Two events yesterday are the latest signs that the merchants of racial and religious hatred are continuously upping the ante to escalate racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension in Malaysia to serve their petty political ends, viz:
— The vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article yesterday falsely attacking non-Malays for insulting Malays, Islam and Rulers and warning them to know their “limits”; and
— The hurling of a slab of meat, believed to be pork, at a mosque at Cherok Tokun in Machang Bubuk yesterday morning.
Utusan Malaysia, UMNO’s official organ, had been enjoying immunity and impunity for its nefarious and long-standing mischief of disseminating lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious misunderstanding, hatred, conflict and tension – as for example in its front-page lie that the DAP wanted to create a Christian Malaysia and that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers.
As Mingguan Malaysia – the Sunday edition of Utusan Malaysia – belongs to UMNO, the UMNO President and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the UMNO Deputy President and Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and the UMNO National Vice Presidents and UMNO Ministers must declare whether the vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article reflects the latest thinking and position of the UMNO leadership.
Furthermore, whether the other 12 Barisan Nasional component parties including MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sarawak and Sabah component parties, acquiesce in the latest Umno thinking and position as reflected in the vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article.
The article, entitled “Melayu, Islam dihina di Tanah Melayu” by the deputy editor of Mingguan Malaysia, Azman Anuar, said the “laidback, compromising” attitude of the Malays had led to non-Malays overstepping their boundaries and daring to question previously off-limit subjects.
It said: “Non-Malays have apparently forgotten that Malaysia’s majority population is Malays. They have no respect at all for the Bumiputera. Why has this happened? It is because we are too compromising, too afraid to take action against those who have insulted Malays and Islam.
“In the end, it appears as if non-Malays are the landlords and Malays are the tenants, immigrants and the minority in our own country.”
Azman, who was recently promoted to his current post in the paper, also accused the non-Malays of “playing with fire”, with the following warning:
“It is just a matter of time before the hornets who are attempting to defend their nests against intruders will retaliate.”
He said until today, “the hornets have not revealed their sting” as they are merely making noise and appearing to go on the offensive so that intruders would feel apprehensive.
“This is the actions of Malays who are still patient in the face of various provocations. But if pushed further, the hornets will not keep silent.
“If the nest is invaded and burnt just so that the honey can be taken away, Malays will not be so tolerant anymore,”
This is a most vile and vitriolic article, as it is incendiary, inflammatory and seditious writing to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension, and what is even more reprehensible, based on lies and falsehoods.
It is a complete lie for anyone to accuse non-Malays of insulting Malays, Islam and Rulers, for the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, whether Malays or non-Malays, Muslims or non-Muslims, respect each other’s racial, religious and cultural sensitivities and differences in our plural society.
I dare say that after 56 years of nationhood, the overwhelming majority of non-Malays and non-Muslims respect the Malay and Muslim sensitivities and differences, just as I believe that the overwhelming majority of Malays and Muslims respect the non-Malay and non-Muslim sensitivities and differences.
I do not deny that there may be a handful of non-Malays and non-Muslims who do not respect the Malay and Muslim rights and sensitivities, just as there are a handful on Malays and Muslims who do not respect the non-Malay and non-Muslim rights and sensitivities.
Actions should be taken against these extremists, whether Malay and Muslim or non-Malay and non-Muslim, because a successful and sustainable plural nation like Malaysia can have no room for such extremists, whether non-Malay and non-Muslim or Malay and Muslim!
This is why I had called on moderates in Malaysia, who I believe comprise the overwhelming majority regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, to unite to save the country from the extremists whether Malay, Muslim, non-Malay, non-Muslim who only want to create racial and religious distrust, animosity, hatred, conflict and tension hoping to create another May 13 riots or bigger racial chaos and religious conflagration.
The Mingguan Malaysia article yesterday is an example of the most irresponsible, incendiary, inflammatory and seditious exhortation which warrant the immediate attention of the Police and the Attorney-General to put a halt to the further racial and religious polarization in the country through ceaseless incitement of racial and religious misunderstandings, animosities, hatred, conflict and tension.
It is also noteworthy that there had been attempts to justify the national frenzy and attacks on DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok’s “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video on the ground that it is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers, but no iota of evidence to substantiate these serious allegations had ever been forwarded in the past three weeks.
The second incident, the throwing of a slab of meat, believed to be pork, at a mosque in Penang raises the inevitable question why the so-called anti-Malay and anti-Islam acts only happened in Pakatan Rakyat-states of Penang and Selangor?
Clearly, this is the work of very amateurish “agents provocateurs” who want to create the impression that Malays and Muslims in Malaysia, and in particular in Penang and Selangor, are under siege – when it is completely untrue and a total concoction of anti-national and anti-Malaysia elements as part of their nefarious and treacherous plot to create racial and religious strife in the country.
Special praise must be accorded to the group, calling itself “Malaysians for Malaysia”, dressed in purple – the colour that signifies religious tolerance – who carried carnations and roses, as well as purple balloons, which visited places of worship in George Town, Penang yesterday promoting peace and love.
They walked together to visit the St George’s Church, the Goddess of Mercy Temple, the Sri Mahamariaman Temple and Masjid Jamek Lebuh Acheh hours after the defiling of a mosque in mainland Penang with a slab of meat believed to be pork.
Social activist Azrul Mohd Khalib from the group said the event, “Walk in the Park” is aimed at demonstrating that Malaysians are standing up for their fellow citizens, following increasing concern over tensions related to racial and religious issues.
He said: “We reject violence, aggression, bigotry and discrimination. This is not the Malaysia we want. We can actually exist together in harmony.
