them” and “the others” created by the government.

“The fact is that this government is the single biggest factor for the rise in the support of bigotry, Islamic fundamentalism and the IS (Islamic State) among the Malay Muslims in Msia.”

He also remarked that what was even more “sickening” was the fact that their adherence to Islam was “mere show.”