Anwar can no longer ignore the Zulkifli problem
Terence NettoPublished: Jan 11, 2010 12:26 AM | Updated: Jan 11, 2010 2:45 AM
Anwar Ibrahim’s unequivocal statements condemning acts of insensate destruction against churches and those responsible for the climate of opinion that led to such outrages have made him the surpassing Malaysian leader in this time of national crisis.
By saying that Muslims in a majority Muslim nation should protect the rights of minorities, Anwar has not only stayed consistent to his frequent espousals of the nobility of the religion he professes; also, he has plumbed for the humanist principle that the strong protect the weak as a matter of course.
This is not an easy thing to say for a Muslim leader who is in competition with other Muslim leaders for the support of the Muslim majority in whose midst live a sizeable number of non-Muslims...
Anwar Ibrahim’s unequivocal statements condemning acts of insensate destruction against churches and those responsible for the climate of opinion that led to such outrages have made him the surpassing Malaysian leader in this time of national crisis.
By saying that Muslims in a majority Muslim nation should protect the rights of minorities, Anwar has not only stayed consistent to his frequent espousals of the nobility of the religion he professes; also, he has plumbed for the humanist principle that the strong protect the weak as a matter of course.
This is not an easy thing to say for a Muslim leader who is in competition with other Muslim leaders for the support of the Muslim majority in whose midst live a sizeable number of non-Muslims.
But Anwar has come out and said it, giving pause to critics who attribute chameleon instincts to a man they claim is adept at saying different things to different audiences, just to win votes.
Often, from time immemorial the fault lines spawning conflict in society revolved around the dominant group’s treatment of the Other – how the majority in a community or nation viewed the need of minorities for fair treatment and justice.
Anwar has had no hesitation in saying that that treatment is a barometer of the state of justice in society.
In the present crisis afflicting the nation, Anwar has blamed Umno for creating the climate of opinion that has led to the arson attacks on churches.
He has gone further by pinning culpability for the outrages on the Umno-owned newspaper, Utusan Malaysia. In his latest pronouncement, Anwar has fingered the one-time standard bearer of Malay nationalism for stoking the flames of racial and religious mistrust and hatred.
On the other side of the political divide, Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak has vociferously rejected that Umno is to blame, claiming, against evidence to the contrary, that the party has never been racist or extremist.
The public pronouncements of Umno leaders are apparently not quite susceptible to altering influence save that of the ballot box.
Zulkifli must toe the party’s line
Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders cannot afford to be comparably impervious to public anxiety over threats to their freedom to worship.
Thus Anwar Ibrahim can react proactively to this moment of national crisis by persuading PKR’s Zulkifli Noordin, the party’s Kulim-Bandar Bharu MP, to recant stances he has taken in recently on issues purportedly affecting the Islamic religion.
One of them is that the High Court decision allowing Catholic publication Herald to use the term “Allah” was inimical to the security of Muslims.
Anwar is on public record as early as December 2007, telling Christian leaders in Petaling Jaya, that since Christian children these days are largely Bahasa Malaysia speaking, they should be allowed to use the term ‘Allah’ in study and worship.
Zulkifli cannot claim ignorance of his leader’s stance. He wrongly affects to give the impression that Islam is under siege in Malaysia.
He is eccentric in his protestations about alleged threats to Islam in Malaysia and as far as can be seen, has not said anything about the outrages that have taken place in the last few days.
Since behaving in a unpardonably disruptive manner towards a Bar Council meeting in 2008, an action for which the PKR disciplinary committee recommended punishment, Zulkifli has proceeded to compound matters instead of taking due heed of his party’s forbearance.
Anwar, who has led exemplarily in this current national crisis, can shake the dust off the disciplinary committee’s stricture and demand the recalcitrant MP publicly recants and toes the party line or ship out.
Such action in these straits would enable Anwar to deflect critics who fault him for two-facedness and bring to heel an MP who has become an acute embarrassment.
TERENCE NETTO, a former journalist, is a Malaysiakini stringer.
By saying that Muslims in a majority Muslim nation should protect the rights of minorities, Anwar has not only stayed consistent to his frequent espousals of the nobility of the religion he professes; also, he has plumbed for the humanist principle that the strong protect the weak as a matter of course.
This is not an easy thing to say for a Muslim leader who is in competition with other Muslim leaders for the support of the Muslim majority in whose midst live a sizeable number of non-Muslims. But Anwar has come out and said it, giving pause to critics who attribute chameleon instincts to a man they claim is adept at saying different things to different audiences, just to win votes.
Often, from time immemorial the fault lines spawning conflict in society revolved around the dominant group’s treatment of the Other – how the majority in a community or nation viewed the need of minorities for fair treatment and justice.
Anwar has had no hesitation in saying that that treatment is a barometer of the state of justice in society.
In the present crisis afflicting the nation, Anwar has blamed Umno for creating the climate of opinion that has led to the arson attacks on churches.
He has gone further by pinning culpability for the outrages on the Umno-owned newspaper, Utusan Malaysia. In his latest pronouncement, Anwar has fingered the one-time standard bearer of Malay nationalism for stoking the flames of racial and religious mistrust and hatred.
On the other side of the political divide, Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak has vociferously rejected that Umno is to blame, claiming, against evidence to the contrary, that the party has never been racist or extremist.
The public pronouncements of Umno leaders are apparently not quite susceptible to altering influence save that of the ballot box.
Zulkifli must toe the party’s line
Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders cannot afford to be comparably impervious to public anxiety over threats to their freedom to worship.
Thus Anwar Ibrahim can react proactively to this moment of national crisis by persuading PKR’s Zulkifli Noordin, the party’s Kulim-Bandar Bharu MP, to recant stances he has taken in recently on issues purportedly affecting the Islamic religion. One of them is that the High Court decision allowing Catholic publication Herald to use the term “Allah” was inimical to the security of Muslims.
Anwar is on public record as early as December 2007, telling Christian leaders in Petaling Jaya, that since Christian children these days are largely Bahasa Malaysia speaking, they should be allowed to use the term ‘Allah’ in study and worship.
Zulkifli cannot claim ignorance of his leader’s stance. He wrongly affects to give the impression that Islam is under siege in Malaysia.
He is eccentric in his protestations about alleged threats to Islam in Malaysia and as far as can be seen, has not said anything about the outrages that have taken place in the last few days.
Since behaving in a unpardonably disruptive manner towards a Bar Council meeting in 2008, an action for which the PKR disciplinary committee recommended punishment, Zulkifli has proceeded to compound matters instead of taking due heed of his party’s forbearance.Anwar, who has led exemplarily in this current national crisis, can shake the dust off the disciplinary committee’s stricture and demand the recalcitrant MP publicly recants and toes the party line or ship out.
Such action in these straits would enable Anwar to deflect critics who fault him for two-facedness and bring to heel an MP who has become an acute embarrassment.
TERENCE NETTO, a former journalist, is a Malaysiakini stringer.
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