Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to form a special cabinet committee to discuss race, religious, and language-related issues to preserve unity.
According to the Upko honorary president, Anwar himself should chair the committee, and be assisted by the ministers in charge of religion and unity, while other senior ministers should be members.
Madius (above) was responding to the call by Muslim NGOs earlier this month to expedite amendments to the Federal Constitution, in light of certain cases challenging Islamic laws.
"I empathise with the concerns of my Muslim friends, but I plead for the wisdom of all quarters for this matter to not be handled in a hasty and exclusive manner, as though the constitutional amendment is a Muslim-only business, and can be decided by only Muslim MPs.
‘Don’t rush’
"Let us manage changes carefully. Let us not rush into making changes before a consensus is reached with the input of all stakeholders involved. At a time where the country's politics is unstable with doubts and hatred spread by certain parties, managing change should be prioritised," he said in a statement today in conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebrations tomorrow.
The celebrations call for the law of the land, namely the Federal Constitution, to reign supreme, he said.
"Laws and policies can have a spillover effect…," Madius said, citing the banning of the word "Allah" for non-Muslims, which he noted poses a problem for a Christian Sabahan like him, who converses in Malay.
"All stakeholders should be at least notified and have their feedback heard on sensitive issues. That is the only way we can prevent political discord by parties that are looking to take advantage of the situation.
"Do not let the situation prolong until everyone mobilises the grassroots to pressure or protest. By then, the temperature will be way beyond the cooling-off point," he said. - Mkini
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