Has the government’s lack of firmness been the reason why “3R-related” incidents continue to wreak havoc in the country…?
The recent incident where red paint was splashed on the door of a KK Mart outlet in the campus of Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur is sure to have set alarm bells ringing again; it was believed to be related to the ongoing hoo-ha over the “ham and cheese sandwich” sold there that allegedly did not have proper halal certification.
Wasn't the red paint splashed on KK Mart, a manifestation of hatred and vengeance…?
For the record, this is not the first time the popular local minimarket chain has found itself at the receiving end of Muslim fury in this country; early last year it got embroiled in the infamous “Allah” socks fiasco which threatened to disrupt public peace - and where eventually the company and its suppliers were fined RM60,000.
Back then the controversial socks sold in its outlet were reportedly “exposed” on social media by influential Chinese convert Muslim preacher Firdaus Wong which sparked fierce backlash against the company from the Malay-Muslim community here - even before the police had investigated the matter!
It also led to a call by UMNO youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh for a boycott of the company’s outlets nationwide which inadvertently also triggered firebomb attacks on its premises; all these, despite the fact that the owners of the company had publicly apologised for their oversight.
As for the latest incident involving the “ham and cheese sandwich”, it may have gone viral after (the same) firebrand Dr Akmal had alluded to in a social media post that ham usually meant pork - after referring to the Oxford “Learner's” Dictionary!
Understandably, using the word “pork” was guaranteed to touch a raw nerve among Muslims in this country; add to that, when he mentioned that it had a halal logo on it, that was enough to ignite a firestorm that soon morphed into an inferno.
Was it a wise idea to give the impression to Muslims that “ham equals pork” without first verifying it with non-Muslims?
On the other hand, using the halal certification logo illegally represents a serious crime that must be dealt with according to the full force of the law; but the fact remains that, without the allegation of pork meat, wouldn't the issue be restricted to an alleged misuse of halal logo? A serious yet basically a technical violation of the law?
Misuse of the halal logo is a serious offence that should be penalised with a heavy fine!
As it turned out, the ham was actually chicken meat and the ingredients in the sandwich were said to be halal; but apparently the sandwich itself wasn't wholly halal-certified, thus the supplier did not have the right to affix the halal logo to it!
Meanwhile, wading into the controversy in his popular ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast, former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin stressed that the alleged misuse of the halal logo on the sandwiches in the university campus actually underscored the need for greater understanding and sensitivity; moreover, according to him, it should not be dismissed or trivialised, as it concerned the need to respect and empathise with Muslim sensitivities.
But isn't “empathy” meant for all… and not only for some?
What some may be entitled to ask is: how about the sensitivities of other religions in this country? Consider the furore over Hannah Yeoh’s book, where her personal faith (religion) was questioned and threatened; did Khairy and others come out strongly to “empathise” with the youth and sports minister, especially, when hundreds of police reports were lodged against her… comically, by some people who had never even read the book?
Coming back to the splashing of red paint on the KK Mart outlet, according to Bukit Bendera MP, Syerleena Abdul Rashid it was yet another stark reminder how incidents stemming from bigotry, misunderstanding, and divisiveness were becoming disturbingly common in this country - fuelled by mistrust and ignorance!
Shouldn't those who “exploit” race and religion for personal or political gain be held accountable…?
Not mincing words, she pointed out that the rise of intolerance doesn’t happen in a vacuum - it thrives when good people stay silent, when “certain politicians use race and religion as tools for power”, and when society fails to push back against hate speech!
Finally, a “firmer” law to clamp down on perpetrators of 3R-related hate speech and acts?
Incidentally, according to a recent news report, prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, on the issue of freedom of speech in this country, clarified that discussions on race, religion and royalty are only banned when they cross the red line; this is when they incite racial hatred, exploit religion to harm others, or manipulate the public that may lead to conflicts.
In fact, given the widespread misuse of digital platforms to spread hatred by irresponsible parties, law and institutional reform minister, Azalina Othman had, last July, revealed that the Madani government was planning to introduce a new law aimed at imposing civil penalties on individuals who incite issues related to 3R; according to her, it would be modelled after Singapore’s “Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act” but customised to suit local conditions.
Azalina also explained that the existing Sedition Act 1948 often entailed lengthy prosecution processes due to legal procedures; whereas, the proposed new law will take a speedier and more straightforward, punitive approach for conviction with the imposition of fines!
So is it okay to take the law into one's own hands to defend race, religion…?
The truth is, remarks and acts that threaten the unity of the nation’s multiethnic society must be stopped in its tracts, while giving the relevant authorities time to investigate and haul the wrong-doers to court; this would prevent feelings of “bad blood” brewing between people from different races, religions and cultures, and help to preserve societal harmony.
In closing, no doubt, the public will be waiting in anticipation of this proposed new law, although one can expect fierce objection to it from those who are “addicted” to playing up sensitive racial and religious issues for their own personal or political agenda; still, the question that will be in the minds of many is: will it be applied fairly to all and sundry?
Main information source: Vibes, Scoop, CNA, FMT, Focus Malaysia, The Sun and NST.
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