Stop Harassing Those Who Speak On Issues Many Fear To Discuss

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A hybrid is defined as a product of two different entities and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government is a hybrid of the religious party, PAS, and the more established, integrity challenged Umno-Baru
True to form, the monstrous hybrid PN has shown extreme intolerance, excessive insensitivity and rigidity
In the past, both of these parties would claim that they were necessary to protect Islam and defend the Malays. Today, the irony is that the rakyat needs saving and protecting from PN
Within a few weeks, several individuals have been questioned for making various remarks: veteran radio announcer and actor Patrick Teoh, former women, family and community development deputy minister Hannah Yeoh, lawyer Siti Kassim, former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) founder Cynthia Gabriel and former water, land and natural resources minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar
So, why have these individuals been harassed? The answer is simple. What they said goes to the heart of the PN administration. The raison d'être of the Malay PN government is the four Rs: race, religion, royalty and the rural divide
The Malay likes to present an image of piety, but as we have seen from some individuals, stealing is not an issue, nor is corruption
He wants to be known as an upright, honest person, but the world's biggest kleptocrat has shown that he is not averse to using royals, celebrities and age-old institutions to further his own selfish agenda
He claims to be innocent, but when he was investigated, he ran to Mecca and took photos to suggest that only God 'knows' he is free of blame
The remarks of the individuals who were mentioned earlier have sullied PN's image. Even Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief, Steven Gan, will be questioned for the comments made by the online media’s readers
In a civilised nation, what Patrick Teoh (above) said would not have been an issue. Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, is often criticised for interfering in politics. His brother, Prince Andrew, who has ties with a convicted paedophile and underage sex, has been dropped by Britain as a special trade envoy
The Spanish King's father, Juan Carlos I, has been criticised for his adultery, allegations of corruption and his love of hunting despite being an honorary president for the World Wide Fund for Nature. Perhaps some Malaysian snowflakes need to grow up, or take a crash course in the history of the French revolution
Hannah Yeoh is an obvious target because she is a committed Christian. She is being probed over a fake statement made on March 11 about child marriages and Islam, which the authorities claim is offensive. She is also being questioned over a genuine tweet she made on March 9, about the fate of the National Strategic Plan to address the causes of underage marriage under her successor, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff
What Yeoh may or may not have said about child marriages is not the point. Her critics just want to portray an image of a Christian questioning the Muslim man's right to marry a minor. That is all. Her critics want to create the impression that Yeoh is interfering in Islam, which most people know is not true
Remember the Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer, Kamarul Zaman Yusuf, who accused Yeoh of proselytising with her book, "Becoming Hannah: A personal journey by Hannah Yeoh"
The reasons for targeting Siti Kassim (above) are similar to Yeoh's. Siti is independent, articulate and progressive. She encourages other Muslims to speak out
Siti is right. Tahfiz schools should be shut. I will go further: Jakim must also be banned. Tahfiz schools produce Malaysians of questionable quality, apart from their ability to memorise the Quran from cover to cover. Many do not understand the passages that they learn by rote
What do they know of general knowledge, of nation-building, or of the world outside the tahfiz school walls? The tahfiz school "graduates", with their limited outlook on life, will form the future electoral base of PN/PAS/Umno-Baru. They are mere political pawns
Cynthia Gabriel's anti-corruption rhetoric reminded us of Umno-Baru's major corruption crimes. Some of the corrupt, who were involved in Muhyiddin Yassin's horse-trading, are now in power. To paraphrase Dr Mahathir Mohamad, "Malaysians mudah lupa" (Malaysians often forget). Gabriel will not let us forget these crimes
Dr Xavier Jayakumar said that the one-day Parliament sitting was "rubbish and worthless". He is right. The King's speech could have been done virtually at a much lower cost
Jayakumar (above) was driving home the message that we are still a democracy and we need Parliament to debate policies. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is using the coronavirus pandemic lockdown to rule as if we are in a dictatorship
Syed Saddiq is being investigated over an Al Jazeera’s "UpFront" programme on March 6, in which he criticised Muhyiddin and PN. Many MPs have also made similar criticisms, but Syed Saddiq is of especial interest to Muhyiddin
He is young, from Johor, and more importantly, he has a strong following. The more Syed Saddiq criticises, the more PN gets edgy because his words may find some traction among the Malaysian youth
Of course, you must speak out when you see a wrong. So, when should one keep quiet
You should shut up when you are a junior aide, like Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, who has again drawn attention to the internal struggles in PKR, the perennial animosity between Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim, and about loyalty to Anwar
Loyalty, like respect, is earned. Do not force it on others, and, as an aide, Farhash must learn that there is a bigger picture than Anwar Ibrahim's succession
The enemy is PN, not the leader of Pakatan Harapan, but if Farhash continues in this vein, he will create more enemies within Harapan
Both Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar are past their prime. They are from the old guard of Umno. For as long as we have the Mahathir-Anwar rivalry, we will be stuck in a rut because their followers do not encourage unity
There are more capable leaders. Think Malaysian, and don't be blinkered by race. A new leader will emerge
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter. - Mkini

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