Sign in Subscribe
human rights

Is Mahathir facing mutiny over Zakir Naik?

Kazi Mahmood

• 4 min read

The Malaysian media is abuzz with Zakir Naik and the Pakatan ministers who expressed the need to extradite him back to India.

Let’s get to the bottom of this error of judgement by the Pakatan trio. Yes, from the start, it is an error on their part. Why? Because they failed to uphold the core values that guide the Pakatan Harapan, but in particular parties like the Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Democratic Action Party or DAP.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran and the Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Xavier Jayakumar ganged-up against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Zakir’s stay in Malaysia.

Without voicing my personal views on this squabble, I would say it is a clear and definite attempt by the trio to force Mahathir’s hands on the issue.

And I believe that if they continue to push the issue further, they would be in direct confrontation with Mahathir.

There, we already have the first split in the new Mahathir cabinet, whether we like it or not and with the trio pressing so hard in the local media to get Zakir out of the country, it is now bordering mutiny.

That’s not my opinion. That’s factual. Did anyone of you watch The Rock, the movie starring Ed Harris as General Hummel? The situation in the cabinet is exactly the same as that scene in the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrjo9LbeyTQ

Yes, it is going to be a long drawn battle between Mr Govind, Mr Kulasegaran and Mr Xavier versus Mahathir on Zakir’s fate.

The three are now using the media channels to spark more confusion on the issue. They are not saying why they want Zakir out, albeit using the same reasoning publicised by India. But the Indian reasoning showed that it did not have a case against Naik.

New Delhi might have started a suit against Zakir, but the Interpol rejected that suit as the reason for them to issue a Red Notice on Zakir. That alone tells you how weak the Indian case is.

But the trio, hiding the real reasons for their disenchantment against Zakir – mostly the fact that he is a Muslim preacher feared by many in Malaysia and abroad for his smashing style – is pushing a vague agenda.

The same trio was so hard pressed against the Barisan Nasional regime for what was perceived as its weaknesses and abuses. Today, with the roles reversed, they are using similar tactics.

Which is appaling indeed. Let me tell you why.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Gobind made it a point to tell the world that issues pertaining to controversial Indian preacher Zakir Naik were brought up in Malaysia’s cabinet meeting.

He said the government was committed to following the rule of law and “acting accordingly” if the Indian government presented a convincing case for Zakir’s extradition.

The problem in the Zakir’s situation is that the Indian government does not really have a case against the preacher. If they did, they would have hunted him down (by all means) by now.

While the Indian aim against Zakir remains fluid and disputable, it is hard to comprehend why did the three newly minted ministers find it necessary to squabble with their new boss on the matter?

They do not have an iota of evidence whether Zakir did any wrong in Malaysia or India for that matter.

It is all based on hearsay evidence and it is appaling that such men who were recently fighting the regime of ex-PM Najib Razak on hearsay, is now hiding behind hearsay to push ahead a dark and murky agenda!

But is this case relevant enough to extradite someone who may be harmed in the present day India?

It is that hard for DAP and PKR ministers to understand what Human Rights means after all? Is that what we have all been fighting for, all these years in Malaysia in support of these ministers who are now showing their true blood?

Is this how they regard Human Rights, and how they see the rights of foreigners with Permanent Residence in the country?

The Pakatan, when they were in the opposition, were adamantly against any of Najib’s bowl carrying mission to foreign countries and ridiculed him on his trips to the US or China.

Now Pakatan ministers will go to India to talk to Mr Narendra Modi on how to arm-twist Mahathir on Zakir’s fate? Incredible!

Simply appaling!

Sign up for more like this.

Enter your email
Subscribe