Breaking Views
‘Have ears, hear not! Have eyes, see not!’ — Ahmad Mustapha Hassan
JAN 11 — Since the very first day when Datuk Seri Najib Razak took over as the prime minister of Malaysia on April 3, 2009, I have yet to realise whether he hears and sees what is happening in the country. Every time he utters anything, it seems to be out of context of what is actually happening. I am wondering whether he is living in his own make-believe world. Or is it the custom of any top leader in Malaysia to be in denial mode and believe that everything is rosy.
The actual situation in the country is not without due concern to everyone and yet the PM seems to be oblivious to all this. That racism is on the rise seems to have missed his notice. The diversity in culture is not a hindrance definitely but racism is. This is the fundamental problem that the PM must come to grips with and act in a sensible and responsible way.
Many incidents have occurred that give rise to instability in the country. All these incidents have not been attended to although in one case, the Cabinet made a decision on the matter. This is in relation to children below age being converted by the spouse who had converted to Islam. This was done without the consent of the other party who did not convert to Islam.
It is the fate of these innocent children that is of concern to everyone. The tussle between the party who remains with the original status as against the party who has converted to Islam who also had the backing of the Islamic religious authority and other enforcement agencies can create undue stress on the children.
The Cabinet issued a ruling that children below the age of maturity must remain in the original religion but this was never enforced. The law itself must be amended to give effect to this ruling. That has not been done.
These cases have been mentioned on numerous occasions in the media but there seems to be no effective solution to the cases. The aggrieved party failed to get a fair hearing and thus resorted to actions that bring uncertainty to the future of the children.
The case of Indra Gandhi and her children is one case in point.
Children were kidnapped and taken away as the process of seeking a just solution was not available. Must this go on endlessly?
The cases of body snatching will astound Hollywood filmmakers. There must be a sensible and fair method to these charades. Converts to Islam who reverted back to their original religion find it difficult to convince the Islamic religious authorities of their new status. It is an impossible situation in Malaysia; one who is a Muslim cannot opt out of Islam.
Suffice to mention the cases of Gan Eng Gor, where the police took away the body from a Chinese funeral parlour to give him Muslim burial rites and so was the case of Mohan Singh. A solution needs to be found to avoid such cases in the future.
Then there is this unnecessary emphasis on ketuanan Melayu which is creating unease among the non-Malays. The media controlled by the party in power never cease to highlight this issue. The PM did not caution this group to either tone down their obsession or divert them to other more productive topics that will benefit the people as a whole.
The MCA under Chua Soi Lek has voiced out a number of contentious issues. Even the Gerakan became more daring in giving support to these issues brought out by Soi Lek.
Possibly, all these outbursts are just fodder for the forthcoming general election. After the elections, the MCA and the Gerakan, like the PM, will close their eyes and cover their ears to the ramblings and complaints by the people.
Now suddenly even the political parties in east Malaysia which are members of BN had also voiced their dissatisfaction on certain actions of the government.
All these problems have not been attended to. Nothing can materialise if all these grievances and incidents are not resolved. This is the stark reality facing the country.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, although the Cabinet was about a third of the size of the present Cabinet, issues were tackled and not allowed to linger on. There was a very effective monitoring system put in place by the late Tun Abdul Razak. Thus issues did not go out of control.
The various government agencies were effectively carved in their roles to avoid them creating empires and become unduly powerful. The Islamic religious authorities and the syariah courts were never above other agencies. Civil law was supreme.
The government then was effectively practising “people first, service now” without resorting to unnecessary sloganeering.
The government then listened and gave recognition to what the people said about their needs in seeking justice and a fair treatment to conflicts. The government did not pose itself as being all knowing.
The leaders too talked within the context of reality.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
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