DAP calls on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to convene in mid-February a RoundTable Conference of all political parties, religions and NGOs to reaffirm moderation and condemn all acts of religious desecration, particularly the dastardly incidents of pig’s head outside mosques, to provoke racial and religious strife.
It must be the concern of all reasonable and patriotic Malaysians that political and public discourse and conduct in the country in the past three years have taken on an increasingly shrill, irrational and intolerant edge.
Only last month, Najib convened the inaugural International Conference on the Global Movement of the Moderates and called on moderates of the world to unite and embrace moderation and reject all forms of extremism.
Sadly, Najib’s three years as Prime Minister have been marked by a creeping and insidious extremism seeking to incite racial hatred and foment religious tensions, as illustrated by the two incidents of pig’s head outside mosques in the Klang Valley in two days – in Sentul yesterday and Rawang on Tuesday.
Both these acts of religious descrecration, like the despicable act of arson against the Johor PAS deputy commissioner Dzulkifly Ahmad whose BMW car and house at Taman Universiti near Skudai were gutted early this morning, must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all political parties, religious groups, NGOs and Malaysians who do not want to see Malaysia descend down the slippery slope towards political violence, racial animosity and religious strife.
This is the time for Najib to “walk the talk” of his 1Malaysia inclusiveness and call for moderates to unite against all forms of extremism – in particular to give substance to what he said at the International Conference on the Global Movement of the Moderates that “the real divide is not between Muslims and non-Muslims” but “between moderates and extremists”.
Is Najib prepared to stand together with all moderates in Malaysia against the extremists, like those responsible for the dastardly incidents of pig’s head outside mosques or the arson against the Johor PAS deputy commissioner?
Yesterday the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator Dr. Koh Tsu Koon announced that the “highlight” of the forthcoming international week-long celebration of religious harmony will be a lunch hosted by the Prime Minister for major religious leaders on February 15.
Many Malaysians find this “highlight” announcement most laughable and pathetic as it is totally lacking in imagination and common sense.
No one could see how a lunch hosted by the Prime Minister could be a meaningful “highlight” of an international week-long celebration of religious harmony at a time when there are extremists in our midst trying their utmost to destroy Malaysia’s inter-racial and inter-religious harmony with irresponsible provocative acts like two Rawang and Sentul incidents.
Instead of a Prime Minister’s lunch as “highlight”, it would be more meaningful instead to have a Prime Minister’s RoundTable Conference of all political parties, religions and NGOs to reaffirm commitment to moderation and to condemn all acts of religious desecration and all forms of extremism, whether political, ethnic or religious, and demonstrate to all Malaysians and the world that Malaysia in 2012 is committed to be “synonymous not with extremism but with moderation, inclusivity and tolerance”.
Is Najib able to rise up to the challenge of convening such a all-party/religious/NGOs
RoundTable Conference as the highlight of the forthcoming international week-long celebration of religious harmony?
#1 by sheriff singh on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 2:53 pm
Luncheons are the ‘highlight’ of the government’s efforts on discussing and resolving important and crucial interfaith issues?
This government and this Minister is most pathetic !! They deserve to fall.
#2 by Bigjoe on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 3:58 pm
He has lunch, make speeches at fancy hotels (i.e., more eating, drinking and dressing up) while WE have to live with all the crap that is happening that they caused in the first place..
#3 by Winston on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 4:11 pm
LKS, I think that most Malaysians have no trouble figuring
who are those who are stirring up racial and religious problems
in this country.
In the early years of our Independence, we have no problem
whatsoever with these matters.
In fact, we are hardly aware of such things!
It was later, when money and power crazy politicians came into
the political scene that we “noticed” race and religion, where
previous we just go about living in peace and harmony with
our neighbours.
There was no need to have conference for race and religion!
But now, even if such conferences were called, they would not
be of any help.
Because there are politicians who are absolute hypocrites who
will spew out racial and religious harmony while all the time
instigating their underlings to practise racial and religious
divide.
They are doing it because it seems, to them, that stirring up
racial and religious strife, is the only way to hold on to power.
#4 by dagen on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 4:50 pm
Umno and perkasa pls stop this pig head monkey business right now.
ITS NOT WORKING! IT WONT WORK & NEVER WILL!
#5 by undertaker888 on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 5:45 pm
Who will benefit from this if chaos were to happen? Those who will benefit are the real culprits.
