Muted response from the non-Muslim groups

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 - To some people, it was a symbol of Muslim unity when leaders, members and supporters of three ideologically conflicting parties - Pas, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Umno - managed to shut down a legal forum on conversion to Islam.

The protesters, putting words of their leaders into action, stormed into the Bar Council auditorium in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to put an end to the planned half-day open forum only an hour after it started.

Till late last night, there was neither a comment nor criticism from the Barisan Nasional component parties such as MCA, Gerakan, MIC and its multiracial Sabah and Sarawak affiliates. Even the non-Malay leaders of PKR have yet to offer any views.

The only consistent voice of opposition is DAP supreme Lim Kit Siang. But even he is muted when it comes to naming names. Lim chose to blame the police as the culprit.

"The police yielding to pressure to disrupt the half-day Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam at 10 am in Kuala Lumpur today is a most adverse reflection on law and order as well as religious harmony in Malaysia on the eve of the 51st Merdeka anniversary.

"Malaysia has failed a major test in nation-building to demonstrate that we are shaping up to be a more civil society where sensitive issues of inter-faith problems can be discussed in a mature and responsible manner to promote national unity and religious harmony in the country," he said in a well-guarded words statement.

Lim said the police failed in its duty when they sided with the protestors in ensuring the abrupt end of the half-day forum at 10am instead of upholding the law.

"Are there any Cabinet Ministers who are prepared to raise this episode at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting to uphold the right to have such forums to be held?

"This is unlikely considering the public stand that has been taken by Umno leaders including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein demanding that the Bar Council forum should be called off."

Lim however omitted the names of Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and a few other Pas leaders who had already deemed that the forum was meant to insult Islam and would create tension, and therefore must be stopped. Pas Youth leader Salahuddin Ayub also joined yesterday's protest.

It takes the DAP younger member such as Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua to put in plain words of what he thinks of the whole situation.

Stating that the Bar Council is the most appropriate organisation to lead discussions on the Constitution and the laws of Malaysia was the Bar Council, he said it would make a complete mockery of our legal and judicial system if its very practitioners were denied opportunities to discuss or explain the laws.

He was also disappointed with the protest led by PKR's Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin, saying that the protest was not only misguided but also immature and unconstructive.

"If discussing our constitution and our laws is equivalent to "Islam-bashing", then he (Zulkifli) needs to have his head inspected. The forum did not create the "hoo-haa". It is "leaders" like him who fail to understand simple principles who mislead others into thinking that the whole world is against them.

"Well, it appears that this type of thuggish and loutish behaviour is unfortunately not only limited to Umno Youth," he added.

Despite the deafening silence among the non-Malay parties, particularly the MCA, Gerakan and MIC despite having been demanding for more freedom and tolerant among the people, a lone MIC voice was heard yesterday.

MIC Youth coordinator T. Mohan in a statement posted on the internet said the movement strongly condemned the tactics of irresponsible groups in disrupting the forum.

He also expressed concerns that statements made by certain leaders who had opposed the forum had caused resentment among the non-Muslims.

He said they should have come out with their proposals in addressing the issue of non-Muslim husbands who abandon their spouses and their families to convert to Islam, rather than to stop a legitimate forum.

"The MIC Youth also calls on the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) to publicly state their stand as the group who opposed the forum was led by a PKR MP. Is this what Hindraf gets for supporting PKR in the general election?"

-TMI