It is most regrettable that the KPI Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is leading the Barisan Nasional government backoff from an inter-religious council to resolve inter-religious differences and promote inter-religious amity, goodwill and understanding, starting with the “Allah” controversy.
This is the real meaning of Koh saying that at this time, “teh tarik” sessions for inter-religious dialogues are more appropriate than official and formal ones.
In the first two decades of nationhood, there were more meaningful inter-religious interaction than now as there was a formal Inter-Religious Organisation which was set up by Tunku Abdul Rahman when he was the first Prime Minister which was headed by a Cabinet Minister.
For over three decades, the Inter-Religious Organisation went defunct and a formal inter-religious council should be urgently revived to resolve inter-religious differences and promote inter-religious amity, goodwill and understanding in plural Malaysia.
I find Koh’s shooting down the proposal for an inter-religious council most troubling, as Malaysia is already more than three decades too late in reviving an inter-religious council.
Why is Koh spearheading the rejection of the proposal to establish an Inter-religious council, which will be a blot in his own KPI record as Cabinet Minister?
Koh is exposing the hollowness of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan when as the Minister in charge of KPI and the 1Malaysia slogan, he dare not even support the establishment of a formal inter-religious council.
Surely, Najib’s 1Malaysia cannot be very meaningful in creating the environment and conditions to establish a Malaysia which is the overarching object of love and loyalty of all Malaysians, transcending race, religion and region when it could not countenance the establishment of an inter-religious council, which had been done by Tunku Abdul Rahman as Bapa Malaysia in the early years of Merdeka
#1 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 3:36 pm
Why is Koh spearheading the rejection of the proposal to establish an Inter-religious council, which will be a blot in his own KPI record as Cabinet Minister? (Kit)
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How many ministers in MCA, Gerakan and MIC dare go against the wish of their “big brother”? Don’t they look after their interest first?
#2 by k1980 on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:22 pm
Don’t think Koh will be contesting any seat in Penang the next GE. He knows he would lose his deposit in any non-malay seat
#3 by wanderer on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:31 pm
After his photo was torn to pieces by his ‘bedmate’ in the coalition…
he has still not learned anything. All he cares and worries about, is how is to see his boss’s marbles are not crushed in the next GE…pathetic Gerakan Beggar!!!
#4 by monsterball on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:37 pm
Koh Tsu Koon was voted out….feeling no shame at all…being put in by UMNO as a minister to play the so call.. BN politics.
He was originally chosen by Mahathir as UMNO stooge…and now by Najib.
He is a disgrace to the Chinese community.
He has no dignity nor principles in life.
Having said that….he is making contradicting statements like an idiot too.
Come 13th GE…he is completely finished.
#5 by Godfather on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:38 pm
They make sense of Najib’s 1Malaysia – it’s called 1Mute.
#6 by taiking on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:57 pm
So wots this 1malaysia thingy?
Dont know?
Well go home and consult your dog this evening then.
Nazri the cowboy wannabe shot from his waist and missed the target. Nonetheless, the gaya-ness of that move was more than enough attract the admiration of soo koon. After several rounds of practising on his own soo koon concluded that he too had mastered the gaya move. He of course was dying to show the next person who pass in front of him. Out he whipped the gun. Uncocked it and pressed the trigger on the move. Bang. Ouch! The bullet got one of his balls.
#7 by monsterball on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 4:57 pm
Mahathir is at it again!!
He said…if the Americans can produce a movie like “AVATAR”…they can stage the 9/11 ..sacrificing few lives…to declare war.
He also attack Barrack Obama…doing nothing for one year.
I cannot believe a scoundrel…a real con man can have such thick skin face…feeling no shame at all….to keep judging others when he is the dirtiest ..most corrupted politician ever found in the world.
Yet…hero worshiped by Najib…and we all know where Najib reputation is heading to.
#8 by Onlooker Politics on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 5:03 pm
Dr. Koh Tsu Koon may have an idea in his mind that to set up a formal inter-religious council will probably accomplish nothing and will just be a vain effort. [deleted] So what is the point of having a inter-religious council when Dr. Koh is not confident to accomplish anything for a non-muslim by setting up such a formal organization? The inter-religious council will most likely turn out to be another troublesome interest group which will exert high pressure on the BN Government in order to cut down the intervening power of the BN Government in the religious matter. That seems to be something undesirable to the Umnoputras, who found that they had already lost the leading edge in taking a lead in the matter of putting the religious dispute amongst muslim group (including the NGOs) and non-muslim group in the BN’s control.
