By Mariam Mokhtar

Three BN ministers were not speaking from a position of strength when they labeled PKR politician Nurul Izzah Anwar a traitor and a sinner for saying in an Indonesian newspaper, that Malaysia’s new, multimillion ringgit submarine is defective.

She also highlighted the problems plaguing our navy and expressed doubts about the New Economic Policy (NEP).

?Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said, Those who tarnish their country’s image with the aim of causing turmoil are regarded to have sinned.

The truth hurts, but Jamil is mad to brand people who are critical of the Malaysian government as ‘sinners’.

He then said: We should love our country and be prepared to defend it, as defending our own country is a jihad (holy war) which carries a big divine reward.

Calling the defence of one’s country a jihad is wrong.

The las?t idiot who used a similar pejorative term was George W Bush. He used the expression ‘crusade’, to describe his country’s response to the Sept 11 attacks.

Terms like ‘crusade’ and jihad produce a negative reaction in both Christian and Muslim communities.

Bush’s use of the word ‘crusade’ evoked a visceral reaction worldwide because it portrayed bloody, violent images of the battles between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages.

So, whose sentiments is Jamil appealing to? He is trying to discredit Nurul Izzah and deflect attention from the faulty submarine.

At some point or other, most of us have condemned corruption, abuses of power, nepotism, racism, cronyism, injustices and cover-ups. Are we the sinners or are the corrupt politicians the sinners?

Jamil’s use of jihad alienates the Chinese, Indians and Malays. He is defending patriotism as a Muslim trait.

But if ?Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi can call on politicians to stop politicising national defence issues, then Jamil should stop making these religious issues.

When he branded Nurul Izzah a penderhaka (traitor) who has damaged Malaysia’s image in the eyes of the world, he was wrong.

The country’s reputation has already been tarnished by the protracted sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim, Teoh Beng Hock’s suspicious death, the farcical cross-examination of Dr PornthipRojanasunand at Teoh’s inquest, the Port Klang Free Zone scandal, the impotence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the denial of justice for Penan girls who were raped.

By accusing Nurul of ‘exaggerating the problems in this country’, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein only managed to raise the ire of the public.

Stagnant politicians

Thus, it seems facetious of the Royal Malaysian Navy to wade in and lodge police reports against both Nurul Izzah and Malay Mail reporter Marhalim Abas over the claims that the country’s first submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, was unable to dive.

The job of this journalist was to disclose the failings of the submarine, just as Nurul Izzah was doing her job as a politician.

?The three ministers condemned Nurul for not mimicking the actions of past and current politicians, who keep quiet about indiscretions.

Are we to heap praise on the former defence minister, Najib Abdul Razak, for his two-year silence over the theft of two fighter-jet engines? These engines surfaced in Paraguay, and were returned, after attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail flew there to secure their ‘release’.

Jamil’s talk of traitors reminds us of the service personnel who sold state secrets to foreign agents. What happened to them?

Nowadays, Malaysians are more critical and are not afraid of asking probing questions. But instead of embracing change, some politicians and NGOs, like Perkasa, are happy to stagnate.

No inner peace

On the eve of the 53rd Merdeka celebrations, our attempts to demolish the walls between the races are hampered by the people who don’t like change.

We have chosen to move forward instead of looking back, like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Ibrahim Ali and Ahmad Ismail, who have all lost their bearings.

We should focus on the needs of all, so that everyone can contribute. This is impossible because of the unfair quota system in our public universities, which hampers development. Or, the preferential business terms which stunt growth.

After decades of autocracy, our politicians have forgotten to listen and engage. They keep the non-Malays at arm’s length and fail to acknowledge that able Malays are confident of abandoning the worn-out NEP, to embrace change.

People who are absorbed in their own problems, like Ibrahim Ali, will not make a difference or leave the world a better place.

Are we prepared to do what is right? While some of us demanded justice for Teoh, A Kugan and Aminulrasyid Amzah, others were content to look the other way.

?Racist comments were recently uttered by two school principals. A swift response under Najib’s new policy of zero-tolerance has not materialised.

Many politicians only pay lip service to important issues, so does this mean they lack discipline?

Bung Moktar Radin broke the law with his illegal polygamous marriage. His disregard for Syariah law and contempt of court only fuelled resentment.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor’s ‘s life disintegrated because of a pint of beer but the brewing deals of Muslim politicians would leave many in a drunken stupor.

Malaysians appear to be more religious today, but we seem to lack inner peace.

Muslims claim ownership of the word ‘Allah’ and force people to behave. The moral police run wild and wreak havoc. Their constant checks on behaviour, endanger those who risk their lives trying to escape from the raids. In an effort to prevent teenagers having underage sex and the ensuing problem of abandoned babies, child marriages have been made legal.

On the eve of Merdeka, it is a shame we still have these problems of corruption and disunity.

Nurul Izzah is right to highlight these problems. Is the feeble-minded BN elite aware of the deplorable role it played in these sorry affairs?

Have a Happy and Peaceful Merdeka!

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘realspeak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.