By P Ramasamy
The self-righteousness of the Pahang mufti and the silence on the part of the authorities to sack or reprimand him seems much more worrisome than his remark.
Despite the furore that has been created by his obnoxious, provocative and incendiary remark, he thinks that he has done the right thing.
More than this, the police are tight lipped on his remark even though police reports have been lodged.
Despite the calls from Muslims as well as non-Muslims, Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman is adamant that he will not apologize or retract his statement for labelling DAP as “kafir harbi”.
He further noted that his remark was not focused on the DAP alone but against those who opposed Islam and, therefore, since his remark was a general one, there was no need to retract or apologise.
Furthermore, he said, since his remark was based on an Islamic religious edict, it had nothing to do with politics.
He took to task Utusan Malaysia for twisting his remark and focusing solely on DAP and not against those who opposed Islam.
To date, despite opposition to his remark from both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, both Barisan Nasional and Umno leaders are tight lipped on the seditious and provocative remark of the mufti.
Whether the silence on the part of Umno leaders indicates endorsement of the mufti’s remark remains unclear. Even the BN non-Malay leaders have kept their silence.
Perhaps it would not be wrong to say that the mufti would not have been so bold to make his seditious remark without the tacit approval of those in power.
It is most unfortunate that the police have not done anything about the matter despite some reports being lodged across the country.
If “kafir harbi” remark directed at DAP is not seditious, then it is not clear what is seditious in Malaysia. The police have had the bad habit of pouncing on trivial and non-seditious matters in the past, but why are they keeping silent on this particular remark of the mufti, a remark that could easily ignite racial and religious tensions in the country.
Thus, the silence of the political leaders and heads of law enforcement agencies provides some clues as to why action against the mufti is not forthcoming.
Failure to act against the mufti has already sent a wrong message to others. It gives an impression that anyone can make incendiary remarks about other religions and ethnic groups as long as you have the backing of those in the higher echelons of power.
The careless and irresponsible act of the mufti tells that religion or race or both together could be easily manipulated or abused for the wrong reasons.
It is no use riding the wave of victory in the two by elections, as the rise in the ethnic and religious temperature might do irreparable harm to Malaysians.
The way things are going, if left unchecked, we might all be losers in the larger collective sense.
P. Ramasamy is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang.
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