Spare us the sham diatribe
by Mariam Mokhtar (11-12-12) @www.malaysiakini.com
Faith, like strength, comes from within. When opposition
MP Nurul Izzah Anwar made reference to the Quranic verse which states that
there should be no compulsion in religion, UMNO politicians, with feigned
indignation, projected themselves as defenders of the faith. Cranked-up by Utusan
Malaysia and Berita Harian, the nation became fired up with what Nurul did, or
did not say.
To claim that all UMNO politicians are illiterate would
be wrong; but their refusal to participate in intelligent discourse leaves one
with the following conclusions; UMNO think debates will fuel heresy, that to
express an opinion is treacherous and to be sceptical is a sin.
UMNO politicians are trying their utmost to discredit
Nurul, but failing miserably and making themselves look ridiculous in the
process. They have bastardised the Malay language and now they are saying that
the Surah al-Baqarah verse 2:256, which Nurul was referring to, is wrong.
Perhaps, UMNO was referring to their version of Islam – UMNO’s Islam.
If Article 11 of the constitution guarantees every
citizen religious freedom, why should Malays be excluded? Are Malays not
citizens of Malaysia? After this religious debacle, Bung Mokhtar Radin is
beginning to look like one of the most sensible UMNO politicians.
If Malays loathe the awkward definition that religion
equates to ethnicity, then let’s return to the drawing board and correct this
puerile approach. This writer knows enough people who fit the description of
being a Malay, by virtue of their upbringing amongst a Malay community, except
that they are staunch Catholics. By the same token, there are many who were
born Malay, but who are an embarrassment to both the Malay race and Islam.
UMNO politicians, including its patriarch Mahathir, have
an infinite capacity to divide the rakyat and their manipulation of Nurul’s
statement serves two purposes; first, to distract the country from the
allegations of corruption and crime linked to UMNO; second, to waste Nurul’s
and her colleagues’ time, in defending her.
With the media maelstrom and the witch-hunt, we are
diverted from the real purpose of rooting out corruption and the other ills
associated with UMNO. The people – UMNO politicians, VVIPs and UMNO
sympathisers – who have cast the first stone at Nurul, are laughable. Their
criticisms range from accusations of encouraging apostasy to maligning Islam,
and the destruction of the Malay race. They have demanded an apology or a
retraction of her statement.
If people are scornful of Islam, it is the UMNO
politicians who are responsible; they condone corruption, injustice and
debauchery. They treat people of other faiths with contempt. They discredit
other businesses so that their halal foods can gain a foothold. These UMNO
politicians wear religion on their sleeves but have ignored the true teachings
of Islam.
Stealth op to erode Malay values
UMNO is responsible for the destruction of the Malays,
and for four decades, it has waged a stealth operation to erode Malay values.
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad touted his often declared
“the decadent west” line, to discredit Nurul. The usual Jewish or Soros
scapegoats cannot be used this time, as they have been ridden hard and put away
wet. The bogeyman needs a rest between outings.
Despite his role as the Minister in charge of national
security, Hishammuddin Hussein , the Home Minister, fanned the flames of public
anger, instead of dousing the rising tensions in the rakyat. He talked about
Nurul being insensitive but he treated Malays like imbeciles when he said, “The
victims in this matter are the young who could get confused over the question
of religious belief with the statement (Nurul’s).”
No one is confused by UMNO’s ulterior motive. Another
opportunist is the chairperson of Gerakan Masyarakat Prihatin Meru, Jaya Kusuma
Rosman, who found it convenient to use Nurul as a scapegoat when he said, she
“should be responsible should there be Malays who leave Islam as a result of
her statement”. Where was Jaya when poverty-stricken Malays were declined
assistance by the government, but were given a lifeline by Christian charities?
Last week, UMNO was like a beached whale, floundering for
answers; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz’s unhealthy
relationship with Michael Chia, Chia’s largesse towards Nazri’s son Nadim and
the alleged corruption of RM40 million, involving Musa Aman, the Chief Minister
of Sabah and Sabah UMNO chief, are still unresolved.
The difficulties experienced by the Hong Kong Independent
Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for the Chia case, were also faced by
India’s Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and the Indian Supreme Court in
New Delhi. Last Friday, an online paper claimed that the Malaysian government would not
cooperate and allow the CBI access to T Ananda Krishnan’s bank details.
The controversial acquisition of Indian telco Aircel, by
Krishnan’s Maxis Communications Berhad, was allegedly sweetened with a RM351
million bribe to former Indian Telecommunications Minister Dayanidhi Maran and
his brother.
Reasoning is beyond the capacity of most UMNO
politicians. Islam, like other great religions, has a lot to teach us but its
teachings are lost on UMNO politicians and UMNO Malays.
A person’s devotion cannot be measured by his public
display of adherence to the religion. This is similar to UMNO’s warped belief
that one’s patriotism equates with the number of Malaysian flags one flies
outside one’s home, place of work, shop and vehicle.
Justice, UMNO style
Malaysians are intimidated by UMNO’s tactics. A bad word
breathed about the country, VVIPs or its leaders, lands the individual in
trouble. Justice, UMNO style is like kindergarten children finding the right
peg to fit into the correct hole. If one charge doesn’t fit, try another.
How one practises one’s religion is a private matter. If
UMNO’s version of Islam considers rituals more important than its teachings, or
if force is considered necessary, then it is no better than worshiping a lump
of rock. The descent of Umno into a criminal organisation with the enforcement
agencies turning a blind eye to its many evils is a most heinous crime.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants Malaysians to
emulate America and vote UMNO for continuity. American leaders do not cling
onto power for more than two terms in office. After 55 years, we still argue
over the ethnicity and religion of the leader of the country. In Malaysia, it
is not the best man or woman for the job, but who has most money to pay
everybody off to keep the incumbent in power.
The Malays are at a crossroads and instead of acting on
what the Prophet (pbuh) said, such as “God helps those who help themselves”,
many Malays procrastinate and would rather God decide their future; “Tuhan saja
yang tahu (God is all seeing), “Tuhan akan balas di Neraka” (God will dispense
justice in Hell).
The situation in Malaysia and in UMNO is dire. Religious
bullies run riot, as in the Nik Raina-Borders case, and distract the nation
from the real causes of this country’s problems. The Malays should seize the
bull by the horns and in the upcoming UMNO general assembly, pass a
no-confidence motion on the entire cabinet.
Don’t let these sideshows distract you from the real
issues such as Nazri Aziz and Sabah UMNO’s RM40 million, the Scorpene
submarines, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal and the Automated
Enforcement Syatem (AES).
