On 5th May 2014, the first anniversary of the 13th General Elections, Malaysians were torn by grave disillusionment with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for a year of failed policies and the dire prospect of a break-up of Pakatan Rakyat over hudud law.
The next day, the beginning of the second year of Najib’s second administration as Prime Minister could not have started on a more ominous note, heralding that Malaysia is heading for a new dark age where all the grandiloquent pledges and slogans of 1Malaysia, World’s Best Democracy and Government Transformation Programme would be consigned to the dustbins of history and replaced by undemocratic, repressive, unjust and draconian rule.
In the morning, the PR/DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok was charged in Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with sedition over her Chinese New Year “Onederful Malaysia” video, a 11-minute clip lampooning and criticising various failures of government policies.
It is supreme irony that one of the five criticisms in her video alleged to be seditious was about the security situation in East Sabah especially after the abduction of the Taiwan tourist in an island resort off Semporna in November last year – as on the morning that Teresa was charged, news were received of another abduction of a Chinese national in a nearby island off Lahad Datu at about 2.45 a.m. the same day!
Teresa was telling the truth, but telling the truth has become sedition in Najib’s Malaysia as the Prime Minister has forgotten his promises to repeal the draconian and colonial Sedition Act.
Teresa’s prosecution for sedition is meant to serve as a warning by the Najib administration to all critics, whether the Pakatan Rakyat, civil society or common citizenry that they face the possibility of being charged under sedition not for telling lies and falsehoods or inciting hatred and conflict but for legitimate ciriticism of the Barisan Nasional government for its failures and weaknesses.
But irony of ironies, yesterday saw the fulmination of the most and worst seditious statements in recent memory – as testified by the following media headlines:
1. Isma: Chinese migration into Tanah Melayu ‘a mistake” which must be rectified (MMO)
2. Chinese are intruders who bully Malays, says Isma (Malaysiakini)
3. Chinese brought to Tanah Melayu are ‘trepassers’, says Muslim group (TMI)
4. If Christians continue to grow, they will outnumber us by 2100, says Muslim group (TMI)
5. Undercover Christian priests here as football coaches, Muslim NGOs tell foum (TMI)
6. Books warning Muslims about ‘Christian agenda’ distributed at Allah forum in university(TMI)
7. Gospels are ‘fake’ as Jesus was ‘human slave to Allah’, don claims (MMO)
8. NGO warns of Christian Malays posting as Muslims (Mkini)
Never before in recent times for over four decades, have the fabric and integrity of the multi-racial and multi-religious character of the Malaysian nation been undermined by such irresponsible spewing of racial and religious hatred and conflict, threatening to plunge Malaysia into a new dark age.
The impunity and immunity of the perpetrators of these merchants of hate in our multi-racial and multi-religious is all the more incredible, as it goes against the very grain of Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy and the Global Movement of Moderates which he had launched as Prime Minister.
Why has Najib given full and free play to the merchants of hate, lies and falsehoods to perpetrate their worst to tear the Malaysian nation asunder?
It would appear that there are two movements under Najib as Prime Minister, the Global Movement of Moderates which is good for national and international image, but which has little traction and progress to boast about, and the Movement of Racist and Religious Extremists which is allowed full liberty to vent their racist and religious venom, fully seditious and subversive of the very fabric and integrity of Malaysian unity and society.
Najib must take a clear stand – is he with the moderates or the extremists, as is he for 1Malaysia or for the very antithesis of 1Malaysia!