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PAKATAN Rakyat could not be happier. They have been handed a ‘gift’ with the bombing of the churches. Naturally, they have been making political capital of it – PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim call the bombings “unIslamic”. On the other hand, Prime Minister Najib Razak seems to be on the defensive although he does condemn the violent acts. Don’t point fingers at Umno, he says.
The arsonists did the Barisan Nasional government a great disservice by their mindless, cowardly acts. Immediately after the results of their handiwork came to public attention, tongues were wagging that Umno was responsible. Well, even if it wasn’t, Najib and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein are liable to be held indirectly accountable for their ambivalent stand regarding the proposed protests by Muslim groups. “We can’t stop people from demonstrating” was something unbecoming from a PM who advocates 1Malaysia and who should have known that when it came to protests by Opposition groups – against the ISA, for example – his government was absolutely stern in stamping them out. In saying what he said, he was sending out a dubious signal. Hishammuddin asserts he was misquoted for having been reported as saying that the Government does not prohibit the people from expressing their views on the Allah issue, but as Home Minister, he should have said from the outset that any public gatherings organised to protest the issue would be deemed illegal and action would be taken against the perpetrators. He missed that opportunity and thus, he and Najib appeared wishy-washy, even sporting double standards. Now their infirmity could come back to haunt them.
The arsonists have also presented Najib a problem. The bombings could so incense the Christians of Sabah and Sarawak that come the next general election, they could withdraw their support for BN, something that is now evidently crucial if BN is to stay in power. The bombings would also have further alienated the non-Malays whom Najib has been trying to woo back with his 1Malaysia peddling. How should Najib proceed now?
Ironically, something positive seems to have emerged from the Allah issue, the bombings and the protests. Although the raising of such a sensitive religious issue could have led to ethnic clashes, it did not happen, further reinforcing the post-March 8 belief that the May 13 bogey has effectively been exorcised. It certainly helped that sensible Muslims did not agree with the protestors and said so publicly. Although a Facebook group formed to oppose the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims has drawn almost 200,000 members, the relatively thin turnout at the mosque protests indicates that Malaysians will not simply take up any cause irrationally. Those at the mosque protests advocating violent action, like the individual in Shah Alam who yelled at the crowd to “bakar gereja” (burn the churches), reportedly met with silence. This individual also threatened that “appropriate action” would be taken if the Court of Appeals does not decide in favour of Islam. One wonders why he hasn’t been arrested for sedition.
On the positive side, there have been heartening developments in the wake of the bombings. There is nothing more reassuring for a multi-ethnic, multi-religious polity like ours than to see Muslim individuals and groups coming out to condemn the bombings. And the initiative of one Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan bin Abdul Rahman to collect donations to rebuild the bombed premises gives a sense of hope amidst the tumult. The Christians have not missed the opportunity to come out smelling like roses either, with the leaders of the damaged Metro Tabernacle Church saying they forgive the arsonists for what they have done. Heartfelt though that may be, it’s still good public relations. The church’s pastor summed it up aptly when he said: “It is a very sad day for Malaysia but a great day to know that most Malaysians do not think like (the arsonists).” He would have been referring to people like Marina Mahathir, who has made one of the most sensible comments on the whole episode – that Muslims have to be strong in their own faith, so strong that they can rise above a mere issue like the use of a word.
In the aftermath of the bombings, we have, it seems, arrived at some kind of threshold. The sensible people of Malaysia may yet be the ones to lead us forward. At the very least, their numbers can only increase. Now we need to open the door and cross the threshold towards better understanding among the different faiths. It’s a great step to take. We should be positive and take it.
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