KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — DAPs Lim Kit Siang has called for a dialogue between the top leadership of both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to douse racial and religious tensions in the country.
Accusing the government today of being clueless in rebuilding national unity, Lim proposed for the meeting to set an agenda and blueprint for national reconciliation which would work towards that end.
“Let top leaders from the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat political coalitions meet within a week or two to discuss the agenda and blueprint of National Reconciliation to Rebuild National Unity.
“The ball is in the court of the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional Cabinet,” Lim said in a statement here.
According to the Gelang Patah MP, the new bipartisan blueprint is needed as the public does not trust the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) of making any significant impact, much like its long string of predecessors.
Formed in November last year, the NUCC is headed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Joseph Kurup and just held its first meeting on December.
The 30-members council includes Global Movement of Moderates Malaysia CEO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, prominent human rights activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, PAS National Unity Committee chief Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and former Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee.
Lim also questioned the silence of Datuk Seri Najib Razak for keeping quiet amid several threats to unity these past few days, despite delivering a New Year address calling Malaysians to be active in the pursuit of unity.
“Malaysia has been plunged into one of the worst times in terms national disunity, division and dissension, raising grave questions about the sanctity of constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and the whole gamut of human rights,” Lim said.
Yesterday saw the Selangor religious authorities carrying out a raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), seizing copies of both the Malay-language and Iban bibles that contain the word “Allah”, while two BSM officials were also held by police.
Separately, a coalition of Malay-Muslim groups also announced yesterday that a rally will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang this Sunday morning over the insistence of Christians in the state to use the word ‘Allah’.
Tensions flared after Jais announced plans to clamp down on churches in the state that used the Arabic word in their worship, even as the so-called “Allah” row remains unresolved four years after it shocked the nation and led to the worst religious strife in the country’s history.
DAP's partner in PR, PKR has since volunteered to act as intermediary in an increasingly acrimonious row between Muslims and Christians over “Allah” that led to yesterday's shocking raid.