So, to Dr. Koh, YB Lim may be asking too much for the approval from the BN Government in relation to the setting up of a formal inter-religious council. Dr. Koh is indeed POWERLESS in this matter!
#9 by Onlooker Politics on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 5:14 pm
Such an ageing and lonely old man as Dr. Mahathir certainly needs a lot of attention. I wonder whether Mokhzani or Marina will spend much more time with Dr. Mahathir in order to guide Dr. Mahathir to better reasoning so that Dr. Mahathir will make better sense when talking about the scientific fiction!
#10 by monsterball on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 5:15 pm
Keep observing the mentalities…attitudes and behaviors of Mahathir and Najib…and you will know how UMNO BARU top politicians think and behave too.
‘Money is Power”… “UMNO BARU will rule forever”
“Forget the Past. Lets move forward”…are mamak..rustum and khairy..words.
Najib best…slogans to fool Malaysians.
Yes…UMNO steal and plundered and enriched themselves…with no fear.
So many corrupted old timers are living as multi millionaires abroad.
Yes…our employees..the wage earners become millionaires because we have so many stupid bosses{voters}…who have been brainwashed…to depend on them for a living.
Yes…race and religion politics are UMNO survival chess games.
#11 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 5:19 pm
Hey, hv mercy on him lah, pity him loh
Voted out of office, no job until invited in 2 warm d seat
N pocket big fat salary n allowances
What 2 do, want vitamin M badly
Where can one get buta gaji n easy job like this 1
Umnoputras pan sai, then he chit kar chng, busuk pun got 2 tahan lah
#12 by k1980 on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 5:40 pm
How can there be any meaningful inter-religious dialogues when a group insists on claiming that its god is bigger and better than the gods of the other groups?
#13 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 6:19 pm
The problem with criticising KTK is that his words and opinion don’t mean anything to anyone. So criticising him means very little..
This geek is just so ma-fan.. cannot keep quiet. My grandmother used to says children like him must be spanked. The problem with that he probably enjoys it since the faggart in him pretty much is all that is left.
#14 by ekans on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 7:05 pm
Dr.KTK, the gentleman politician, despite of his photos getting torn up by his so-called political allies, still has to obey his Pekan MP boss & associates.
After all, didn’t he obtain his ministerial post via the ‘back-door’ without needing to win a parliamentary seat, courtesy of his Pekan MP boss & associates?
It’s clearly UMNO’s BN. What to do?
#15 by Loh on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 8:21 pm
///Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is leading the Barisan Nasional government backoff from an inter-religious council to resolve inter-religious differences and promote inter-religious amity, goodwill and understanding, starting with the “Allah” controversy.///
UMNO government is not interested is not interested to promote inter-religious amity, goodwill or understanding because the constitution says that they are free to convert non-Muslims to Muslims and not the other way around. UMNO does not live up to the spirit of religious freedom, and that was why they reserve ‘Allah’ only for Muslims.
There is strictly no conflict among people practising different religions. The outburst by some Muslims against the High Court ruling was in response to the call by the PM to remain calm. That word calm would only be meaningful when they were response of ‘not-so-calm’ else the call by Najib would be superfluous. UMNO would pretend that they were religious conflicts yet unresolved so that it can use religion as a rallying point, as and when needed. The government has not lost anything abiding by the decision of the High Court to allow Christians to do what they forefathers have done for centuries. So the only reasonable thing to do is to allow the Court of Appeal to come out with a ruling, to be stayed, and then let it be heard before the federal court. Let the federal court keep the case until the next election.
KSK has no way to change UMNO decision which serves its interest. Maybe he should not have accepted the position to project the wrong impression that non-Malays have a role in the Cabinet.
#16 by a2a on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 8:47 pm
All man-made problems.
Religions supposed for human to learn to love, respect and closer to god open to all human equally.
