Endorse ‘25 prominent Malays’ to show moderation stripes, Putrajaya told

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang today challenged Putrajaya to stamp the Cabinet’s approval for the open letter by 25 retired senior civil servants, to validate Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s commitment towards moderation.

Lim said the resounding support received by the group of “25 prominent Malays” has demonstrated the power of their message, which Malaysian were backing in efforts to “drown out extremism” in the country.

The DAP parliamentary leader said the Cabinet’s endorsement of the open letter expressing concern over the invasion of religion into the country’s laws and administration was a necessary counter to the viciousness the group has received.

“Is every minister a moderate and prepared to take a stand against intolerance, extremism and bigotry?” posed the Gelang Patah MP.

“The voices of moderate Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, gender, age or political affiliation, are being raised to drown out the cacophony of the coarse loud-mouths and thugs from those preaching intolerance, extremism and bigotry,” he said in a statement today.

Pointing out that the group’s call was receiving “enthusiastic support from all walks of society, Lim then asked if Najib and his administration is ready to provide the leadership for this growing tide of moderation in the fact of intolerance, extremism and bigotry.

Lim said the moderates in the country must set aside all differences to band together now to defeat the intolerance and extremism that he dubbed the greatest threats and enemies to Malaysia’s mixed society.

He also called on the prime minister to reassert his stand taken at the Global Movement of Moderates stage in 2010 calling for moderates to drown out the extremists.

In a strongly-worded open letter earlier this month, the group of 25 influential Malays called on the federal government to review Shariah criminal offences and assert the supremacy of the Federal Constitution over Islamic state laws in the country.

The group, comprising some of the country’s most senior-ranking civil servants who have since retired, expressed its dismay over the unresolved disputes on the position and application of Islamic laws in Malaysia, which it said reflects a “serious breakdown” of the division of powers between the federal authority and the states.