My response to Anwar Ibrahim
Salleh Said Keruak
Deputy Chief Umno Sabah
There are various statements made by Anwar Ibrahim yesterday that require clarification because, as usual, Anwar is not presenting the full facts and what he said is quite misleading.
Anwar said:
“You have to say with clarity what is your position. What is your view on groups threatening another May 13?”
Students of history will know how ‘May 13’ started and what triggered it. It was the insolent and excessive provocation by the opposition supporters that riled up the Malays. Election campaigning is normal and quite acceptable but post-election campaigning, which was reduced to an orgy of racial slurs, was what caused the Malays to retaliate in kind.
And, of course, when two groups hurl insults at each other that would be a recipe for a physical response followed by violence. And we must not forget that the 13th May 1969 rally was in response to the opposition rally of 11th May 1969. But this is not about who started it first or who is to blame. It is about both sides spoiling for a fight and they got what they wished for.
Yes, we can avoid another May 13, as what both Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang have appealed for. But this has to be an effort by both sides. If the opposition insists on testing the limits of Malay tolerance and patience there is very little the Prime Minister can do to avert racial violence short of launching another Operasi Lalang and rounding up all the troublemakers from both sides and detaining them.
If we wish to prevent a tragedy then both sides of the political divide must restrain themselves, the opposition included, and not bring Malaysia to the brink of a civil war, which appears to be the current trend of many countries in other parts of the world.
Maybe Anwar can first caution his own party members to practice restrain before passing the buck to the Prime Minister as if the Prime Minister has the ability, power and authority to tell the opposition zealots on how to behave.
This is the first political double-speak that Anwar is playing.
The Malaysian Insider reported:
Anwar said Najib was clearly upholding the 10-point solution but there is a “void” to it, which he did not elaborate further.
“That is clearly passing the buck. The legislation was initiated by the federal government and implemented by the state governments.
“Some state governments have full jurisdiction, while some made it clear that it is not under the state governments but under the Rulers.
“This is why we need a national consensus as this is a very complex issue,” he said.
Yes, let us seek a consensus. However, as Anwar himself admitted, this is a state issue more than a national issue. Sabah and Sarawak do not face the problems that Selangor and Penang are facing and we have to agree that the problem is in Selangor and Penang.
Abdul Aziz Bari, the PKR constitutional law expert, said that ultimately it is the Federal Constitution that prevails and overrides everything else, the 10-point solution included. So why does Anwar not listen to his own constitutional law expert?
So we do have a consensus. And that consensus is called the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. And, as Aziz Bari said, we just follow the Constitution.
This issue is a Selangor and Penang problem. Christians in Sabah and Sarawak do not face the same problems as in Selangor and Penang. So Anwar needs to solve this in these two states, which, incidentally, are Pakatan Rakyat run states.
Bring this matter to the Selangor and Penang State Assemblies and remove the laws that are a hindrance to Christians using Allah plus two-dozen or so other words. After all, religion is a state matter and comes under the State Rulers/Governors, as do the state religious departments. Why drag the whole country plus states like Sabah and Sarawak into a matter that is a problem to only the Pakatan Rakyat run states?
Can we have a consensus on that?
REFERENCES:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/01/26/anwar-calls-for-national-consensus/
http://www.keadilandaily.com/anwar-seru-semua-pihak-capai-konsensus-nasional-demi-negara/
