Get at the truth: Hishammuddin
By Hemananthani Sivanandam, The Sun
PETALING JAYA (May 9, 2011): The police are carrying out a comprehensive probe into the allegation that certain quarters are plotting to make Christianity the official religion of the country.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today the focus of the investigation now is to determine if there is any truth to the claim as reported by Utusan Malaysia, as well as the reasons behind the newspaper’s decision to play up the sensitive issue.
“The issue reported is very sensitive and all parties must understand that it is not right to raise this matter as it can lead to chaos and anger amongst the people,” said Hishammuddin, adding that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had himself asked all parties to remain calm and not exploit the allegations because it will not benefit anyone.
He said he had directed the police to conduct a comprehensive probe and call in all those involved and get to the bottom of the issue, including the differences of information recorded from those involved in contrast with what was reported by the local daily.
“It is not fair and right to make any conclusions at this point because the investigation is still on. I want the police to get the truth of what happened and it must be done in a transparent and strict manner,” said Hishammuddin in a statement today.
Utusan Malaysia had on Saturday front-paged an article with the headline “Malaysia a Christian country?” which claimed the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to replace Islam as the official religion of Malaysia, and to pave the way for a Christian prime minister.
“We in Malaysia believe in the Federal Constitution which states that the official religion is Islam, and in addition, other religions can be freely practiced.
“All parties should stay calm and not be worried by what is reported. The government has given an assurance that everyone in the country is free to do anything, as enshrined under the Constitution and their safety is ensured,” stressed Hishammuddin.
Hishamuddin also called on media practitioners to take a more sensitive and responsible approach when dealing with issues on religion and race before publishing any reports.
“Every media practitioner should emphasise on being responsible and not play up sensitive issues to safeguard the country’s harmony,” he said, adding that he had been monitoring the matter and to date, nine police reports have been lodged nationwide.
“There have been four reports lodged in Penang, two in Alor Setar, and one each in Kuantan, Ipoh, and Selangor,” he said, adding he received updates from time to time.
Hishammuddin said the police have yet to complete their investigations on the issue so for now, the ministry is unable to come to a conclusion or point fingers at any parties based on the report published by Utusan Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Bar Council and various NGOs joined calls on the authorities to investigate Utusan’s journalists and editors for attempting to instill fear and spread falsehood.
In a statement today, Bar Council’s president Lim Chee said the council was concerned that no action has been taken against the daily although it has continuously published extreme and wild accusations that can threaten the country’s social harmony.
Civil societies said Utusan’s unsubstantiated report was irresponsible and endangers interfaith relations.
In a joint statement, the Centre for Independent Journalism, Charter2000-Aliran, 1 Muted Malaysia, and Writers’ Alliance for Media Independence urged journalists and civil societies to reject unethical practises which give journalism a bad light and cause further erosion of public trust in the mainstream media.
