By Hazlin Hassan – Jakarta Globe | May 14, 2011
Kuala Lumpur. A new twist emerged in Malaysia’s latest religious row yesterday when Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said there was “some basis” to an Utusan Malaysia report which claimed that there was a Christian conspiracy to replace Islam as the country’s official religion.
The Malay-language paper had published a front-page article alleging that Christian pastors were plotting with the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) to install a Christian prime minister and make Christianity Malaysia’s official religion. The newspaper, which is owned by the ruling United Malays National Organization (Umno), quoted two bloggers in the story. Muslims make up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s 28 million population while Christians make up 9 percent.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin cited new evidence detailed in a police report lodged yesterday in Penang. He did not say who had filed the report.
His ministry had sent a warning letter to Utusan on Thursday, seeking an explanation for the story.
Utusan editor-in-chief Aziz Ishak was called to the ministry’s office on Thursday, where he said ‘there was some truth in what was reported’, according to Hishammuddin.
The minister said the police were investigating the matter. “It’s not just about Utusan,” he said. “It’s about whether it happened, on the issue of reporting, on the role of the bloggers … It cuts across all. We’re not pointing fingers at anybody.”
His remarks are likely to further anger politicians from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and the opposition alike, who have already called for sterner action against Utusan.
Chua Soi Lek, president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is part of BN, said the editors of Utusan should be suspended.
“If there are certain parties who wanted to politicize the issue by sensationalizing the report, the writer[s] and the editors of the newspaper should be suspended,” he told reporters.
The opposition DAP went further. DAP politician Teresa Kok said Utusan’s licence should be revoked and its editors sacked.
Others noted that previous transgressions by the media had resulted in far harsher punishment.
DAP lawmaker Teo Nie Ching pointed out that the editor-in-chief of Chinese-language newspaper China Press was suspended for two weeks over an “inaccurate report” on the resignation of Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan. Political analyst James Chin of Monash University Malaysia warned that Hishammuddin’s comments might add fuel to the fire.
“This fire, if not controlled, may lead to another May 13,” he said, referring to the race riots in 1969.
”This issue could really bring people to the streets,” he said. He noted that a row over whether Christians could use the word Allah to refer to God had led to church burnings last year.
DAP politician Lim Kit Siang wrote on his Twitter account that “[Hishammuddin] made things worse [with] his ‘new evidence.'”
Hishammuddin, who is also an Umno vice-president, denied claims that his party’s political bureau set Utusan Malaysia’s editorial agenda.
“No, not true. I can confirm. I’m in the Umno political bureau,” he said.