Two events yesterday are the latest signs that the merchants of racial and religious hatred are continuously upping the ante to escalate racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension in Malaysia to serve their petty political ends, viz:

— The vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article yesterday falsely attacking non-Malays for insulting Malays, Islam and Rulers and warning them to know their “limits”; and

— The hurling of a slab of meat, believed to be pork, at a mosque at Cherok Tokun in Machang Bubuk yesterday morning.

Utusan Malaysia, UMNO’s official organ, had been enjoying immunity and impunity for its nefarious and long-standing mischief of disseminating lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious misunderstanding, hatred, conflict and tension – as for example in its front-page lie that the DAP wanted to create a Christian Malaysia and that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers.

As Mingguan Malaysia – the Sunday edition of Utusan Malaysia – belongs to UMNO, the UMNO President and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the UMNO Deputy President and Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and the UMNO National Vice Presidents and UMNO Ministers must declare whether the vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article reflects the latest thinking and position of the UMNO leadership.

Furthermore, whether the other 12 Barisan Nasional component parties including MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sarawak and Sabah component parties, acquiesce in the latest Umno thinking and position as reflected in the vitriolic Mingguan Malaysia article.

The article, entitled “Melayu, Islam dihina di Tanah Melayu” by the deputy editor of Mingguan Malaysia, Azman Anuar, said the “laidback, compromising” attitude of the Malays had led to non-Malays overstepping their boundaries and daring to question previously off-limit subjects.

It said: “Non-Malays have apparently forgotten that Malaysia’s majority population is Malays. They have no respect at all for the Bumiputera. Why has this happened? It is because we are too compromising, too afraid to take action against those who have insulted Malays and Islam.

“In the end, it appears as if non-Malays are the landlords and Malays are the tenants, immigrants and the minority in our own country.”

Azman, who was recently promoted to his current post in the paper, also accused the non-Malays of “playing with fire”, with the following warning:

“It is just a matter of time before the hornets who are attempting to defend their nests against intruders will retaliate.”

He said until today, “the hornets have not revealed their sting” as they are merely making noise and appearing to go on the offensive so that intruders would feel apprehensive.

“This is the actions of Malays who are still patient in the face of various provocations. But if pushed further, the hornets will not keep silent.

“If the nest is invaded and burnt just so that the honey can be taken away, Malays will not be so tolerant anymore,”

This is a most vile and vitriolic article, as it is incendiary, inflammatory and seditious writing to incite racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension, and what is even more reprehensible, based on lies and falsehoods.

It is a complete lie for anyone to accuse non-Malays of insulting Malays, Islam and Rulers, for the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, whether Malays or non-Malays, Muslims or non-Muslims, respect each other’s racial, religious and cultural sensitivities and differences in our plural society.

I dare say that after 56 years of nationhood, the overwhelming majority of non-Malays and non-Muslims respect the Malay and Muslim sensitivities and differences, just as I believe that the overwhelming majority of Malays and Muslims respect the non-Malay and non-Muslim sensitivities and differences.

I do not deny that there may be a handful of non-Malays and non-Muslims who do not respect the Malay and Muslim rights and sensitivities, just as there are a handful on Malays and Muslims who do not respect the non-Malay and non-Muslim rights and sensitivities.

Actions should be taken against these extremists, whether Malay and Muslim or non-Malay and non-Muslim, because a successful and sustainable plural nation like Malaysia can have no room for such extremists, whether non-Malay and non-Muslim or Malay and Muslim!

This is why I had called on moderates in Malaysia, who I believe comprise the overwhelming majority regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, to unite to save the country from the extremists whether Malay, Muslim, non-Malay, non-Muslim who only want to create racial and religious distrust, animosity, hatred, conflict and tension hoping to create another May 13 riots or bigger racial chaos and religious conflagration.

The Mingguan Malaysia article yesterday is an example of the most irresponsible, incendiary, inflammatory and seditious exhortation which warrant the immediate attention of the Police and the Attorney-General to put a halt to the further racial and religious polarization in the country through ceaseless incitement of racial and religious misunderstandings, animosities, hatred, conflict and tension.

It is also noteworthy that there had been attempts to justify the national frenzy and attacks on DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok’s “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video on the ground that it is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Rulers, but no iota of evidence to substantiate these serious allegations had ever been forwarded in the past three weeks.

The second incident, the throwing of a slab of meat, believed to be pork, at a mosque in Penang raises the inevitable question why the so-called anti-Malay and anti-Islam acts only happened in Pakatan Rakyat-states of Penang and Selangor?

Clearly, this is the work of very amateurish “agents provocateurs” who want to create the impression that Malays and Muslims in Malaysia, and in particular in Penang and Selangor, are under siege – when it is completely untrue and a total concoction of anti-national and anti-Malaysia elements as part of their nefarious and treacherous plot to create racial and religious strife in the country.

Special praise must be accorded to the group, calling itself “Malaysians for Malaysia”, dressed in purple – the colour that signifies religious tolerance – who carried carnations and roses, as well as purple balloons, which visited places of worship in George Town, Penang yesterday promoting peace and love.

They walked together to visit the St George’s Church, the Goddess of Mercy Temple, the Sri Mahamariaman Temple and Masjid Jamek Lebuh Acheh hours after the defiling of a mosque in mainland Penang with a slab of meat believed to be pork.

Social activist Azrul Mohd Khalib from the group said the event, “Walk in the Park” is aimed at demonstrating that Malaysians are standing up for their fellow citizens, following increasing concern over tensions related to racial and religious issues.

He said: “We reject violence, aggression, bigotry and discrimination. This is not the Malaysia we want. We can actually exist together in harmony.

“We want to speak for ourselves and stand up against groups like Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) and their prejudices.”

Yesterday’s outing in Penang was the second to be organised by the group after its debut event at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre about three weeks ago.

At a moment when Malaysians can see a pattern emerging from the recent events of a small group of anti-Malaysia elements with nefarious and treacherous designs to foment racial and religious strife through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians must unite to support the “Purple Movement” to reject violence, aggression, bigotry and discrimination and to support tolerance, peace and harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

I therefore call on the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, who I believe are moderates regardless of race, religion or politics, to support the “Purple Movement” for racial and religious tolerance, peace and harmony and to reject the merchants of hate and violence in their midst.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 17th February 2014)