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Pak Lah has to get his team together

THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO the Health Ministry, Dato' S. Sothinathan, was suspended for three months because he defied a government decision. He had immunity when he complained, in Parliament. But when ten non-Muslim cabinet ministers protested in public what they had in the cabinet sessions agreed, probably because they had to show their communities they meant well, there was recriminations and explanations, but no action against them. Their Malay ministerial colleagues, notably Dato' Nazri Aziz, in criticising them, said they agreed with an Islamic state. But it showed that the cabinet is split. The prime minister, Pak Lah, said he was unhappy at the move, which was the first since independence. But the more the ministers talked, the more it became clear that the Malay and non-Malay ministers disagreed. In cabinet, these ten ministers – why was another minister, Mr Kayveas, left out? – went along with the proposal. But they had now to take the decision to show they looked after their community's interest. But like the ten ministers, Pak Lah makes confusing statements. National Front MPs make it worse by saying the ten were off base, they did not know Islam, and their protests must be ignored. So the National Front to bring unity to this country brings disunity instead!

This is an issue that will not go away. The Federal Constitution is raped so that Malaysia is an Islamic state. Although Trengganu courts have said the Trengganu state assembly could not give to an organisation to issue fatwas, in the Federal government it is allowed. Otherwise, how could a government department – which the Islamic religious department is – create a crisis, and showed its power by saying it would not form a snoop squad because Pak Lah objects to it. In other words, this department will not follow government rules and will follow what the prime minister has to say, not the other way around. Now in Tampin, an issue has cropped up which would alienate the Chinese and the Buddhists. A Malay woman, who married a Chinese Buddhist in 1936 and has practiced as one since, has died at 89; she was disallowed to leave the Muslim religion about 15 years ago. The Negri Sembilan religious affairs department want to bury her as a Muslim. She has not been a Muslim for 60 years. Pak Lah, the MCA and the Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia should make a stand. So must Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, Pak Lah's son-in-law, who is from the state (Negri Sembilan), and hopes to be prime minister of Malaysia soon. He is now engaged in making sure the deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, would not.

Pak Lah washes his hands when it is convenient. He said he did not know that his son-in-law's company was taken over by a government firm, Avenue Capital, which had RM3,000 million in cash, in a complicated series of moves that had the main shareholders controlling it. He told that he did not know about the transaction. A RM3,000 million in cash is depleted from government coffers, and lhe, who is also finance minister, did not know! His son-in-law did not tell him? His officials never told him? The former finance minister, Tun Daim Zainuddin, had insisted that all payments, or projects RM20 million and more should come to him. But we are told RM3,000 million has been transferred to his son-in-law without his knowledge! But when he denied, a denial that was broadcast over the government media in great detail, Malaysians who are used to the government telling lies, believed the opposite. He issued the press statement, through Bernama, a fortnight after his involvement was known throughout the country. He still believes he can stop the flood when he feels like it. But Malaysians know the government never tells the truth. The former deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim was beaten to a pulp, by the Inspector-General of Police no less, while government spokesman said he was well treated. The police denied it had illtreated Chinese women tourists, but admitted that the woman in question who did the nude squat was Malay, not Chinese. In the meanwhile, a cabinet minister had gone to Beijing to apologise, two journalists had been forced to resign, a Chinese daily in danger of being suspended. But no one believes the official version, which often varies with the spokesman.

Most of these did not happen under his watch. But he was a member of the cabinet which allowed this. In Malaysia, it is only the Prime Minister that matters, or so the people are led to believe. But Pak Lah has the problem of division within UMNO, where the opposition is fiercer than the outside. He did not at first take that seriously. By the time, he realised it, other issues came into the fore – the divide between the Muslims and non-Muslims; the racial divide; a more organised opposition that asks questions for which answers are not forthcoming; the religious affairs departments taking the law into their own hands; the religious group it had created complaining it is not consulted in making women second class citizens; among others – which makes the National Front fight harder for their seats. The National Front works on a need to know basis, but when their representatives open their mouths, their first take leave of their senses, and usually tell lies. It is probably too late, but Pak Lah must first keep the people informed on issues of the day. The grandchildren and children of independence have different perception of their future than their fathers and grandfathers had. But UMNO has not learned that. It does not believe in the past, only the present. And that is reflected in today's politics.

M.G.G.Pillai
pillai@streamyx.com