DAP English Forum: Malaysia After Lina Joy

It turns out as what has been expected. I was with my three other friends reach Armada Hotel, PJ at 7.15 p.m. when we found the parking was almost full and even some of the cars has started parking at the non-parking areas. Even the lift was full on our way to level 3 of the hotel where the forum was conducted.

The forum starts late due waiting for Yusri Mohd. who was still in the prayer room. It started on 8 p.m. instead of 7.30 p.m.

from left: Leonard Teoh, Ambiga Sreenavasan, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Prof. Madya Dr. Azmi Sharom, Yusri Mohamad, Tony Phua & Lim Kit Siang

Lim Guan Eng (DAP Sec. Gen.) started the forum with his address of the DAP stand on the issue. As in his address, I was totally confirmed with two of my prediction of this forum. First is that the forum was totally politicize and the second one is the forum is totally with the intention to make the Muslims understand what the non-Muslim and the Human Rights people understand on the issue and not to understand what Islam and the Malaysia’s constitution has to say of the issue. He takes the advantage as the first panelist to take the audience emotion on the unreported cases of unfairness to person renouncing Islam caused by family breakdowns of a mix-marriage.

 

There’s no point having a so called ‘dialogue’ if the forum is a one-sided view and having no respect of the Muslim’s own rights.

Leonard Teoh (Legal Advisor of MCCBCHS) is the second panelist. He starts his speech by stating that we (Malaysian) as a community should be living in ‘harmony’ but not just in tolerance which I agree. Living in tolerance is just having others to tolerate with your action but not to understand and accepting it. But living in harmony need you and the others to understand and accepting each other as it should be.

But then, he raised a question to Yusi Mohd. (that sound really silly for me) about what would PEMBELA reaction if the court’s decision would be otherwise? The audience gives a big applause to this question. I agree with Yusri Mohd. answer that PEMBELA would accept the court’s decision and will go with further action which is necessary within our understanding in line with the law.

But for me, it’s not enough for Leonard to accept such answer as it comes at the position the court’s decision favors the PEMBELA. So, the same like should questions should be ask to Leonard, what would their reaction if the decision was otherwise? And he must also ponder in his mind, would Muslim just sit around and let by gone be by gone?

among the audience. there's also a screen set up outside the hall to serve the audience outside.

He also questioned the Mufti’s view that once the apostasy is allowed, the Malay future is finished because it will open a floodgate of apostasy case among the Malay. He said that he can’t not accept that view through his experience where Malay has a strong family hood which within it has a strong bond that educate the family members to stay in Islam.

Here, I would just say that Leonard just take his view as right and never would allow other views to reach him. I wonder, did he never see the Malays youngsters in the cities nowadays? Did he never examine the statistic of the Malays involvement in khalwat? Did he just sees an angle and neglect others? How rigid his examples are.