Mariam Mokhtar | February 7, 2014
Free Malaysia Today
The behaviour of the protesters yesterday reminds us of religious fanatics in Afghanistan or deepest Pakistan.
COMMENT
The deviants who claim to be Muslims and who wish to preserve the dignity of Malays by offering a reward to anyone who slaps Seputeh MP Teresa Kok are deranged.
They should know that there are no winners in the escalating tensions within the country. The latest act of bloody provocation has tarnished Islam and brought further disrepute to the Muslim community.
These deviants have also insulted the memory of Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman who was born on Feb 8, 111 years ago. If he was alive today, he would have shed tears to see the country which he led to Merdeka being destroyed by men who are not worthy to be called leaders.
The men who claim to represent the Council of Islamic NGOs slaughtered four chickens and then daubed blood on the faces of opposition representatives, portrayed on a banner. They were upset by Teresa’s satirical video.
Did they feel good making that spectacle? Judging from the news reports, they acted like crazed men. Their behaviour reminds us of religious fanatics in Afghanistan or deepest Pakistan, who have just beheaded a man, and in their euphoria, celebrate by shooting their AK-47s into the air.
If these deviants are not censured, how long will it be before we descend to the point of no return and these loopy individuals bathe themselves in blood, whilst shouting “God is Great”?
If these irresponsible individuals thought they had managed to make Muslims angry then they are correct. Muslims are outraged. Sane, responsible Muslims are angry that their leaders, the police and the religious bodies which are supposed to uphold the teachings of Islam, do nothing.
The leaders appear more concerned about preserving the status-quo, to maintain their image and social standing. Malaysia is just a source of income and status to them.
If this was a civilized country, the authorities would have swooped on these deranged men and applied the full force of the law.
Moreover, there is little chance of achieving a First World status by 2020 when we have regressed into a primitive age where tit-for-tat measures and tribal wars predominate, and where dialogue and intelligent discussion are non-existent.
Dangerous ground
One of the organisers of this deviant group called Zulkifly Sharif allegedly accused four opposition politicians of using the price hikes to belittle and topple Malay leaders.
Zulkifly should spend more time talking to the man-in-the-street than converting the roadside into an abattoir.
Ministers, their spouses and Umno Baru cronies are not affected by price-hikes. It stands to reason that if Zulkifly benefits from the corrupt system, then he would naturally want the rakyat to stop complaining.
Zulkifly is wrong to say that Umno Baru leaders were “democratically elected by the people of Malaysia.”
Najib Tun Razak was not democratically elected. By his own admission, only 47% of the electorate voted for him, and that is after a lot of alleged cheating at the ballot box. If the truth be known, this amount of 47% is probably closer to 20%.
Zulkifly strayed onto dangerous ground when he urged the government to expel Chinese and Indian citizens who are not fluent in Malay.
He said, “We hope that, while the operation to flush out illegal immigrants is on-going, that the Home Ministry will also screen Malaysians, especially the Chinese and Indians who are not fluent in Malay or no longer show loyalty to the king and country to be banished.”
The rakyat knows that one man allegedly authorised the import of several hundred thousand Filipinos, in the 80s and 90s, to boost Umno Baru numbers in Sabah. This man did not show loyalty to king and country, and should head the list of those to be expelled from Malaysia.
A high-profile Malay, who was a former DAP member, but who is now pro-Umno Baru, is known to be an anglophile. When he speaks Malay, many people wince at the way he mangles and struggles with the Malay language. Should he be expelled?
Last week, four Malay children who have lived most, if not all of their lives abroad, while their parents were posted overseas, returned home. The mainstream media highlighted their lack of fluency in Malay. Should these innocent children be expelled?
Silent leaders
Zulkifly and his ilk are being used by Umno Baru leaders to create disharmony in Malaysia. Their target is you, the rakyat.
These deviants may claim they are protecting the good name of the leaders but why are they quiet when leaders are alleged to be corrupt or to have broken the law?
These deviants claim to uphold the good name of the Malay rulers but they have kept silent about the allegations that a royal member threatened to kill a member of the T-Team. This is not the first incident involving royalty.
A few years ago, similar deviants sent death threats to Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and left a dead chicken at the entrance to her office. Teo was reaching out to her constituency, including making visits to the mosque, to find out how her constituents could be better served.
The recent spate of violence is threatening the harmony of Malaysia, its stability and its economic future.
The voices of condemnation from the ruling party, our royal institutions and our Islamic leaders are muted. The rakyat knows why they are silent.
Thursday’s group of deviants want to create chaos and to strike fear into our hearts by harping on May 13. We should not let them take control of our streets and our minds.
Ordinary Malay and Muslim voices have the power to stop this madness. If a few Malays/Muslims were able to defend a church in Shah Alam, I am confident that thousands more Malays and Muslims could march in solidarity with their non-Muslim peers, to protect the true spirit of multi-cultural Malaysia.
That would be a fitting act in memory of the Tunku.
Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.