By Mohd Ariff Sabri, MP for Raub

TS Muhyiddin has told us his bedtime story. Instead of lulling us to sleep, he has forced us to stay awake. He tells us about the future of Malays, the threats to their religion and culture. Muhyidin went on to say because of the growing ethnic and religious tensions, a lot of assumptions were made about them. He then went on to allude to the possibility of a recurrence of a May 13 incident. For those too young to remember, May 13 refers to that few weeks in 1969, when a killing spree took place between Malays and non-Malays.

Maybe Muhyiddin is caught in that dream world where the images of a racial pogrom play out in his semi-conscious state that usually engulfs a person before dozing off. His unguarded assessment is also an unconscious admission that UMNO can only win elections by playing up racial and religious issues. Hence the question of what is going to happen to Malays translates into what is going to happen to UMNO. Henceforth whatever projections UMNO leaders give out, can only be interpreted as a desperate attempt at staying relevant. For without racial and religious issues and the sanctity of Malay culture and customs, UMNO is totally irrelevant.

Muhyiddin knows UMNO has to create a siege mentality that all these things dear to the Malays, their position, their religion, their culture and history and customs are imperiled.

The overriding question is, why is that so? Why has the situation been allowed to get out of hand allowing the DPM to speak in such a foreboding way?

The government of Muhyiddin and Najib has full control over the legitimate coercive instruments of the state; the police, the army and has the prosecuting powers. So why are elements and groups allowed to freely and wantonly abuse the peace? Why has the government kept quite?

This can suggest that the government is complicit in worsening the situation. It can suggest non-feasance on the part of the government. It has a duty to act and conduct itself properly, yet it has declined to do so allowing hate groups to spread their message of siege mentality around.We have leaders, but there is absence of leadership.

Those responsible for spreading the message of hate and incitement ought to be hauled to the courts of justice. We must never allow anyone to speak of another May 13.

May 13 must never be allowed to be an excuse on the part of the government to hide a long list of misdeeds and wrongs. It must never distract the people from the incompetent handling of the economy, the rising cost of living, rampant corruption that has infested every level of governance and power centres, economic injustice, and government inaction over groups that incite mass unrest and spreading falsehoods.

It is funny to hear Najib spoke of the loss of Brazil in the football match against Germany as being caused by the lack of leadership. Has he been deaf or what?- that is exactly what people speak about Malaysia all these years since he took over as PM- there is no leadership in Malaysia. He hasn’t provided one which is the reason why hate groups have been given a wide berth to spread the message of fear. A responsible government will never allow that and because the situation has deteriorated to such a level excusing the DPM to speak of a recurrence of May 13 can only suggest the absence of leadership on Najib’s part.

The government owns the legitimate coercive instruments such as the police, the military and prosecuting powers. Why aren’t these instruments been applied? A decisive leadership would have nipped these in the bud, arresting those irresponsible elements who espouse on almost a daily basis, statements that incite people to do violence. Why hasn’t the government gone after groups such as ISMA and Perkasa and other groups that expound religious and racial tensions? Regrettably groups that represent the majority in this country appear to be the ones causing tensions. Could it be the reason why the government is holding back its coercive powers?

If TS Muhyiddin is troubled before going to sleep, perhaps we should send him a bottle of antihistamines. He needs the sleep to rest.

*This article first appeared in sakmongkol.blogspot.com