Open letter by G2 to all Malaysians — Saleh Mohammed

APRIL 21 — We had groups of 25 and recently a group of 40 writing to Putrajaya on the various concerns of the citizens of our beloved country, Malaysia.

There was an open letter asking for a rational dialogue on the position of Islam in a constitutional democracy and how religious authorities were "asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction", There is now a letter written with "deep anguish" to strengthen the foundational structure of our country and "deeply concerned" that  moderation as a value was being ignored by some parties, including political leaders to suit their respective audiences. Religious bureaucrats are blamed for being given "overarching" significance over the constitution.

The main issues in the letters revolves around calls for moderation and powers of the religious authorities. These issues if not tackled carefully and tactfully will have dire consequences.

Since there is no response from Putrajaya on the various letters to-date, this is an open letter to all Malaysians. We are very sure to get some response.

Fellow Malaysians, we are used to not getting meaningful feedbacks when dealing with the authorities, with the exception of a few.

Since meaningful feedbacks are not forthcoming, we (G2) would like to make some proposals for Malaysians to consider.

Moderation

1. Politicians to temporarily stop politicking for two weeks.

Politicians have been talking about change. We think they can start by not politicking for two weeks. Yes, there will be two by-elections soon. This will be a good test whether they can institute a change. They can begin with campaigning with positives and leave the negatives, on moving the country forward.

Should there be a need to touch matters on race and religion, let us know how you plan to improve current situation and make Malaysia a model state for moderation.

The 'wakil rakyat'/'yang berhormat'/lawmakers (some have even broken some laws) should be happy since it will be a two weeks respite after just having a raise in their allowance. If the Rakyat support this proposal, we believe it should be followed since they are our 'wakil' unless they believe they are 'yang berhormat'.

2. NGOs to also stop issuing sensitive statements on race and religion for the two weeks if they really love our country.

3. Mainstream and social medias to block sensitive news on race and religion during this period. Especially for mainstreams, to prove that it is not trying to make money in sensationalising these issues.

4. The Federal government to channel 1 Malaysia program budgets to organise 'Bulan Muhibbah'

People from my generation will remember we used to celebrate Bulan Muhibbah. It was the late Tun Abdul Razak who proposed for it in August 1964 (Berita Harian 28/8/64, Page 4). We could bring back history and learn how to move forward for the betterment of our nation.

5. Federal government to establish a Race Relations Foundation along the lines of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (a Canadian government agency responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism).

To save cost, it can be done by collapsing one of the irrelevant foundations and give focus to this initiative. Avoid sending big delegations to Canada for 'study visits'. We could start by having video-conferencing and invite a few officials from Canada or countries who have successfully implemented such programs to help us set up this foundation.

To show their concern towards our beloved country, political parties and various NGOs should be happy to volunteer to make this foundation a success.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

Powers of the religious authorities

1. The various religious authorities are well advised to re-visit the history and purpose of its establishment. They would also need to re-look at their vision and mission statements. Things may have evolved so much that some of the vision, mission and objectives are overlooked or out-dated. What could be worse is there is no clarity of purpose. 

2. It is proposed that some of the training budgets in the various religious authorities be allocated towards motivational and public relations modules. An understanding of the relevant parts of the Malaysian Constitution is also advised.

3. Religious officials to draw up periodic programs to include 'teh tarik' sessions with officials of other religions. Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. himself had dealings with several Christians and Christian groups, including Waraqa ibn Nawfal and the Najran Christians.

4. There could also be exchange visits. We have not heard it is 'haram' for Muslims to visit a church. It was narrated that Ummu Salamah and Ummu Habibah, two of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. wives did enter a church.

We believe if steps are taken to practice or implement the above proposals, Malaysia’s claim to be a model moderate nation where Islam co-exists harmoniously with other religions in a multicultural society is easily achievable.

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