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• Armed Forces chief: We won’t interfere

©The Straits Times, Singapore (Used by permission)
by Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief

• Opposition MP accused of raising racial, religious issues

Armed forces chief warns those playing the race card that they risk 'stern action'

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's armed forces chief, for the second time this week, has called for 'stern action' to prevent racial conflict, joining the growing list of top officials warning about the consequences of deteriorating ties among the races.

Their warnings come against the backdrop of heated debate sparked by the controversial remarks of an Umno politician who described the Chinese as 'immigrants and squatters' during a recent by-election campaign. Another fresh controversy, over mosques, is simmering in Selangor.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, in raising concerns about the state of race relations, spoke of signs of 'strain and increasing tensions'. 'We for so long have been able to control the situation so that nothing untoward happens, but we can't allow a situation like this to continue...which could affect our peace and stability,' he said on Wednesday.

He also warned that the authorities would turn to the Internal Security Act 'if absolutely necessary' against anyone who stokes racial strife.

General Abdul Aziz Zainal, the armed forces chief, followed that up yesterday by saying 'stern action must be taken to prevent it from happening'. He was speaking at a press conference ahead of the armed forces' 75th anniversary next week.

He issued a similar warning on Tuesday, provoking an opposition official, Parti Islam SeMalaysia Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, into saying that the armed forces were interfering in politics.

Yesterday, Gen Abdul Aziz gave the assurance that the military would not intervene unless the government sought its help, saying: 'There is no intention whatsoever to interfere with political affairs.'

Deputy national police chief Ismail Omar, for his part, said that officials were worried that people have been spreading racial instigation through the Internet and cellphone text messages. 'We are warning everyone, irrespective of who you are, that all statements on racial sentiments must cease immediately or police will take action,' he said in comments published in the media yesterday.

The warnings follow the outcry over Penang Umno divisional leader Ahmad Ismail's description of the Chinese as 'squatters and immigrants'. The Chinese political parties in the Barisan Nasional were so incensed by his refusal to apologise that they threatened to break away. The situation cooled only after Umno punished Mr Ahmad with a three-year suspension, although this triggered some resentment among the Malays.

Some in the Malay community, in particular those in Umno, see the punishment as one-sided, as remarks made by Chinese politicians during this heated debate appeared to have gone unnoticed.

But as this controversy appeared to be dying down, another was brewing after an opposition Democratic Action Party MP in Selangor, Ms Teresa Kok, was dragged into two racially-sensitive issues involving mosques, and over a plan to add the Chinese and Tamil languages to street signs. In her blog, she blamed Umno for using her to distract attention from the Ahmad Ismail episode.

Malaysia is in a state of heightened political flux as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's self-declared Sept 16 deadline to topple the BN government draws near.

Amid the politicking, a member of the royalty has said the institution of the Malay rulers should be strengthened to enhance its role as the protector of the people, especially the Malays, and Islam.

In an exclusive interview with Khabar Pahang, the state government's official newspaper, Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said the abolishment of the immunity of the rulers some time ago had indirectly given the impression that the institution was not on a sound footing and could become irrelevant.

Opposition MP accused of raising racial, religious issues

SHAH ALAM: An opposition Member of Parliament has been dragged into two racially sensitive issues involving mosques and over a plan to have street signs in Chinese and Tamil.

The issue is being played up by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia newspaper at a time when race relations are frayed due to inflammatory remarks made by Umno official Ahmad Ismail.

The MP, Ms Teresa Kok from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), has denied remarks by Umno strongman Khir Toyo that she had told mosques in three areas in Selangor not to use loudspeakers when making the call to prayer.

Datuk Seri Khir, the former menteri besar of Selangor, was reported in Utusan as having said on Monday that 'there is an effort by certain parties to try and advise mosques to not use the loudspeaker when making the call to prayer'.

Ms Kok's reply: 'I do not have a problem with the calls to prayer and my house also is near a mosque. I don't understand why I am being targeted.'

The daily yesterday ran her denial, but brought up another issue. It showed two pictures of her to allege that Ms Kok plans to remove street signs with the Jawi script.

Ms Kok wrote in her blog that she felt she was being used by Umno as a punching bag. 'Irresponsible parties in Umno Selangor want to divert the attention of the Malays from the Ahmad Ismail case to the people's representative of DAP in Selangor, and they have picked me as the victim,' she claimed in teresakok.com.

A senior Utusan editor, Mr Zaini Hassan, on Wednesday wrote in a column to say that a woman politician had gone to a mosque very early in the morning to ask the congregation not to use loudspeakers.

This is the same politician, he wrote, who also wants the city authorities to remove all street signs with Jawi writing.

Ms Kok said the Utusan column was full of 'false news and lies', and she would take legal action against the writer and the newspaper.

The ally of DAP, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), yesterday lodged a police report against Mr Khir and a blog for allegedly spreading 'malicious slander' and 'lies' about the mosque issue.

Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud of PAS said in her report that Mr Khir's statement in Utusan was 'maliciously intended and aimed at raising the anger and anxiety of Malay Muslims', Malaysiakini reported.

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