KUALA LUMPUR, May 17— Prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has lauded the pursuit of human rights in his personal Facebook page yesterday, just days after panning the very same values as a threat to Islam.
“As Malaysians, we believe in human rights, and subscribe to the philosophy, concepts and norms of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,” he said in a post.
“Ours is a majority-Muslim nation. But our faith respects other faiths, and our commitment can be consistent with our constitution and our value,” Najib added on his Facebook page.
On Wednesday, Najib said that Islam is now being tested by new threats under the guise of humanism, secularism, liberalism and human rights.
The prime minister touched again on the evils of liberalism on Thursday, telling the country’s youths to steer clear of liberal and pluralistic beliefs that would destroy the country at the National Youth Day 2014 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.
Najib’s remarks were seen as a lurch to the right and away from his previous push towards moderation, forcing several allies to jump to his defence.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, seen as the progressive face of the party, suggested that Najib had been talking about “unfettered liberalism.”
Sabah BN secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, meanwhile, said he believed Najib had been cautioning against demands for “unbridled” and “unrestricted” human rights, agreeing with the Umno president's viewpoint that such unrestrained demands would be “detrimental” to Islam.
“If you ask for and demand unbridled human rights based on Western values, that is not acceptable,” the Kota Belud MP from Umno told The Malay Mail Online yesterday.
He cited same-sex marriages and homosexuality as examples, he said such extreme demands are “not compatible” with the spirit of Malaysia's Federal Constitution.
Umno lawmaker Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said Najib was “just voicing out the concern” of many Muslims who wanted to see the authorities play a greater role in enforcing religion.
“I think he's trying to strike a balance, an equilibrium where secularism and liberalism don't overwhelm religious practices,” said the Pulai MP who is also the parliamentary bipartisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman.
Nur Jazlan, who backed Najib's stand, said society would not be able to function well if it turns totally liberal.
“Society is becoming more liberal so there is pressure for the government to enforce religion, which I think is wrong because religion is personal,” he said.
