Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak lacks the testicular fortitude to deal with rabble-rousers and extremists such as Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) and Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).

Najib instead prefers to have photographs taken with panda bears, take selfies with US President Barack Obama and wax lyrical about Chinese hard-boiled eggs, Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said.

“Will it be another exercise in futility to hope that he will see fit to set frivolities aside and put a full stop to the Mais/Jais madness?” Baru (left) asked.

He said this yesterday, in response to the refusal of Mais and Jais to return the more than 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages they seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), despite the directive to do so from Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

“These issues have escalated precisely because we have a weak and ineffective prime minister, who has neither the will nor the courage to nip this problem in the bud when it first reared its ugly head.

“Mais and Jais clearly do not have appreciation for or any understanding of the rule of law, nor do they care about the constitutional rights of non-Muslim Malaysians.

“They have no respect for authority, as shown by the thumbing of their noses at Gani. If they are allowed to get away with this open defiance and arrogance, this nation will be doomed,” said Baru, who is the Ba’Kelalan assemblyperson.

Mightier than the Federal Constitution?

In a strongly-worded statement, he added: “I am completely flabbergasted at the turn of events in the Bible saga last week, after the attorney-general declared that no there would be prosecution against the Bible Society of Malaysia and that the case was closed.

“Instead of returning the Bible copies they had seized in January from the premises of the Bible Society, Mais and Jais openly defied the decision of Gani (right) and expressed their intention to dispose of the holy books, which are meant to be for Christians in East Malaysia.

“The debate in Peninsular Malaysia is now turning to the question of whether Mais and Jais are answerable to the sultan or to the state. However, the Christians in Sarawak and Sabah are not interested in who the master of these monsters is.”

Baru then pointed to Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, which states: “The Attorney-General shall have the power, exercisable at his discretion, to initiate, conduct or discontinue and proceedings for an offence, other than proceedings before a syariah court, a native court or a court martial.”

By dismissing the AG’s decision, he asked, were Mais and Jais telling Malaysians that they were mightier than the Federal Constitution?

Baru added: “What is even more sickening to us is the apparent helplessness of the country’s leaders in this pathetic saga.

“Where is the prime minister when we need a leader to put an end to this nonsense? No person in authority has come forward to put Mais and Jain in their places so far.

“What then will be the meaning of the rule of law as the foundation of our nation and government? We will be opening ourselves to the disaster of extremist rule, or to the catastrophe of anarchy.”

Sarawakians, Baru added, were watching with bewilderment and disgust at the farce unfolding in Peninsular Malaysia, and bitterly and angrily reflecting on the broken and unfulfilled promises of the Malaysia Agreement.

“What a raw deal we have been given,” he said, and asked: “Will the prime minister please stand up?”