Two issues facing the nation - religion and race

A brief report of the speech I made at the DAP National Congress at Crown Princess Hotel on 24 August 2008...(as reported in Mkini)

--------------------------------------------

Wakil DAP gesa PKR, PAS ambil tindakan
Jimadie Shah Othman | Aug 24, 08 5:07pm

PAS dan PKR diminta mengambil tindakan disiplin terhadap ahli-ahli mereka yang terlibat menghentikan forum “Memeluk Islam” anjuran Majlis Peguam yang mencetuskan pelbagai reaksi orang ramai.

Isu kontroversi itu muncul dalam ucapan perbahasan seorang perwakilan DAP yang menyambung perbahasan laporan setiausaha agung yang dibentangkan Lim Guan Eng semalam.

Perwakilan Bandar Lama Petaling Jaya, Ashwin Raj menyatakan kebimbangan terhadap tindakan beberapa badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Islam, Pemuda PAS dan ahli parlimen PKR Zulkifli Nordin (Kulim-Bandar Baharu) yang terlibat menentang forum itu yang berlangsung awal bulan ini.

"Alasan bahawa forum itu anti Islam tidak berasas. Selama 50 tahun, Majlis Peguam mempunyai ahli daripada pelbagai kaum dan daripada semua agama. Ini berpunca daripada unsur-unsur ekstremisme yang tidak faham bahawa Malaysia merupakan sebuah negara sekular," katanya.

"Kita (DAP) harus mendesak rakan dalam Pakatan PAS dan PKR supaya mengambil tindakan kepada mereka yang terlibat," kata Ashwin.

Beliau turut membangkitkan cadangan menteri besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim supaya Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) membuka ruang 10 peratus kepada pelajar bukan bumiputera.

Bandar Baru Petaling Jaya turut mengkritik Umno kerana menentang cadangan itu dan melabelkan parti itu sebagai "parti ekstrimis."

"Apa yang dikemukan hanya cadangan sahaja, hanya 10 peratus sahaja,” katanya.

Mempersoalan pengmalan di UiTM itu, beliau berkata:

"Saya tidak dikenali di negara kelahiran saya. Adakah ini menunjukkan golongan bukan bumiputera merupakan rakyat asing?" katanya.

Why the 'hate' in the protest?

I can't help but feel sad for the amount of hate in a country like ours where there seems to be no tolerance of a mature discussion on questions of law...It is certainly NOT an Anti-Islam Forum.

From today's Mkini report:

About 300 protesters have gathered outside Bar Council headquarters demanding that the lawyers group halt its controversial forum on ‘Conversion to Islam’ this morning.

The Bar Council today, adhereing to the advice of the police - and an angry mob at its doorstep - wrapped up its half-day forum on 'Conversion to Islam' at 10am, an hour after it had started.

Earlier about 300 protesters have gathered outside Bar Council headquarters demanding that the lawyers group halt its controversial forum on ‘Conversion to Islam’.

A leader of the protesters - PKR Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentarian Zulkifli Noordin - declared the abrupt end of the forum as a victory for them. By 10.40am, most of the protesters have dispersed.

The open forum on the sensitive religious issue kicked off at 9am but angry protestors have given organisers half an hour to cancel the event.

About 15 police officers and an Federal Reserve Unit truck have been deployed to the area and the road leading to the Bar Council office where the forum is held has been closed.

In the bid to diffuse the situation, the police have told Bar Council to wrap up its forum by 10am.

The protesters, many of whom are from Muslim welfare organsation Perkida and Islamic party PAS, shouted, “Hancur Bar Council” (Crush Bar Council), “Hidup Islam” (Long Live Islam) and “Batal forum” (Cancel the forum).

They are carrying placards saying “Jangan cabar Islam” (Don’t challenge Islam) and “Bar Council, Don’t play with fire”.

Among the protest leaders seen in the crowd are PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub and Zulkifli.

The protesters, many of whom came just before the forum began, later decided to sit down in front of the Bar Council building and vowed that they would not budge until the event had been cancelled.

Some threatened to storm the building to physically stop the forum.

One speaker pull out

Among the speakers at the forum was syariah lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla. Mohd Haniff represented the Federal Territory’s Islamic Religious Council in the case of R Subashini. K Shanmuga and Ravi Nekoo, who were counsel for Subashini and S Shamala, respectively, also spoke.

The forum is moderated by Zarizana Abdul Aziz of the Women's Centre for Change.

However, one speaker has pull out - former Syariah judge and currently the Federal Territory Islamic Department’s syariah prosecutor Dr Mohd Naim Mokhtar.

'If consensual, why charge me only?' - Malaysiakini

Precisely the point. Why on earth is Saiful not being charged as well?? Isn't this an act of conspiracy and political persecution? If the act is consensual, surely it takes two to tango..not just one!!

This proves that Pak Lah and Najib have gang up to fight the threat of Anwar coming back to Parliament. It also proves to me and all Malaysians that they are a bunch of cowards..Sorry to say this but can't help it lah..

In the just announced by-election campaign in Permatang Pauh, the BN machinery will certainly come out with all guns blazing from August 16 onwards till August 26. It will be a shameful act of character assasination against Anwar, I dare predict, as they have become desperate enough to even charge Anwar out of nothing!! Where is the evidence?? Where is the police report by Saiful?? Where is the medical report??

This is most unbelievable, as the doctor from PUSRAWI has found NO evidence of sodomy hours before he allegedly made the report against Anwar. The doctor still stands by the report, and the doctor has shown great courage to stand by his report, despite the threats and pressure by the police.

Where on earth is Malaysia heading to? I wonder and pray that justice will ultimately prevail for the sake of our nation and future generations to come. 50 years of BN federal govt is enough to make many Malaysians puke at the amount of injustices and corruption going on...

Enough is enough, time to change the Federal Govt, they have lost all their morality to rule by their sheer arrogance, shamelessness in a sham trial, and lack of honour in charging an innocent man - DSAI.