MCA plays its own racial-religious card, picks on the ulama

MCA plays its own racial-religious card, picks on the ulama

Malaysia Chronicle

Even as another Muslim group lashed out at MCA president Chua Soi Lek for insulting Islam, the party has stepped up its scare-mongering efforts to get the Chinese community to reject Islamic leadership.

“We have given him 14 days to withdraw his unfounded insults against Islam. He should not have been so provocative in the way he presented his views,” PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham Shahrin told Malaysia Chronicle.

Badrul had led members of the Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia, a youth rights NGO, to submit a memorandum of protest to Chua at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

If Chua fails to withdraw his remarks, Badrul warned SAMM would organize nationwide protests against him.

Hidden motive

This is not the first warning that Chua has received over the issue. Ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa has even called him a "sex video actor".

Last week, the MCA chief hit the headlines when he accused Umno and PAS of playing the religious card to chase for Malay votes and in the process undermined the country’s economic growth.

Quoting from the book Malaysia and the Club of Doom, Chua also told an MCA convention in Kedah that Muslim nations tended to be backward both economically and socially because of their focus on religion.

Nonetheless, Muslim leaders in the country were upset. They said even though Chua was quoting from a book, that did not absolve him from responsibility and demanded a retraction.

"There is a hidden motive for him to suddenly refer to the book and to use only the passages that support his motive," said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Picking on the ulama

But Anwar’s words went unheeded. MCA leaders continued on their rampage in a bid to win back Chinese voters who have been deserting them for the Pakatan Rakyat.

"To win back the Chinese support is not difficult, so long as we can explain to them what the 'alternative' of the opposition pact is all about. As an example, no leader from PKR or DAP could become the prime minister,” Bernama quoted Fong Chan Onn, chairman of MCA think-tank INSAP, as saying.
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Fong went on to rail at the religious leaders who formed the core of the PAS central leadership.

"Even the people have said that PAS in Kelantan has treated the Chinese there well, but the fact remains that the ulama are still behind the running of the state administration,” said Fong.

"So, if PAS wants to rule Malaysia, it would likely adopt a similar model, such as in Iran, where the ulama influence the running of the state. Will the Chinese be comfortable with that kind of model?"

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