But human selfishness with their stupid brains created problem with religions that their religion is superior than others and divide human with religions.
ALL THESE PROBLEMS ARE MAN-MADE FROM THEIR STUPID BRAINS OF SELFISHNESS.
GOD LOVE EVERYONE AND OFFER EVERYONE EQUALLY RIGHTS.
#17 by hibou on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 9:11 pm
Any inter-religious council dialogue will only be useful if the participants can present meaningful facts or logic in support of their case and at the same time willing to listen to alternate or opposing views.
Have we throughout the “Allah episode” heard or read even a single sensible argument for UMNO’s case ?
If learnered muslims like Abim’s Yusri Mohamad as seen on Al Jazeera and 101East is anything to go by, arguing for UMNO’s case, you can be sure it will all be a complete waste of everyone’s time.
It is precisely because they are not able to sensibly defend themselves that UMNO have all these years been not too keen on any religious dialogue.
#18 by chengho on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 9:15 pm
Malaysia need the moderate voice of TS DKTK
reasoanable , practical and understanding the realpolitik of Malaysia . Malaysia is not Taiwan , Singapore or Hong Kong. Listen to what Jackie Chan said last year?….
#19 by lee wee tak_ on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 9:44 pm
if one’s political currency is based on divide and rule, conciliation is an anti-agent to that
#20 by monsterball on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 10:09 pm
What is Chengho talking about?
Who is TSDKTK?
Can’t you speak with straigt tongue?
#21 by waterfrontcoolie on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 10:35 pm
I think He is provoking Nethanyahu to act on him so that he will become a Muslim hero!!
#22 by monsterball on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 - 11:04 pm
Now I am lost!
What has Isreal PM got to do with making a Muslim hero here?
#23 by Onlooker Politics on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 8:43 am
By TSDKTK, I guess chengho refers it to Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon. chengho must be a retired seasoned Malay politician who would always remember to address the full official greeting title of a BN Minister. It is indeed an honour for YB Lim to have some dissenter like chengho to come visit this blogsite very often.
I guess waterfrontcoolie is talking about Dr. Mahathir’s creating a scientific fiction of American conspiracy on the self-inflicting 911 event.
Indeed, both Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and Dr. Mahathir are equally low-class politicians, for they don’t give a damn on the urgency to finding a compromise solution in the “Allah” religious conflict. What they actually want is just to please the extreme Islamic hawks so that they can solicit for much more Malay votes in their course of political contest within their internal party rife and also outside the party when facing Pakatan Rakyat’s challenge.
#24 by Dap man on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 8:51 am
Koh Tsu Koon is among despicable Chinese in the country. Shameless, without dignity and self-worth.
He is being the spokesman for UMNO here.
He spoke proudly that he would want to be back door Minister and yet we walked in through the back door.
He is president of a memberless party but still habours hopes of winning back his seat in the next election.
This man is a shame to the Chinese race.
#25 by ktteokt on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 12:31 pm
A eunuch and back-door minister from Gerakan will always remain a eunuch and back-door minister!!!!!! His political career was “torn up” when Ahmad Ismail tore up his picture in public!
#26 by ekans on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 12:52 pm
#18 by chengho on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 – 9:15 pm –
Malaysia need the moderate voice of TS DKTK reasoanable , practical and understanding the realpolitik of Malaysia .
Unfortunately, his is more like a subservient voice…
#18 by chengho on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 – 9:15 pm –
Malaysia is not Taiwan , Singapore or Hong Kong.
Malaysia should also not be Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea or Somalia…
#18 by chengho on Wednesday, 20 January 2010 – 9:15 pm –
Listen to what Jackie Chan said last year?….
What has Jackie Chan got to do with Dr. KTK’s actions?
#27 by jamalmalikslumdog on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 1:15 pm
Koh Tsu Koon is only a Parlov’s dog.
When Najib need anything done, all he need to do is ring his bell on his table top and KTK will run in salivating all over and ,”Yes Tuan? Nak apa Tuan?”
#28 by johnnypok on Thursday, 21 January 2010 - 10:20 pm
“1 Malaysia” – NO
“1 Malaya” – YES
“1 Sabah” – YES YES
“1 Sarawak” – YES YES YES