In a speech he delivered during a kopitiam dialogue in Selangor yesterday, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said recent events in the country showed the “unhealthy, disruptive and dangerous politics of lies, hate and religion, coupled with the irresponsible politics of race and religion”.
Among these was the “slapping incident” at a National Transformation 2050 (TN50) dialogue at Putrajaya earlier this month which saw actor Sulaiman Yassin, also known as Mat Over, slapping film producer David Teo in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Razak, for lacking “manners” in the way he spoke.
The incident caused an uproar, with Teo being pressured by several NGOs to apologise despite already doing so immediately after being slapped.
Barely 10 days later, the information officer of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was also slapped during a protest against the Penang government for allegedly blocking state fatwas (Islamic edicts) from being gazetted. Zaidi Ahmad was slapped for asking the protesters which fatwa they were referring to.
Lim also cited the recent death threats issued against Selangor DAP state committee member Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof on the DAP Laknatullah (Allah damns DAP) site as well as the “Lim Kit Siang is racist” essay competition organised by Umno information chief Annuar Musa as a direct reaction to being called “the father of all racists” by Lim.
Yet another incident mentioned was the claim by Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff that Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh’s autobiography, “Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey”, was an attempt to influence Muslims towards Christianity.
“Malaysia can and must be a showcase to the world that diverse races, religions and cultures can live in peace, tolerance, harmony and understanding and not in bigotry, intolerance or strife,” Lim said.
Noting that the country would soon be celebrating its 60th Merdeka Day, he urged “all right-thinking Malaysians” to reject the politics of race and religion to ensure continued harmony and goodwill between the various cultures.
He added, “Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or even politics, must unite to re-set nation-building directions and policies for Malaysians to compete with the rest of the world, and not fight among ourselves to be more divided and lose out in the international race of nations for development and progress.”
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