The men who hunt P Ramasamy

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”?

- L Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I really did not want to write another article relating to that Indian import Zakir Naik, but the attacks by the far right elements from the Malay establishment against Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy are just another example of why this idea of a “new Malaysia” is a farce.

I have no idea why Ramasamy would agree to meet Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin to sort out their disagreements over that alleged criminal seeking safety on our shores.

As usual what the Malay/Muslim far right have done is make the issue about the “other” instead of the alleged criminality of their brethren. The issue has become about Ramasamy and his alleged links with a “terrorist” organisation instead of about a wanted man and why this country grants him not only asylum but also the respect normally accorded to a world-renowned religious scholar.

A meeting with this dubious preacher who has displayed the usual religious and racist bigotry when it comes to non-Muslims in this country legitimises the lies spewed by the corrupt religious establishment in this country against Ramasamy.

I was never on the bandwagon when this Perlis mufti was the darling of the then opposition. Asri has the ability to say one thing to appear “moderate” and another to satisfy his religious base. As far as I’m concerned, his performance at the Suhakam inquiry and his feeble response to Siti Kassim’s onslaught on his appreciation of such a terrorist as Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi is demonstrates the kind of person that Asri is.

To recap: “This really meant that he was not in a position publicly to exalt (for religious reasons, you understand) the disappearance of a person he had deemed a threat to national security for his supposed religious beliefs that went against the state-sanctioned Islam of this country. And at one time, this was the poster boy for religious moderation amongst opposition supporters.”

So yeah, why would Ramasamy agree to meet a Zakir supporter like the mufti of Perlis? More importantly the duelling supporters who attempted to shout each other down at Komtar recently makes it appear as if this is a Hindu/Muslim clash when the reality is that this is merely the case of an alleged criminal wanted by the Indian government and the people who are against the granting of his asylum in this country.

What I want to know is why hasn’t there been a sustained interfaith condemnation against Zakir Naik and unconditional support for Ramasamy? Do you really think that the other non-Muslim faiths are not in the cross-hairs of Zakir Naik and his supporters? Do you really think that this is solely an Indian/Hindu issue?

Hate to break it to those non-Muslims who do not want to rock the boat but the reality is that coddling political operatives who just want to curry favour with the Pakatan Harapan Grand Poobah and demonstrate that they are not the power behind the throne is exactly how the MCA got its “running dog” credentials.

Which brings me to those big fat cowards, the DAP. The DAP wants an explanation from Ramasamy about his alleged links with the LTTE? Really? The snivelling remarks by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow that he has full confidence that Ramasamy can explain himself is the height of political expediency. To the mandarins of the DAP, Ramasamy has already explained himself. What is needed is the DAP have the backbone to support a political operative of theirs instead of this weaselling stance which appears as support but sounds more like disavowment.

Dodgy legal arguments

How many times has Professor Ramasamy defended the actions and rhetoric of the DAP? How many times have statements been made about the DAP or their political operatives and Ramasamy has, on cue, responded in the press? How many times has Ramasamy come to the aid of the members of the DAP so much so that he gained a reputation of being a “DAP Indian apologist” by the Umno crowd and those who support the DAP but not specific stands taken by the party?

And this is his reward after his long history of being an able defender of the party? He gets to explain himself on charges which have no bearing on the issues at hand but are red herrings by the deep Islamic state to protect a possible asset.

Instead of Zakir Naik, the issue now has become whether the LTTE is a terrorist organisation or whether what it struggles for is similar to the Palestinian cause. What horse manure. This is exactly how religious extremists hijack the conversation because the side they are up against are pushovers who would rather waffle than take a stand.

I have said this before and I will say this again - I get the dodgy legal arguments put forward by the Harapan Malay/Muslim establishment as to why they think that Zakir Naik should not be extradited. I get the argument that he may not get a fair trial, even though I do not subscribe to it. But the most important question people like Mujahid Yusuf Rawa has not answered is what is the official Harapan stand on what Zakir Naik preaches about?

Does the Islam he preaches reflect the stand of the Harapan Malay/Muslim establishment? Does what he preach contribute to their own narratives of an inclusive and harmonious vision of Islam? Would they want him to be a de-radicalisation expert like that Zamihan fellow?

Instead, a DAP stalwart has to defend himself on charges that he supports a terrorist group and he gets no real support from the party that was part of creating this new Malaysia. The reality is that the mainstream Malay/ Muslim power structures support Islamic groups that are deemed terrorist organisations by many governments in the world including certain Middle Eastern governments. Want an example?

Read this: "PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang may be quivering with rage over the announcement that certain Gulf states including the once cherished kingdom have placed the organisation he is vice-president of - the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) - on a terror list, but the reality is that Islamists all over the world who once looked to the kingdom as that bright shining exemplar of Islamic supremacy, have been caught with their pants down by the moves of the young prince."

So maybe, Ramasamy should debate Zakir on who is a terrorist. But then again there is no debating these people.

Not in this country.

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. - Mkini