From Terence Netto

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim used the occasion of the Wesak Day national conference to warn against the tyranny of the minority.

This was a good occasion to inveigh against the hate mongers in our society who stir up racial and religious hatred among the citizenry.

Delivering the keynote address of the Madani Harmony Discourse organised by the Malaysian Buddhist Consultative Council (MBCC) on the occasion of Wesak, the PM dwelt on the threat posed to national unity by hate mongers who he said were a minority out to disrupt the peace and understanding the majority of Malaysians cherish.

He reminded Malaysians the foundations of this amity were laid by the country’s founding prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman who had stressed that “unity enhances strength”.

Anwar said this strength would ward off the nefarious aims of the hate mongering minority who desired to impose the “tyranny of the minority”.

“Within the framework of Malaysia Madani, we are not charting something new, but continuing the agenda set by the founding fathers of the nation,” he explained.

Indeed, this is true, which ought to give added impetus to the PM to weigh in now and then against the minority of hate mongers.

But Anwar has been reluctant to weigh in against this vocal minority which has had the effect of allowing them to think they can rule the roost.

Perhaps Anwar does not want to alienate certain groups on whom he depends for support of his Madani government.

This same crowd are thought to give a pass to the hate mongers to persist in their machinations.

Perhaps it is useful to remind Anwar, who is an admirer of Dante’s poetry, that the great Italian bard had said the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality.

Anwar is not neutral in this battle against a vocal minority of hate mongers, surely not after his strong speech to the Madani Harmony Discourse.

He should not be like the MBCC who do a lot of charity and welfare work in the country but keep quiet about it because quietism is the nature of Buddhist virtue.

This quietism can be summarised as “do good but let not the right hand know what the left is doing”.

This maxim, however, has scant use against those who spew racial and religious hatred.

They have to be given a verbal drubbing now and then as otherwise they would think of themselves as monarchs of all they survey.

Terence Netto is a senior journalist and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.