#6 by Cinapek on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 5:52 pm
Using logical deduction, would it be in the interest of the PR to commit these provocative acts? And would PR risk the safety of Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad and his family by setting fire to his BMW and his house? If society descends into a state of anarchy, only the BN will benefit as they will be in the driving seat to declare a state of emergency just as they did after the May13 incident. And going by this reasoning, it would be extremely stupid for PR to commit and provoke such incidents.
Such acts are the symtoms of desperation. And it is dangerously leading to the kind of situation in the Maguindanao killings in the Philippines over political rivalry. I hope some sane minds will prevail and prevent this country from sliding down that slope of no return. If we have to fight each other politically, lets fight at the election booths on issues fairly and not resort to such dangerous provocative acts.
#7 by monsterball on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 6:52 pm
Najib is powerless.
The show man is revealed… time and time again….liar and never walk the talks.
It is a waiting game he is performing.
That’s all he can do.
#8 by Jong on Friday, 3 February 2012 - 9:05 pm
Simple! He needs to throw luncheon, to spend money to make money and benefit cronies for umno election expenses!
#9 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 12:15 am
I hope all their Gods punish them by giving them food poisoning. All eat no talk.
#10 by monsterball on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 3:00 am
During all these 55 years..when has anyone who is old enough seen the government spend our money like water?
Mahathir encouraged it…spent millions caring two hoots what tax payers have to say.
Now Najib is spending our money.. more than usual.
Why are they like that?
#11 by boh-liao on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 5:55 am
Rakyat just hv 2 ask dis simple obvious Q: Under d current curcumstances, WHO n WHICH political parties will BENEFIT if emergency is declared?
There r some DESPERATE ppl around die die MUST hang on 2 POWER
They hv been using EXTREMIST, RACIST tactics 2 stir up basic instinct of FEAR (based on race, religion)
Throwing animal parts, paint, bo mbs; desecrating holy places; yelling racist n religious slogans; insulting ethnic cultures, etc
ALL with 1 GOAL: Create troubles, tension, riot b4 d next GE; LALANG O lalang!
So, smell a rat? WHO will benefit most with chaos n operasi lalang?
#12 by boh-liao on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 6:02 am
With EXPOSURES of CORRUPT PRACTICES, 1 after another, of individuals fr d ruling parties, DARE NR, UmnoB/BN call 4 d next GE under normal circumstances?
Recall whose FATHER grabbed power after May 69?
Does dis saying Like father like son mean anything 2 rakyat?
#13 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 6:32 am
////Sadly, Najib’s three years as Prime Minister have been marked by a creeping and insidious extremism seeking to incite racial hatred and foment religious tension……/// – YB LKS. The extremism (in attitude) has been creeping insidiously for decades well before Najib became PM. When he took over, we see a breakout of sorts of this extremism with pig heads thrown at mosques, cow heads at hindu temple and Molotov cocktails at churches etc. Whoever these culprits may be their intention is to incite racial & religious strife in multiracial country with deep ethnic and religious fault lines so as if to provide the excuse for the ruling Ketuanan elites – if they choose to take the opportunity- to clamp down and, in worst case scenario, impose emergency rule to thwart the opposition from taking over via the ballot box. This means there are a lot of these faceless closet people who identify their personal interests with UMNO’s hegemony and Ketuanan rule and who fear the end of this rule will bring an end to their personal interests; and who feel that now, more than ever, the gnawing insecurity of the threat to UMNO’s rule is no more academic but a real possibility, come the next GE.
#14 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 6:47 am
What purpose will Najib’s calling a RoundTable Conference to condemn extremism serve? Even if such a Conference were convened by him and a round of condemnation given, will it deter or lessen these extremist acts from occurring? It may well increase these incidences. Pig head incidences in Sentul and Rawang occurred after his International Conference on the Global Movement of the Moderates! It is as if the culprits want to give the signal to him not to pussyfoot around with liberal moderate and reformist talk to garner support of Middle Malaysia, when such talk only serves Opposition interest in providing material to those opposed to UMNO hegemony and ethnic policies to point out discrepancy/inconsistency of the ruling party’s policies and disconnect between action and talk!
