Asri-Ramasamy spat resolved after meeting with minister

The reported spat between Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy and Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has been resolved following their meeting this afternoon.

De facto Islamic affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who mediated the meeting, said that the duo has settled their differences on issues surrounding controversial preacher Zakir Naik and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"Both of them agree that the issue of LTTE will be handed over to the authorities.

"And secondly, on the issue of Zakir, they also agreed to leave the matter to the government. They will accept any decisions made by the cabinet," Mujahid told reporters at a joint press conference with Ramasamy and Asri at the Putrajaya Islamic Complex lobby.

The feud between the pair first arose after the Perlis mufti suggested that Ramasamy debate Zakir to see who was the "real terrorist," referring to the DAP lawmaker's purported links to the LTTE.

No such tensions were visible during the "friendly" 40-minute meeting, according to Mujahid, who added that the pair even discovered that they had several things in common.

"Ramasamy didn't know that Asri was also from Penang... so those kind of things are good," he added.

Platform for discussion

The minister explained that the meeting was focused on the larger picture of establishing a platform to discuss issues that could potentially trigger racial or religious tension.

Asri (photo) agreed with the suggestion, saying that agencies like Islamic Development Department (Jakim) – under Mujahid's ministry – could oversee such a mechanism.

"Maybe Ramasamy before this had no channel to express his views on the issue of Zakir, and similarly I also have no channel...So today we found the channel to discuss the matter," the mufti said.

On the issue of Zakir's permanent residency, Asri said that both he and Ramasamy agreed that the preacher can remain in Malaysia so long as he abides by the country's laws and cultural norms.

Ramasamy, meanwhile, described the meeting as a success, and a positive step towards promoting Jakim's role in helping to diffuse potential racial-religious tensions through discussions.

"If the nation's harmony is our main focus, then I am willing to discuss with anyone. 

"Because racial-religious harmony is very important, and we do not want Malaysia to be trapped by such issues," he said.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had previously reiterated that Zakir would not be deported to India, where he is wanted by authorities for alleged money-laundering and terrorism.

In a statement last month, Zakir expressed his gratitude over the prime minister's stand, and claimed his image had been tarnished by a group of "religious fanatics".

-Mkini