Allowing Zakir to stay disregards sentiments of the Indian community

I refer to our Prime Minister’s recent stand on the status of controversial preacher Zakir Naik.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad was widely reported to have said that Zakir can continue living in Malaysia if he does not create any disturbance here.

In my opinion, this opinion by Mahathir is in total disregard to the sentiments of the Indian community in Malaysia.

It is strange that Mahathir did not seek the advice of Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy or senior DAP leader P Ramasamy before coming to a decision on Zakir, considering the fact that he had previously sought their help to entice Indian votes.

What hurts the sentiments of the Indian community more is the fact that even in this so-called Malaysia Baru, the sentiments and feelings of the Indian community are held in utter disregard.

And worse, the sentiments and feelings of the Indian community in this country is being sidelined to protect one single individual. Has Zakir contributed more to Malaysia then ethnic Indians here? Certainly not.

Above all, the Zakir issue is having a clear consequential effect on our diplomatic relationship with India.

In India, Zakir is wanted for terrorism-related offences. Therefore, it is quite shocking that our government is actually contemplating in this issue. Would they accept a response like this if a wanted terrorist from our country is given shelter in India? The answer is a definite no.

By failing to adhere to the extradition request of the Indian government, we may have already triggered a diplomatic problem with India. Could the recent visa hike by the Indian government have been induced by the stand our government has taken on the issue?

Otherwise, there is no logical or rational reason to even consider increasing the visa tariff for Malaysia considering the frequency in which many Indians travel to India.

Therefore, I urge the home minister to take relevant actions in this Zakir matter. Do not let one individual compromise what has been built over years over here.

I would also suggest that the foreign ministry to make amends with India and restore our diplomatic relationship with them. - Mkini