Andrew Sia
COMMENT | So Muhyiddin Yasin plays the Christian scare tactic against DAP and Pakatan Harapan - yet again.
He claims that Anwar Ibrahim caved in on the non-Muslim use of the word "Allah" because he was "manipulated" by the usual bogeyman – DAP.
This is a tired sequel to Muhyiddin's claim in Nov 2022, just before the general elections, that Harapan was an "agent" of Jews and Christians who were out to "colonise" Malaysia.
How on earth, or heaven, did DAP get this "evangelical" image?
Yes, their most well-known Christian leaders are Hannah Yeoh and Teresa Kok.
Who else? Party secretary-general Anthony Loke? His deputies V Sivakumar and Liew Chin Tong?
Perhaps party chairman Lim Guan Eng? Or his deputy Gobind Singh? Vice chairman M Kulasegaran? Caretaker Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow?
How about the Malay leaders in DAP?
Religion is personal
As far as I know, DAP is a secular party, and most leaders don't advertise their religion as it's personal. Arguably, this is better than claiming to "defend" a religion while getting dirty with corruption.
Perhaps people like Muhyiddin are taking advantage of kampung voters' ignorance that many Malaysian Chinese adopt English names not because of religion but because it's a fashionable "Western" thing.
All of my Chinese classmates from Seremban took on names like Raymond, Ivan and Yvonne when they moved to Kuala Lumpur without becoming Christian. These are seen as English, not Christian, names per se.
Take former DAP Damansara MP Tony Pua. I don't know if he is a Christian or not. Neither did his party colleague, former Raub MP Ariff Sabri, who wrote In The Rocket in 2015:
"I don’t even know whether Anthony Loke, Tony Pua and others are regular church goers or not. It’s a private matter."
"The only thing Tony Pua preaches on is 1MDB and he wants to convert people into believing that 1MDB is the mother of all scandals. He has converted many, even Dr Mahathir."
In other words, it's not about the religion of DAP leaders. It's about pushing for a clean, capable and trustworthy government. Surely, people of all faiths can agree on this?
Unless some politicians are clueless and incompetent (as seen during the Covid crisis)? And unable to come up with solid policies to improve Malaysian lives? And thus resort to racial and religious fearmongering?
COMMENT | So Muhyiddin Yasin plays the Christian scare tactic against DAP and Pakatan Harapan - yet again.
He claims that Anwar Ibrahim caved in on the non-Muslim use of the word "Allah" because he was "manipulated" by the usual bogeyman – DAP.
This is a tired sequel to Muhyiddin's claim in Nov 2022, just before the general elections, that Harapan was an "agent" of Jews and Christians who were out to "colonise" Malaysia.
How on earth, or heaven, did DAP get this "evangelical" image?
Yes, their most well-known Christian leaders are Hannah Yeoh and Teresa Kok.
Who else? Party secretary-general Anthony Loke? His deputies V Sivakumar and Liew Chin Tong?
Perhaps party chairman Lim Guan Eng? Or his deputy Gobind Singh? Vice chairman M Kulasegaran? Caretaker Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow?
How about the Malay leaders in DAP?
Religion is personal
As far as I know, DAP is a secular party, and most leaders don't advertise their religion as it's personal. Arguably, this is better than claiming to "defend" a religion while getting dirty with corruption.
Perhaps people like Muhyiddin are taking advantage of kampung voters' ignorance that many Malaysian Chinese adopt English names not because of religion but because it's a fashionable "Western" thing.
All of my Chinese classmates from Seremban took on names like Raymond, Ivan and Yvonne when they moved to Kuala Lumpur without becoming Christian. These are seen as English, not Christian, names per se.
Take former DAP Damansara MP Tony Pua. I don't know if he is a Christian or not. Neither did his party colleague, former Raub MP Ariff Sabri, who wrote In The Rocket in 2015:
"I don’t even know whether Anthony Loke, Tony Pua and others are regular church goers or not. It’s a private matter."
"The only thing Tony Pua preaches on is 1MDB and he wants to convert people into believing that 1MDB is the mother of all scandals. He has converted many, even Dr Mahathir."
In other words, it's not about the religion of DAP leaders. It's about pushing for a clean, capable and trustworthy government. Surely, people of all faiths can agree on this?
Unless some politicians are clueless and incompetent (as seen during the Covid crisis)? And unable to come up with solid policies to improve Malaysian lives? And thus resort to racial and religious fearmongering?
Muhyiddin Yassin
Repeat big lies
Yet the magic trick of politics, as former German Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
This is made even worse in the age of social media where scientists have found that fake news travels six times faster than the truth.
After all, it's only human to love juicy, malicious gossip rather than real but boring facts. This is why this "Christian threat" tactic has been recycled again and again.
For example, back in 2011, the DAP was falsely accused of asking pastors to pray for Malaysia to become a Christian state and to have a Christian Prime Minister.
This was splashed on the front page of (then) Umno-linked Utusan Malaysia. As per the usual playbook, Malay rights pressure group Perkasa also lodged police reports on this nationwide.
