RK Anand| April 1, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
Bishop Paul Tan is incensed over the video which shows MP Zulkifli Noordin belittling the Hindu faith and demands action from the ‘1Malaysia’ government.
KUALA LUMPUR: The video recording of a member of Parliament belittling the Hindu faith has prompted a Catholic priest to question the government’s double standard in dealing with such matters.
Bishop Paul Tan pointed out that the present ruling government had not hauled up any Muslim who uttered seditious words and made seditious gestures against those of other religions while it acted against those who stated unpleasant things about Islam.
The head of the Malacca-Johor diocese was responding to the video of Kulim Bandar Bahru MP Zulkifili Noordin who mocked how statues of Hindu deities could not prevent a flood in Masjid India here.
The video, which was uploaded on YouTube, had since gone viral.
Zulkifli is also the vice-president of Perkasa, whose president Ibrahim Ali had also earned the wrath of Tan when he called for the torching of Malay bibles that used the term Allah.
The bishop recounted how he had in the past called on the government to take action against both Ibrahim and Perkasa patron and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad over this issue.
“What sort of justice is this? It is no justice but bigotry which the Almighty God himself would be ashamed of,” he said.
“God sees, hears and knows everything. In spite of the fact that final justice is rendered by the Almighty God, we humans are not exempt from taking the right means to right what is wrong.
“Failure to do so is an immorality which must be punished,” he added.
Tan also quoted PKR vice-president N Surendran, who pointed out that Section 198 A of the Penal Code provided for the punishment of those who utter words which cause disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will on grounds of religion.
“Let his [Surendran’s] words ring in the ears of those who planned 1Malaysia,” said the Bishop, in reference to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
“Or is the 1Malaysia only a political slogan with self interests?” he asked.
Rising bigotry
Without any political interest, Tan said he would lend his support to the politicians and groups who called for action to be taken against Zulkifli, a lawyer by profession.
The latest video controversy had also cast doubts on whether Barisan Nasional would throw its support behind the ex-PKR leader in the coming polls.
Zulkifli quit the Anwar Ibrahim-led PKR after crossing swords with the leadership and since then had launched a smear campaign against the opposition party.
Although the Najib administration had stressed on the importance of fostering stronger racial and religious ties, bigotry appeared to be on the rise.
The prime minister had also been criticised for not acting or reprimanding the culprits, such as the likes of Perkasa, who seem to be above the law, leading some to claim that it was backed by Umno.
These controversies had also tainted Malaysia’s image in the international arena as being a moderate Muslim nation.
This Zul Noordin is a frog.And as usual frogs are meant to be eaten.When Umnoputras have no more use of him he will be discarded or sold to the butcher.
This guy Zul Noordin is so blurdy smart that he jumped on to a sinking Titanic.Go figure.
Let us pray that God Almighty will help to remove the evil BN regime.
Now more and more people are annoyed and feel disgusted over BN for not only corruption,incompetence,racial bigotry,cronyism but also double standards.1 Malaysia my bludy foot.
this bishop paul tan should enter politic , another guy looking for cheap publicity
You can go on hunger strike, you can beg to umno, but most importantly, learnt from the Bishop, Said what is right! Trust what is right! Do what is right!
Other than died from hunger, geting dump after winning the GE, some leaders get lot of money along the way, whatelse you expect from umno?
Umno can’t understand what chinese want, and i really don’t understand what indian want, do you?
Is the Bishop out of his mind? Mahathirism define ITS OWN JUSTICE..It does not accept general accepted principles and basis. Why else is our judicial system such a wreck? Mahathirism as its very core is simply 1) complain About the PAST, 2) Making excuses to steal, corrupt, AND injustice and 3) NOT about the future and moving forward.. HOW CAN THERE BE JUSTICE?
They DO NOT STOP UNLESS WE MAKE THEM. They make excuses, they hide, they get slimier. Najib says ‘transformation’ but productivity is still the same, fight corruption but the scandals GET Bigger and more ridiculous, more transparency but end up with an electoral roll corrupted worst than ever, etc. etc.. Zukilfli Nordin means NOTHING..Did Kerismuddin stop? No..
hi idiot Chengho?,,,,,how many times do you want to keep repeating your sickening stuffs????
Why are you so eager to see Bishop Paul Tan go into politics?
No other ideas to get votes for BN?
Time 4 ACTION – spread d words n get your flock 2 VOTE wisely, ABU, vote 4 PR n kick out UmnoB/BN
JUST DO IT, no more words, words, words …..
Dear monsterball,
Chengho is really a dap/pakatan supporter. Just that he has decided to play the opposite role here to rile up ppl like you and I.
You see nothing angers us more than attempts to shore up the unsupportables. And chengho’s plot is to do precisely that by praising and showering support upon umno and jib.
Good job chengho!
The church should also exhort its followers to dump the UMNO/BN government.
The church has an interest to see to it that good governance and justice prevail in this country.
The fact is that nobody, not even men of the collar can tolerate the odious behaviour of such a party.
If anyone wants to read any political inference into this, so be it because everybody has an interest in ensuring the well-being of the country and its people.
The church is no exception.
I think its a foregone conclusion which way christians in the country would vote in GE13. And umno’s (or rather jib’s) inaction serves only to reinforce their resolution to show their great dissapointment with the present government.
I think this idiot MP made a silly comment. Why didn’t he ask why God could not prevent the outbreak of the World Wars, the attacks on the World Trade Centres or the Arab Israeli conflict? May be he could go on further by saying that he had lost faith in God. Absolutely no action would be taken by the Government for the remarks made by him.
We need a good governance and obviously UMNO cannot deliver that. They can only shout and rant with empty slogans. Empty vessels make most noise. Do you want to have a hare brain leader like Najib??