“We want to speak for ourselves and stand up against groups like Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) and their prejudices.”
Yesterday’s outing in Penang was the second to be organised by the group after its debut event at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre about three weeks ago.
At a moment when Malaysians can see a pattern emerging from the recent events of a small group of anti-Malaysia elements with nefarious and treacherous designs to foment racial and religious strife through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians must unite to support the “Purple Movement” to reject violence, aggression, bigotry and discrimination and to support tolerance, peace and harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society.
I therefore call on the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, who I believe are moderates regardless of race, religion or politics, to support the “Purple Movement” for racial and religious tolerance, peace and harmony and to reject the merchants of hate and violence in their midst.
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 17th February 2014)
These bigots clearly could not understand anything.
So its no use trying to explain things to them.
Instead just keep the message short and sharp.
In other words, either they get it or they dont.
Shall we just tell them to stop with this word:
“ENOUGH”
“CUKUP.”
Which hallucinating drugged-out idiot did this the pork throwing. I say no matter who he is, castrate the idiot…
They attempt manipulate and trick the majority with untruth facts, so they gain benefit
Such acts to demonize certain sectors of Malaysian and to incite hatred is an old ploy. Hitler used it against the Jews and so did many despots closer to home. Peace loving and right thinking Malaysians should not remain silent against such maneuvering. The time has come to raise a collective standard to expose these blood-lust anarchists for who they are and the Barisan regime for indirectly supporting them.
Mr Lim,
First and foremost, I really hope PDRM pull out all stops in finding the person or persons who defiled that mosque.
That act was done by the most vile and despicable type of human who seek to destroy the efforts of others in building stronger ties between different communities in Malaysia.
Secondly, the hate-filled Mingguan Malaysia article quoted above is little different from the perpetrators of the mosque defilement.
I suggest that the two might even be linked.
Lastly, Azman Anuar is a moron.
His statement that “If the nest is invaded and burnt just so that the honey can be taken away, Malays will not be so tolerant anymore” is merely empty bluster.
Azman Anuar should know that THE NEST HAS BEEN INVADED AND THE HONEY IS BEING CARRIED AWAY from under his very nose by UMNO/BN cronies.
The trillions in Petronas dividends, our hardwood forests, our sovereign reserves, etc have all been shipped out to places like the British Virgin islands, the Cayman Islands, and god-knows-what-other tax haven.
All gone, never to be seen again and this Azman Anuar is still talking about the “hornet” not revealing it’s “sting”!!!
What is he waiting for? To buy more time for those UMNO/BN cronies to carry off more “honey”?
Most Malaysians are struggling to make ends meet and may not have the time to deliberate and think through all these national issues.
I would suggest that Pakatan come up with clear and simple step plans for people to adopt.
1) If BN really wants to create racial and religious tension to usher in emergency rule, let us know what we must do to stop them – for instance, say nothing provocative – even if one wants to criticise, use temperate language
2) to promote racial and religious integration amongst the majority, what should we do? eat together, do activities together etc. especially standing in solidarity with victim groups – churches, non-straights, Pakatan, pro-democracy/anti-corruption NGOs etc.
3) to ensure redelineation is properly carried out, what should each individual do? who do we contact as our local representative, what documentary evidence do we prepare etc.
4) how does each community ensure that the streets are safe from crime/petty crime, the homes are safe from domestic violence (that may be increasing as a result of economic hardship), and people don’t sabotage a peaceful environment either by way of stirring up religious/racial tension with dog/pig/cow meat etc. – what can the average person do to monitor and report? how can this be escalated up a channel that is objective and impartial aka might not be the police
5) how can the public muscle through changes to the education system? what bad things parents/students should keep a look out for, and who do they communicate with to escalate the issue so that the society can be mobilised?
6) how do one participate in bringing developmental, education and enpowerment issues and action plans to rural areas which are the last bastion of UMNO vote bank? what are the specifics that we can do? Who do we communicate with? How do we organise?
Pakatan is never going to be able to overcome the increasingly intolerant and tense climate raised by UMNO/Perkasa/BN by just continuing to make clever speeches to Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysian Chronicles, Malaysiakini etc.
There is a need to organise the grassroots and to mobilise the public so each person has a role that when it snowballs will have a significant political action impact – it’s only through this method that Pakatan is going to get an actual buy in from the people who is not stymied thinking there is only one form of contribution, which is to participate in a rally – but there are other things they can do – it also encourages freshness since people don’t like to do the same things thrice! Political movement as a process needs to be engaging and has a deepening impact that contributes to a person’s life – plus it needs to be of some fun
So get on it and come up with these step plans already – the people are ready to mobilise but they have their own unique capacity to mobilise – Pakatan must tap into each and every of these capacity instead of relying only on bodies for rallies which may eventually become ineffective, or blogging which appears to be reaching an increasingly plateauing number of audience
Infighting among the component parties of the the PR,especially the PKR has enabled the Umno/BN leadership to get away from all the hanky panky,or rather a second lease of life.
Kit Siang should ask LTL why was he lying his ass#s off protecting the attackers of the Tung Shin hospital.
p/s it is very difficult or impossible to access the top article,with the always you have to logged in sign coming on.
The plot consists almost entirely of the same Producer/Director except that the cast is different. The same ploy is being repeated but this time there are no takers. Malaysians are simply tired of all these “Sandiwara”.
For many, who like me lived through much of this nightmare it was up close and personal. We are therefore appalled that leaders who are supposed to be educated would not know what is really about past history and learn from it. Are these politicians so full of piss and vinegar and hellbent on seeing innocent lives in body bags before they would even ask the question “Are we doomed as a nation that forgets its past”?
Obviously, they haven’t learned!