This "conspiracy" was strongly denied by the Christian Federation of Malaysia, which said these are "dangerous lies that make Christians the object of hate".
Christians are just 9.1 percent of Malaysia's population, according to the government's own census of 2020.. Muslims are 63.4 percent.
How can such a small minority be a "threat" to the huge Muslim majority? Especially when they control the civil service, the armed forces and the police. It just doesn't make any sense.
Image and branding
But sadly, Malaysian politics is not about logic or rational debate but racial and religious scare tactics.
It's an image game and Perikatan Nasional seems to have successfully branded itself as the new "protector" of a certain group while Umno is now accused of being MCA-like "traitors" who "sell out" their own race.
So here's my suggestion. It's time for non-Christian DAP leaders to make their Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Taoist backgrounds more prominent.
For example, RSN Rayer, the DAP MP for Jelutong, has holy ash or vibuthi worn on his forehead.
Repeat big lies
Yet the magic trick of politics, as former German Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
This is made even worse in the age of social media where scientists have found that fake news travels six times faster than the truth.
After all, it's only human to love juicy, malicious gossip rather than real but boring facts. This is why this "Christian threat" tactic has been recycled again and again.
For example, back in 2011, the DAP was falsely accused of asking pastors to pray for Malaysia to become a Christian state and to have a Christian Prime Minister.
This was splashed on the front page of (then) Umno-linked Utusan Malaysia. As per the usual playbook, Malay rights pressure group Perkasa also lodged police reports on this nationwide.
This "conspiracy" was strongly denied by the Christian Federation of Malaysia, which said these are "dangerous lies that make Christians the object of hate".
Christians are just 9.1 percent of Malaysia's population, according to the government's own census of 2020.. Muslims are 63.4 percent.
How can such a small minority be a "threat" to the huge Muslim majority? Especially when they control the civil service, the armed forces and the police. It just doesn't make any sense.
Image and branding
But sadly, Malaysian politics is not about logic or rational debate but racial and religious scare tactics.
It's an image game and Perikatan Nasional seems to have successfully branded itself as the new "protector" of a certain group while Umno is now accused of being MCA-like "traitors" who "sell out" their own race.
So here's my suggestion. It's time for non-Christian DAP leaders to make their Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Taoist backgrounds more prominent.
For example, RSN Rayer, the DAP MP for Jelutong, has holy ash or vibuthi worn on his forehead.
RSN Rayer
So maybe those DAP leaders who go to Chinese temples should hold bigger and longer joss sticks? Or carry the deity's sedan chair?
Not eye-catching enough? Heck, how about walking on fire or piercing their cheeks with metal rods during the next Nine Emperor God's festival?
And the Hindus of DAP? Why stop at holy ash? How about carrying a kavadi during Thaipusam)?
OK, OK I am (half) joking on the latter ideas. But how else can they create a strong image that they are not part of some Christian "conspiracy"?
This is the tragic comedy of our politics.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com
So maybe those DAP leaders who go to Chinese temples should hold bigger and longer joss sticks? Or carry the deity's sedan chair?
Not eye-catching enough? Heck, how about walking on fire or piercing their cheeks with metal rods during the next Nine Emperor God's festival?
And the Hindus of DAP? Why stop at holy ash? How about carrying a kavadi during Thaipusam)?
OK, OK I am (half) joking on the latter ideas. But how else can they create a strong image that they are not part of some Christian "conspiracy"?
This is the tragic comedy of our politics.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com
Purely in the context of Malaysia, Christianity is hardly a threat to Muslims, since Malay Muslims control all the levers and assets of power in the country.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the worldwide context is Christian states have been at War with Islamic States for more than 1,000 years. The wars ebb and flow, but in the last 400 years, Christian states have largely out-competed and outlfanked the Islamic world. While Many Muslim states went into deep and prolonged decline.
Yes, Muslims worldwide abhor and fear the Christians, giving rise to extreme resistance from Islamic groups.
You ignored the fact that Islam has become the fastest growing religion in the world.
DeleteHow then does this square with your suggestion that Islam is on the decline vis-a-vis Christianity?
Should have checked in with the core religiosity of the Abrahamic faith.
ReplyDeleteNo tolerance for any other faiths, even those that share the same monotheistic god!
This superfluous faith, together with its other manifestations, have singlehandedly exterminated many older cultures/civilisations.
Note the ancient Egypt, Persia, Ethiopia etc etc.
It's core theme is be consumed & submitted to the one & only god, off with all the old kaffir deities!
This flame would NEVER be distinguish.
"As far as I know, DAP is a secular party, and most leaders don't advertise their religion as it's personal. Arguably, this is better than claiming to "defend" a religion while getting dirty with corruption".
ReplyDeleteComment: the writer ignored or forgot that the likes of Zakir Naik and Ayatollah Hadi are of the opinion it is better to vote in corrupt Muslims rather than good and clean non-Muslims.
That is the "standard" their Islam sets for the world to see.