Malaysiakini
May 21, 11

‘Unfortunately it is the very existence of the Mat Zains that some see it as the source of disunity in the Malay community.’

Bishop hails ex-cop’s exoneration of Christians

Cala: Of course, there will be many amongst us who would like to see more of the type of former CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim to speak the truth for the sake of national unity, peace and stability.

In Loh (2001) ‘Where has (ethics) politics gone: The case of the BN non-Malay politicians and political parties’, as found in Hefner (2001) ed. ‘The politics of multiculturalism’ argued that due to Umno-led BN regime’s institutional arrangements, non-Malay politicians within BN have been conditioned into doing public services (tarring roads and cleaning drains, attending to complaints from residents at the local level, etc), instead of involving themselves “in activities that lead to conscientisation of the people”.

So how can we expect them to provide checks and balances to the all-powerful Utusan Malaysia?

MalaysianSriLankan: I know there are many ‘Mat Zains’ in our country but their individual efforts are ignored by the Umnoputras. They are even being victimised and threatened. So I sincerely hope they can act collectively as a group and make their points heard.

Justiceandpeace: As I understand the Christians, their kingdom is not earthly but heavenly and there is no doctrinal basis at all for them to establish a Christian nation on earth. They made a mistake during the Dark Ages – and that is why it is called ‘The Dark Ages’ – causing untold suffering to the Christian nations of Europe.

That is why today, they do not have Christian nations where the church have a direct powerful say in the affairs of state, and there is a determined separation of church and state.

The Malaysian Church should declare this clearly and learn this important lesson of history and seek only to influence the nation by the power of good works, right-thinking and excellent example.

By their good example, they can inspire all good people in Malaysia to help bring this nation to the next level.

Onyourtoes: Forgive me for being cynical. There are many former government officials and former BN politicians who had held important positions in the government.

However, the sad part is many will choose to speak the truth or to be with the morally right only when they are out of power or no more holding positions or were not favoured after their retirement.

I don’t not want to second guess Mat Zain or Shafie Yahaya (the former director of ACA), but this is the hard reality.

Swipenter: The ethics, morality and spirituality of this country began to decline and decay under the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He has single-handedly engineered and usurped the independence and the sense of righteousness of those God-fearing men who once helmed our democratic institutions and replaced them with self-serving ones, subservient to him and his ambitions.

Once the check and balance mechanism, which is so vital to democracy to flourish, was destroyed, there is no longer any effective means to check and stop evil, immorality, abuses and corruption from taking roots in the administration and governance of the country.

While we can credit him for all the modernity of the country but beneath this thin veneer of gleaming towers, highways and other modern infrastructures, we have a rotten, disunited and decaying society.

Fortunately we still have a few good men left like Mat Zain to give us hope for a return to good governance which is just, fair, transparent, accountable and corruption-free.

Sarajun Hoda: We right-minded Muslims unite with you too, Bishop Dr Paul Tan.

Paul Warren: Unfortunately it is the very existence of the Mat Zains that some see it as the source of disunity in the Malay community. Calling for the unity of the Malay community appears to be something that is sacrosanct and ordained by God.

To achieve it appears to be the almighty goal of the likes of Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir. But really what are the fissures that they see in the community that gives them the notion that the community is disunited? And if they are, why then is there this urgent need for them to be united?

The need for any community or society or a nation to unite is when danger encroaches. Is there any such danger? Well, some like me will say no. But Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir say yes. They will always perpetuate a bogeyman.

It was the Chinaman once. So now it is the turn of the Christians. So let’s just love them to death.

Ghkok: Bishop Dr Paul Tan and Encik Mat Zain, both of you have my greatest respect and admiration for your clear, unambiguous and principled stand on the issue that threaten us all in this country. The rakyat of this country salutes both of you. There is hope after all.

Anonymous: There is an evil plot to take over the country by Christians. They will experiment with the minority Christians (only 10 percent) and turn them into super soldiers by injecting them with the Mutant-X gene.

Then the Christians will be like Ip Man – one guy fights 10 (or maybe 20). And all the Malay-Muslims will be captured and thrown into jail. It sounds like a great script for a comic book hero movie. I hope somebody is paying me for this script. Perkasa and Umno owes me a big one.

Tuah PJ: Good tidings Bishop Dr Paul Tan. There are still many Mat Zains to be discovered, believe me. And it will be proved during the next general election. From a Muslim friend.

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