Rowdy protest at forum finally sparks backlash

Rowdy protest at forum finally sparks backlash

PETALING JAYA, Aug 11 — Days after a rowdy protest broke up a Bar Council forum on Islamic conversions over the weekend, several organisations finally came out to criticise the protesters who included among others politicians from both sides of the divide.

The DAP led the charge as it tried to contain the fallout of allies Parti Keadilan Rakyat's and Pas involvement in the protest, turning the attention on Umno leaders and speculating if there was a plot to scuttle the "Conversion to Islam: Art 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution, Subashini & Shamala Revisited" forum.

"Is this an admission that Umno had plotted for the extreme reaction to the Bar Council forum on religious conversions in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday – including the deplorable and disgraceful police conduct in submitting to the ultimatum by demonstrators threatening to storm into the Bar Council auditorium to disrupt the forum if the half-day forum was not ended by 10am?" veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang asked in a statement today.

But Lim also turned on his allies, saying the DAP has raised strong objections with the PKR leadership on the role of PKR MP for Kulim Bandar Baharu Zulkifli Noordin in storming the Bar Council forum.

"I have been informed that disciplinary action would be taken against him. The Pakatan Rakyat leadership will have to address the Pakatan Rakyat disarray over this issue," Lim said.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also joined in, saying his party condemned such near-violent behaviour as well as the use of racial epithets and slurs.

"DAP is also disappointed that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's irresponsible remarks in condoning extreme, hooligan and rowdy behaviour that disrupted a forum held by the Bar Council and threats of using the Internal Security Act against the Bar Council is a desperate attempt to revive the waning political fortunes of Barisan Nasional.

"Now that BN can no longer respond to charges of corruption, mismanagement, abuse of power and waste, they are playing with fire by using religion to frighten the people," he said in a statement today.

By condemning the Bar Council's persistence and stubbornness in organising the forum as justification for the extreme reaction to occur, the Penang Chief Minister said Najib appeared to justify violence.

"For a future prime minister to defend such extreme and rowdy behaviour is a genuine cause of concern for Malaysia's future as a harmonious and peaceful multi-racial society that guarantees freedom of religion," he said, adding both the Bar Council and protesters had the right to speak and protest in a peaceful manner.

He said the police should be there to enforce and protect their respective rights to speak and protest in an impartial and professional manner. The failure of the police to do so was most regrettable, he added.

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon criticised the rowdy demonstration on Saturday and condemned the fire bombing of the former house of Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan which is now the home of Wanita Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

"It is regrettable that some members of political parties such as Pas, PKR and Umno were involved in the almost violent demonstration," he said in a statement yesterday.

He also said the federal government must convene the joint committee meeting of civil and syariah lawyers to discuss and recommend measures to formulate, clarify and rectify procedures relating to marriage between Muslim and non-Muslim, conversion, custody of children and burial ritual.

"Such issues and procedures, if left unresolved without good mutual understanding, will continue to haunt the multi-religious society of Malaysia," he added.

Hindu Rights Action Force chairman P. Waytha Moorthy, who issued a statement from his exiled home in London today, said Hindraf strongly condemned the veiled threat by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar to the Bar Council that "he hoped that the Bar Council got the message that there are certain things that are out of bounds for public discussion, even if held in a private place."

"Four members of Hindraf were arrested for creating an awareness of their cause in the recent Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference on Aug 7 but here you have over 300 protesters behaving aggressively, carrying inciting banners and storming into the Bar Council forum raising uncalled racial sentiments against fellow Malaysians without fear and protected by the police.

"The statement by Home Minister appear to be condoning such 'violent' behavior and supporting hooliganism, and claims he has not received any complaints of threat to national security or disturbance to public order is utter rubbish and nonsensical," he added.

He believed there was no actual racial issue in the country except the ones incited and seeded into the public to create a scenario that best serves an authoritarian state to serve its own agenda against the goodwill and humanity for the Malaysian society that have co-existed irrespective of their color, race, religion and creed.

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