KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17, 2014:DAP Member of Parliament for Gelang Patah Lim Kit Siang today sang praises of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s first Malaysia Day blog post released yesterday.
But at the same time, Lim also cautioned Abdullah, more fondly known as Pak Lah, on the daunting task ahead in his pursuit of moderation.
Noting Abdullah’s sentiments, Lim said he rightly pointed out the many societal issues that have plagued Malaysia since Abdullah vacated the PM’s seat.
Some of the issues included the repeated threat of a recurring May 13 tragedy, the decline in tolerance, respect and unity among different ethnic groups and the use of fear tactics by politicians.
“The former Prime Minister’s concerns are most valid and justified.
“But is he prepared, through his blogs, to consistently take up the cudgel to champion moderation against baneful developments like the upsurge of intolerance and extremism and the sedition dragnet which have created a climate of fear in country, as if we are in the midst of a ‘white terror’ in a prelude to Ops Lalang 2?” Lim questioned.
Reiterating the repeated use of the Sedition Act, Lim also said that those who needn’t fear the sedition “dragnet” were those who since Abdullah’s premiership had been “inciting racial and religious hatred and conflict through lies and falsehoods”.
Lim added that these were also the very people who succeeded in forcing Abdullah’s early retirement as Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister.
Training his guns at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration, he said it was an “ominous sign of the recent times” that no top government leader had spoken up against the exploitation of the May 13 tragedy.
In his inaugural blog post yesterday, Abdullah lamented that the nation’s tolerance and respect for one another was slowly diminishing as they focus on their differences, be it in the aspect of politics, religion, race or the standard of living.
He also said that unity should not be fostered through intimidation, and although the May 13, 1969 tragedy should be a lesson to all, it should not be brought up all the time.
“We should learn from the past but look ahead towards the future.”
With Malaysia being a democratic nation, Abdullah also said it was the norm to have different political views, but it should not lead to arguments.
