NOVEMBER 5 — Kids Say the Darndest Things is a US comedy series hosted by Bill “Dr Huxtable” Cosby, which ran from 1998 to 2000.

It is premised on host Cosby asking a child, aged between three to eight, on a variety of questions. The appeal of the show was on the cute and most unexpected responses from the kids. This concept was borrowed from a hugely successful radio turned television show Art Linkletter’s House Party that ran for a quarter century from the 1940s. It’s the definitive wholesome fun programme.

In Malaysia we have our real life version performed by politicians, bureaucrats and race–based NGOs. They are neither wholesome nor fun but certainly logic defying.

Jokers unlimited

This pseudo Malay lecturer complained that none of his students rallied to his support when he was questioned under the Sedition Act, whereas in Universiti Malaya Associate Professor Azmi Sharom’s case, there was near pandemonium reaction.

How can this fella who claims to be an “intellectual” draw any comparisons between his case and Azmi’s? That possibly no one, not even his students rallied because they agreed his racist remarks were wrong, escaped him.

Basically his argument was that when intellectuals sided with government policies they are blasted while those who supported Pakatan Rakyat were heralded.

Can any “intellectual” suggest this as a serious moot point? Nincompoops can.

Isma vice-president Muhd Fauzi Asmuni contends that it is improper to label Malays as pendatang (immigrants) and offered perantau (travellers) as the correct description. He reasoned that they crisscrossed the Malay Archipelago, i.e. Sulawesi, Sumatra and Borneo, implying that the entire surroundings were already “home”.

He even generously proposed that non-Malays could suggest for themselves another term if they disagreed with pendatang.

The world over migrated, travelled and settled in many places in the 19th and early 20th century and helped form nations. They agree on the types of government and constitutions and then the nations and her peoples move on. Imagine if we had all accepted Saddam Hussein’s rationale for the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait; that a map he had unearthed depicted Kuwait as part of Iraqi territory some 300 years earlier, and that’s why ...

On Indira Gandhi’s custody case — the Inspector General of Police said he was stuck between two conflicting jurisdictions. I beg to differ. He may be in a predicament but he wasn’t stuck. His uniform demands that he can only take the side of the law, however conflicting it is against his personal beliefs. His other option is to surrender his uniform.

The law is unquestionably clear; the Syariah Court dealt with Islamic family issues. Indira Gandhi does not fall under this purview; besides, her three children’s conversion was annulled by the High Court. The only person who is Muslim is the divorced husband.

I am dreadfully appalled with the country’s chief law enforcer on this matter, as however unwitting it may be, the civil court is once again seen as under siege.

The mother-of-all interpretations!

I think the morale in the attorney-general (AG) chambers must be at an all-time low. In all my 40-plus years adult life I have never encountered an opinion offered that has such crucial impact in the rule of law that is so indefensible!

A few good folk have waded in to make sense of how nonsensical the reasoning had been.

Are we aware that the AG is about the only top official who is technically not answerable to any executive authority? The incumbent is not required to explain to an authority why people are charged, not charged, or how the offences were framed. We certainly cannot continue as it is.

With this Ibrahim Ali’s burning Bibles debacle, it will render the 20 odd charged under the Sedition Act as super duper ridiculous.

If Ibrahim’s call to inflict “damage” cannot cause ill will or hostility, according to the AG, how then can mere opinions of the 20 odd charged be all that menacing?

The Sedition Act 1948 was formulated during the escalating Cold War era. It has no place whatsoever in any 21st century democratic setting. And because the Act exists in our country, coupled with an “invincible” AG, Malaysians can continue to expect to be treated as if we are ignorant folk.

However, amidst the doom and gloom from racial and religious bigots, and clampdown specialists, there emerges a clear social activism trend, amongst our youths, responsible NGOs and sensible notables too. Hallelujah!

Postscript

Some of the prime minister’s pronouncements, which impressed me, were to accept and not just tolerate our diversity, government-knowing best is over, the Sedition Act 1948 will be repealed and reject all forms of extremism. He also approved the long awaited Chinese secondary school SMJK Chong Hwa in Kuantan.

But he didn’t get the results he expected in the 13th general election despite a high personal approval rating. That should have been telling. Only the BN chairman was seen to be transforming then.

The GE performance was not as much an indictment of his governance as in the government (last 30 years) he inherited, and to an extent, the election candidates. But the next time around it would be wholly his to answer.

The past four weeks he has spoken up against extremism on four official occasions. The most recent was on Sunday at the Bandar Hilir Deepavali open house, where he was even more precise — reject extremism, fanaticism and rigid ideologies.

Even the minister in charge of unity has called for a revisit by the AG chambers. When is the prime minister going to act decisively on these critical issues?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.