The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave an excellent Christmas message when he called on Malaysians to move forward and put the country’s interest before any “narrowly-defined demands” as “over the past few months, narrow-mindedness and intolerance propounded by a small group has served to test our faith in each other”.
Ask the over two million Christians in Malaysia celebrating Christmas today whether they agree with the Prime Minister’s sentiments and I have no doubt that there will be a thumping unanimous “Yes”.
Ask them to cite a recent example of “narrow-mindedness and intolerance propounded by a small group” which had undermined the national interest with their “narrowly-defined demands”, I also have no doubt of a thumping unanimity of response by the Christians in the country – the narrow-minded decision by the Deputy Internal Security Minister,. Datuk Johari Baharum to disallow the renewal of the Bahasa section of the HERALD, the Catholic weekly and to ban the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslim Malaysians and non-Muslim faiths.
Abdullah’s Christmas message this year has served to illustrate in a most vivid fashion the losing battle for the soul of the Prime Minister to convince him to walk the talk to project Malaysia as a world model for inter-faith understanding, goodwill and harmony.
It is clear that the writer of the Prime Minister’s Christmas message does not belong to the the Putrajajya fourth-storey “movers and shakers” of the Abdullah administration who exercise real power and are not just wordsmiths but people responsible for a series of “narrowly-defined demands” undermining the national interest in the past four years.
Is Abdullah prepared to strike down the most recent blatant example of “narrow-mindedness and intolerance propounded by a small group”, regardless of whether they are hiding in the bureaucracy or outside?
MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, MIC President, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and former Gerakan President, Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik have issued very sweet-sounding Christmas messages. Will they support Abdullah in striking down “narrowly-defined demands” undermining the national interest emanating from within the government machinery, beginning with Johari’s unconstitutional edict?