The Pahang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Rahman Osman should not twist and turn and should repent or let him state specifically whether I am “kafir harbi” who should be killed or slain.

May be Abdul Ramabn should also state when I became “kafir harbi”?

I have taken the oath as a Member of Parliament 10 times to “faithfully discharge my duties…to the best of my ability” and that “I will bear true faith and allegiance to Malaysia and will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution”.

Can a Malaysian who had subscribed 10 times to the oath as an MP to “bear true faith and allegiance to Malaysia” and to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” become a “kafir habir” to be killed or slain?

Or did I become a “kafir harbi” when I stood up in Parliament in 1978 to defend PAS to oppose the UMNO-controlled Barisan Nasional government’s declaration of state of emergency in Kelantan to topple to PAS state government?

Or did I become a “kafir harbi” when in 1985 I deplored the government handling of the tragic Memali incident which killed 18 people and called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry?

Or did I become a “kafir harbi” in 1998 when my son, Lim Guan Eng went to jail for defending the honour and dignity of an underaged Malay girl, losing his position as MP for Kota Melaka, his parliamentary pension as well disenfranchised and deprived of right to vote or to stand for elective office for five years from release from Kajang Prison in August 1999?

Or did I become a “kafir harbi” in 2000 when I denounced the Federal Government for hijacking the five per cent oil royalty of Terengganu because PAS had won the Terengganu State Government in the 1999 general election and Hadi Awang had become the state’s Mentri Besar?

I do not often agree with the Perkasa President, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, but I acknowledge and thank him for speaking up for what is right and wrong when he said that the Pahang Mufti was excessive to label DAP as “kafir harbi” simply due to political and other differences.

I am really surprised that on the eve of the 59th National Day celebrations and 53rd Malaysia Day celebrations, the Pahang State Mufti could make such an irresponsible, incendiary and seditious statement as to classify DAP as “Kafir Harbi” whose leaders, members and supporters could be killed or slain for opposing Islam when DAP had never opposed Islam or any other religion as we fully subscribe to the Malaysian Constitution and the Rukunegara principles recognising Malaysia as a multi-religious nation with freedom of religion and Islam as the official religion.

Had the Pahang Mufti been given assurance that no action would be taken against him for his incendiary and seditious “kafir harbi” statement, and is this why there is complete silence from Cabinet Ministers and Barisan Nasional leaders requiring Abdul Rahman to retract and apologise for his statement – why the MCA President, Liow Tiong Lai, avoided press questioning on the issue?

What is of concern is not only Pahang Mufti’s incendiary and seditious “kafir harbi” statement, but that it was given front-page treatment by Utusan Malaysia, the official mouthpiece of UMNO.

Had the UMNO President and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, given his nod and blessing to Utusan Malaysia to give Abdul Rahman’s incendiary and seditious statement national prominence and front-page treatment?

Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or political affiliaiton, expect the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to take a stand on the Pahang Mufti’s incendiary and seditious “kafir harbi” statement.

A refusal or avoidence by the Cabinet to take a stand on the Pahang State Mufti’s statement, which has such far-reaching consequences not only for the Malaysian Constitutiton and Rukunegara principles, but the future of Malaysian plural nation-building, will be an eloquent statement by itself.

The issue of Cabinet reshuffle becomes of no consequence if the Cabinet is not prepared to take a stand on the Pahang Mufti’s incendiary and seditious statement on “kafir harbi”.

Will the Cabinet pass or flop this crucial test on Wednesday?

(Speech at the Gelang Patah kopitiam ceramah at Taman Impian Emas, GP on Monday, June 27, 2016 at 9 am)