PETALING JAYA, Aug 4 — The controversial video featuring a Muslim dog trainer and her dogs should not be turned into a national issue, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
The opposition leader that the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) only needed to counsel the dog trainer, Maznah Mohd Yusof, who is now being investigated under the Sedition Act and Section 298A of the Penal Code on offences of causing disunity on religious grounds.
“If they call her, just counsel her,” Anwar told reporters outside the PKR headquarters here today.
“It shouldn’t be a national issue,” added the PKR de facto leader.
On Friday, Jakim deemed Maznah’s video, which shows the 38-year-old woman walking and bathing her dogs, as an insult to Islam, resulting in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) pursuing investigations against her.
PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man similarly said yesterday that Malaysians, especially the Malay community, should focus their outrage on the country’s brewing debt crisis, instead of being distracted by racial and religious issues.
He pointed out that Malay-Muslims would bear the brunt of an economic crisis as they form the majority in Malaysia.
Ratings agency Fitch cut its outlook on Malaysia’s sovereign debt to “Negative” on Tuesday, citing gloomier prospects for reforms to tackle the country’s rising debt burden after the divisive 13th general election.
The revision from a stable outlook adds to concerns over Malaysia’s high debt pile at a time when the currency has been pressured by bond fund outflows and talk of the US Federal Reserve ending its easy monetary policy.
