Lessons from the latest ‘Allah’ row
(TMI) – Some things we learned from the latest spat over the “Allah” issue.
1) The death of peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Well, there are no peacemakers in the Najib administration. None whatsoever.
In decades gone by, either the chief executive of the country or some politician with gravitas would have moved to keep Jais in check or would have ensured that some form of peace summit between Putrajaya and non-Muslim religious leaders was held.
Not any more.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have either kept silent or encouraged the thugs at Jais and Umno.
The Umno politicians believe that they will score major points with Malays by playing hardball on the “Allah” issue. To hell with constitutional guarantees.
2) Umno’s need to change the news cycle
A recent survey carried out by a local university shows that support for Umno from the Malay community has dropped by some 5% since GE13.
The main reason for the drop in support: the spike in the cost of living.
There is little doubt that Najib and his ministers are in a tight spot over the backlash from the public over the government’s decision to cut subsidies and approve price increases.
In Putrajaya, there appears to be a belief that there is a need for an emotional issue to swing attention away from the pain of everyday living and Umno’s role in it.
Is there a more emotional issue in Malaysia today than religion?
3) Where are thou, Brothers?
Here is a personal message for Datuk Seri Idris Jala, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and other Christian leaders in Barisan Nasional.
You either are stand up for your faith or you join forces with the BN government on
the “Allah” issue.
There is no such thing as straddling the fence.
