Time that the Prime Minister must show political courage and leadership

Press Statement by M Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat in Ipoh on January 7, 2014

Time that the Prime Minister must show political courage and leadership 

Since JAIS’s raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia, many Malaysians have urged  the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib to speak up on the illegal raid and to resolve the controversial “Allah” issue.
However, till today, Najib has continued to disappoint Malaysians.

Yesterday, without referring to the JAIS’s raid, he said that any issue that can destroy peace and harmony must be tackled through dialogue and engagement based on the rule of law.

 “We must not tackle issues that crop up from time to time with emotions, but instead by staying calm and through maturity,” he said when addressing the Prime Minister’s Department’s monthly assembly yesterday.

It is an irrefutable fact that JAIS’s raid on the Bible society of Malaysia was a violation of the Cabinet’s 10 point solution.

How could he as the nation’s Prime Minister choose to remain evasive and think that it would suffice to make general statements? Why could he not even say that all civil servants must respect and accept the 10 point solution?

The raid has put Malaysia in the international news for the wrong reasons and he should know that the world is also watching how the Cabinet will deal with the issue.

This is time for the Prime Minister to show political courage and leadership and do what is right in the nation’s interest.

He must not choose to remain popular but must be prepared to safeguard the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom of all Malaysians.

I hope he is not looking at the issue like what the National Unity Consultative Council Chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said , "Like a father, the NUCC cannot blame our children but can say this is regrettable and cannot happen again...”.

I cannot agree with Tan Sri Samsuddin’s remarks because a responsible and good father has the duty to tell his children what is right and wrong and who is right and wrong.

Point number 7 of the 10 point solution reads as follows:-

7. A directive on the Bible has been issued by the Ketua Setiausaha (KSU) of the Home Ministry to ensure proper implementation of this Cabinet decision. Failure to comply will subject the officers to disciplinary action under the General Orders. A comprehensive briefing by top officials, including the Attorney-General (AG), will be given to all relevant civil servants to ensure good understanding and proper implementation of the directive.

So can the Prime Minister tell Malaysians whether disciplinary actions can and will be taken against the JAIS officers who conducted in clear violation of the Cabinet’s solution.