#15 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 7:01 am
Besides, it is pointless to ask the man to organize a conference to condemn extremists and their acts (which he could do if he wishes) and not the policies of his party and the government that nurture and spawn this extremist mindset in the first instance for last 3 decades (which he could not do even had he wished so!) The only limited upside a Roundtable could serve, if any, is to send the signal, “the call for Conference comes from Opposition and hence it will be seen that it and its supporters do not condone and have nothing to do with these extremist acts…so don’t blame them on us”. It is pathetic that those who care for the country not to descend to chaos have to give such an advance signal to protect themselves against reprisals…It implies that those who throw calumnies and act extreme are in stronger position under present political milieu and environment.
#16 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 7:19 am
The immediate catalyst to breakout of extremism that has been creeping and taking roots for 3 decades is weakness of political leadership (after strongman TDM’s exit leaving a vacuum of power) where the ground is ceded to the “blood and soil” nationalists (to use Cl;ive Kessler’s expression) daily. There was no need then for extremist acts where ruling party’s position under a strongman was secure. After all ruling party’s and the strongman’s policies were extremist enough that didn’t need defence. Besides strongman would come down hard on them with a hammer if they incited civil commotion! Now with a power vacuum due to weak leadership, just about every faction or group that vies for power and a voice to dictate political affairs and direction to their benefit or otherwise unhappy with his pussyfooting with liberal reformist talk, is emboldened to do so, with less fear of consequences of their extreme actions.
#17 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 7:22 am
Desparadoes will do anything to preserve their vested interests. It is for all Malaysians to EXPOSE them to the reality of the situation. In such wanton behaviour of trying to instigate Emergency Rule, PAS would have an important role to make all such actions unimportant in the eyes of our Muslim members: these acts have only one objective in mind; to create emotion! When Sabu spoke of Malasyian Fighters for freedom, they called him a communist sympathizer now they resort to that tactic of creating chaos!
#18 by boh-liao on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 8:41 am
Another born-in-Malaya son (Toh CC 杜进才, d son of a bicycle shop owner n educated at St George’s Institution in Taiping) who contributed significantly 2 d growth of d little red dot (a founding member of PAP) passed away on 3.2.12
#19 by limkamput on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 11:03 am
As posted in another thread, there are no extremists or moderates in UMNO, so to ask Najib to be a moderate and to come up with policies that are inclusiveness is to ask for impossibility. The whole existence of UMNO is based on parochialism and exclusivity. Otherwise, how do they choose everything from a subset? It is almost a cliché when I say this: UMNO leaders today do not know their own baloney. Getting into the gravy train is their birth right entitlement that tolerates no dissent or challenge from any quarter. The mentality is ingrained and unchangeable unless the whole party is cast into the dustbin for good.
#20 by dagen on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 11:23 am
Hmmmm when jib became pm didnt the Star paper proclaim that jib “hit the road running”? I think it was more like he hit the road and he tripped and felled; and then he rolled and tumbled; and flipped and flopped. Well at least in the process he did traverse and sort of cover a certain lateral space … errr call that “distance” if you prefer. He now has swollen lips and bloody nose. Perhaps a certain bomoh must have advised him to drink double-boiled diamond soup with wild korean ginseng in order to overcome his predicament. I bet the return ring is now completely void of all its original goodness.
#21 by mickeytiger2006 on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 11:25 am
Others can covert and become a muslim but a muslim cannot convert to say a free-thinker. You can burn a bible but not koran. Why?
#22 by Godfather on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 12:32 pm
Selangor UMNO: why do you have to be so desperate ? Just because the Khir Toyo faction is fighting the Noh Omar faction, and thereby ruining UMNO’s chances of retaking Selangor, why do you have to distract the rakyat with these dastardly acts ? How many pig heads are sold each day in Selangor ? You think the butchers can’t account for each pig head sold ? There won’t be any success on any investigation because all roads lead to only one desperate organisation.
#23 by Kampong Orang on Saturday, 4 February 2012 - 3:49 pm
Forget about asking UMNO and BeEnd parties to do this and that. Pakatan should do in their own states without them.
You could expect them be quiet and no action but a lot of SWEET TALK.
1Malaysia? Sweet talk! Establishing some supermarket using the name of 1Malaysia is a child game. To really unite Malaysians as 1Malaysia, you need Bersih Cekap dan Amanah in your policies and running the country.
BeEnd, already runs the country for more than 50 years. In the end, national debt mounting, rural Malays are mostly poor, Ringgit is low compared to B$ and S$.
Under BeEnd, Anti Corruption and Polis continue to be useless, bias and cruel.