Police should probe real culprits behind racial, religious tensions

ADUN SPEAKS | Fighting for the rights of underaged children to be reunited with their mother is not a crime in the country.

In the last two weeks or so, I have made numerous statements to support the cause of the single mother Loh Siew Hong to be reunited with her children.

The issue is not about religion or race, it is about the fundamental rights of Loh to have her children back.

The fact that her former husband Nagahswaran Muniandy took the children to be converted in the absence of the mother should not be the focus.

Whether the children were converted to Islam remains to be seen.

Conversion or not, the fact remains that Loh had two court orders giving her custody of her children in 2019 and 2021.

Loh’s search for her children was frantic and heart-wrenching.

Loh Siew Hong and her children

Ultimately, natural law triumphed when the court consented to her application for habeas corpus on February 21, 2022.

This landmark decision finally reunited her with the children.

Contrary to earlier remarks from irresponsible parties, the reunion was a joyous occasion.

There was a natural bond between the mother and the children.

Nothing to hide

From the perspective of the law, the conversion of minors needs the consent of both the father and mother.

This was the constitutional interpretation of the federal court in the custody case of Indira Gandhi in 2018.

The fact that there are state laws that might be ultra vires the constitution cannot be used to justify any unilateral conversion.

It is up to the attorney-general to advise the state governments to amend their laws in accordance with the constitution on matters of custody and conversion.

I have been asked by the police in Bukit Aman to assist in their investigation of a statement that was published by me on my Facebook a few days back.

The police reports against me in relation to the article contend that my statements were provocative, incendiary and caused unnecessary religious and racial tensions.

My article in Bahasa Melayu ( translated from English) basically said that if there was evidence that the children were abducted and converted, the police must act.

I don’t know how such a statement or remark can be construed as damaging, provocative and incendiary.

Anyway, the police have the right to investigate as I have nothing to hide from them.

At the same time police reports have been made against an official of the Perlis religious department and others for making wild allegations against my colleagues and me.

I am sure the police would not miss these police reports in their zeal to investigate me.

The last thing I want to do is to incite racial and religious tensions.

I simply don’t understand why my support for Loh to be reunited with her children can be turned into a racial and religious matter.

It was not a religious or racial matter, it was Loh’s unending quest to be with her children, converted or not.

But yet in this country, sad to say, everything needs to be turned into a vicious zero-sum game.

The mother’s search and subsequent reunion with her children have been wrongly interpreted as a loss for some and gain for others.

This dangerous and shallow perception fits in very well with the diversionary tactics of some well placed in certain establishments to cause disunity in this country.

The police should also act decisively on the police reports against those who tried to turn Loh’s custody battle into something racial and religious.

I am prepared to be investigated. - Mkini

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P RAMASAMY is Perai assemblyperson and Penang deputy chief minister II.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.