Two days ago, I asked in very blunt language whether the Barisan Nasional founded by Tun Razak in 1973 will be finally buried with the consensus-based political coalition of 13 political parties replaced by a political coalition which does not operate on consensus principle but solely on the political hegemony of UMNO.
The Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting last night prevented the necessity to perform the final funeral rites for a consensus-based Barisan Nasional founded by Tun Razak 44 years ago, although there are adequate examples and developments that consensus-based Barisan Nasional coalition is quite sick and in quite a terminal stage.
Such examples and developments occurred in the last two Parliamentary meetings in May and October/November last year where UMNO Ministers unilaterally gave priority to PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion without consultation, consent and consensus from the other 12 Barisan Nasional parties and the unilateral announcements by both the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi that the Barisan Nasional government will take over Hadi’s bill and will table Hadi’s bill in the present meeting of Parliament.
I note that my stark warning has had effect – that the funeral rites for the death and burial of Barisan Nasional formed by Tun Razak 44 years ago would have to be performed if the fig-leaf of a consensus-based Barisan Nasional are finally torn away if the Barisan Nasional government proceeds to take over and present Hadi’s private member’s bill in Parliament without consultation, consent and consensus of the other 12 Barisan Nasional parties.
The question is whether the UMNO Ministers and leaders will now resort to the parliamentary manoeuvre of quickly finishing official parliamentary business so that there is adequate time for Hadi’s private member’s bill to surface to be debated and voted upon – and whether the MPs from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and Sabah/Sarawak BN parties would play ball with the UMNO Ministers and MPs to achieve such a result.
We will know soon enough.
There are two important outcomes of the BN Supreme Council meeting yesterday – firstly, averting final funeral rites for a consensus-based BN and secondly, a clear affirmation that to criticize or even oppose Hadi’s private member’s bill is not being anti-Islam.
If criticism or even opposition to Hadi’s private member’s bill is being anti-Islam, then UMNO Ministers and leaders, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, would have committed acts which comes under the definition of “anti-Islam.”
This is not so, and the time has come for the Malaysian Parliament to set an example not only in the country but to the world of moderation where progressive, open-minded and inclusive Islamic thoughts and ideas are not regarded as anti-Islam.
The Malaysian Parliament should also set an example of moderation, justice and fair play where abusive and derogatory terms like “anti-Malay” or “anti-Islam”, or anti any race or religion, are not allowed to be used to undermine Malaysian nation-building and national unity.