We should encourage PM, govt to be moderate

Writer says UUM lecturer's claim that conservative Muslims were not happy with Prime Minister Najib Razak wooing minorities at Umno general assembly, has no basis.

COMMENT

By TK Chua

Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of Universiti Utara Malaysia was reported to have received some feedback from conservative Malays/Muslims who were unhappy with Prime Minister Najib Razak for being “too accommodating” towards minorities.

According to Kamarul Zaman, “Umno risks losing votes from conservative Malays/Muslims should the prime minister focus on wooing the minorities. He was seen as not being conservative enough. That’s because he changed his tactic again to facilitate the minorities”.

I wonder if there is a hidden agenda when views of this nature are put up for public consumption.

Is there a deliberate attempt to ask our prime minister to be more “extreme” and to be less caring for the minorities?

On that note, I have two questions to the academic and those who had given him such feedback: Is caring for minorities not in consonant with Umno and Barisan Nasional?

How do we, as Malaysians in general, expect our prime minister to behave if not for him to take care of citizens?

I really hope the so-called conservative or extreme forces are not trying to orchestrate and direct the agenda for this country.

What exactly is the problem if our prime minister is trying to balance the needs of all? What exactly is the problem if he indeed is trying to be more moderate and accommodating? Is this not what this country is all about?

Kamarul Zaman said he had gathered the views from conservative Malays/Muslims who are unhappy with the PM becoming more accommodating. They feel that they are being taken for granted.

First, I would like to know how many people had given Kamarul such feedback? Also, was this proper feedback or just his own opinion?

Sometimes it is not wrong to state one’s opinion, but we should be careful not to state that the opinion was based on the views gathered from the conservative Malays/Muslims.

Second, even if views of conservative Malays/Muslims are true, to what extent must the PM or any government pander to their demands?

Is this what leadership is all about – just deliver what some extreme forces want? I think leadership is definitely more than that.

I too have an opinion. My opinion is that the majority in this country are moderate and reasonable people.

However, there are extreme forces, for reasons best known to themselves, trying their level best to set the agenda for this country. They initiate, instigate, advise, conjure, and recommend the government to be extreme.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.