Open letter to Mahathir
Your assertion in Phnom Penh on Nov 6 that Muslims in Australia are "particularly unsafe because they're likely to have their houses raided, et cetera" is utterly callous and insensitive, incredibly wrong, and foolishly embarrassing to Malaysians in Malaysia and abroad, especially in Australia.
You forget that about 100 Australians were killed in Bali, presumably by militant Islamists who wrongly use their religion to express hatred for non-Muslims and to carry out cold-blooded murder.
Many other nationalities were also killed and scores more were seriously injured by the bombings. But you prefer to put profit, by selling tourism to Malaysia, ahead of humanity and decency.
I understand the role tourism plays in an economy, and no less so than in Malaysia as in Australia, but to extol monetary gain from tourism over human lives destroyed by these fanatics is simply wrong.
What would you say to Malaysians had they been killed or injured in attacks by militant extremists and terrorists in Australia or anywhere else: would you also not issue strong travel warnings for Malaysians to either stay vigilant or not to travel to Australia?
Does such an action not seem common-sensible: that your first duty as government is to protect your citizens at all cost — regardless if the threats are real or perceived? Did anyone really know terrorists were going to plough hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, any more than anybody knew these barbaric militants were going to kill innocent foreigners and Indonesians in Bali?
It seems to me that common sense has fled you, because you have been saying some really ridiculous, even stupid, things lately. You may think such a loose tongue as yours, by which you sometimes deliberately create controversy, may win you kudos among your supporters at home.
But the fact is, many Malaysians abroad, and I dare say even in Malaysia, are recoiling in serious embarrassment by your latest unintelligent outbursts. It's time you put your heart before your hot-headed political shenanigans. And it's time you also got your facts straight.
The houses of those Muslims in Australia that were raided by Australian law enforcement agencies, are suspected of being part of the militant Jemaah Islamiah group in Indonesia. And if you read the letters to the press here, you'll note that many Australians have condemned the Australian government's handling of these suspects and their alleged activities.
So far, none of these suspects have been arrested and arraigned in Australian courts. Let me remind you of one other fact. Did you not send in your balaclava-headed, Special Branch storm-troopers to smash into the private property of your former erstwhile deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, arrest him, humiliate him and his family, shatter their lives, drag him through the courts on trumped-up charges, who was beaten senseless by your former police chief while in jail, as you protected your throne by any cowardly means possible?
Another fact. The Australian government suspects only 12 Muslims out of the roughly 280,000 Muslims who live in Australia. I hope this gives you a sense of proportion and perspective.
Indeed, these facts should have been given to you by the Malaysian High Commissioner in Canberra. If he has not, I suggest you demand an explanation from the High Commissioner, and if he has been derelict in his duty, you should sack him for incompetence.
Another fact. The Islamic Council of Victoria, backed by most peak Muslim organisations, including the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, in an open letter, has strongly condemned Muslim extremists and militants for their gutless, barbaric acts of cold-blooded murder.
Their statement reads, in part, thus: "We have felt the hurts of your ways and we want you to understand that what you have done was never in our name."
You ought to be ashamed of yourself for your irresponsible and insensitive behaviour by your cold-hearted remarks in these matters in recent times. You seem to be losing the plot. Perhaps it is time for you to quit politics — sooner rather than later — so that Malaysians are spared from having to cringe in severe embarrassment by your recklessness. And History won't be kind to you, either, Dr Mahathir.
