Following Tanjung Karang MP Noh Omar’s ruckus in parliament, Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang said that the episode raises concern of how many cabinet members are committed moderates.

“I cannot count more than two fully committed moderates in the cabinet, who are willing to take up the cudgel of moderation against extremism, and rally behind a coalition of moderates to reclaim their religion and pursue the path to peace.

“Apart from the two ‘moderate’ ministers in the cabinet, the rest seems to be either extremists or ‘nominal moderates’,” said Lim (left).

He, however, did not name the two ‘moderate’ ministers.

“(Otherwise) Malaysia would not have been  plunged into the worst racial and religious polarisation in more than four decades of nation-building, with hate speech and incitement of racial and religious tensions and conflicts, without having to face the wrath and sanctions of the law becoming quite commonplace.” lamented Lim in a statement today.

He urged ministers and leaders in BN who consider themselves to be moderates to identify themselves and make their stand.

On Monday, during a parliamentary speech where Lim questioned the government inaction towards extreme Malay-rights NGO Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali’s threat to burn bibles,Lim responded to an interjection from Noh by asking if he was a “moderate or an extremist”.

Noh did not answer the question. Instead, he accused Lim’s party DAP of being racists and chauvinists, then causing a ruckus in the parliament.

With only two ministers committed to moderation, Lim said the success of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) initiative is in question.

With that, he said the first three prime ministers of Malaysia would have been dismayed to see today’s Malaysia, where people can denigrate the diversity in the country with impunity.

“Will this height of denigration and demonization of the ethnic, religious and cultural diversity reach a new climax at Umno General Assemblies at the end of the month?” he asked.


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