KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — The Umno-owned mass media continued its weekend attacks on the opposition, suggesting DAP is anti-Islam and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is willing to betray the Malays to be prime minister — both incendiary subjects in mainly Malay Muslim Malaysia.
Utusan Malaysia led the charge with articles and editorials on Saturday and Sunday that painted DAP being against the country’s official religion as a result of actions by two of its lawmakers.
“It’s the weekend so the Umno media knows that people have time to read, think and talk,” a media analyst told The Malaysian Insider.
Umno-controlled media have echoed their masters’ view that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is a traitor to the Malay cause. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Selangor local government exco Ronnie Liu was also attacked for overturning the seizure of beers from a 7-Eleven convenience store by council officers enforcing Islamic directives.
The Sunday newspaper then chastised Anwar, claiming the Malays are angry that he would threaten their rights in order to be prime minister.
Over at Berita Minggu, an op-ed article quoted academicians and Malay rights activists as saying the Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat is just using the Malays to gain power.
DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang last week complained both newspapers were guilty of rank racism and have called Barisan Nasional ministers to castigate the Umno media.
However, none was forthcoming except deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who called for calm and defended Utusan, saying it was a reaction to protests that threatened Malay institutions.
But Kit Siang has been adamant that the newspapers are racist.
“When Umno’s two newspaper groups, Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times, openly flout Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept, how is the prime minister to convince all Malaysians that his Cabinet and administration are fully, sincerely and seriously committed to the 1 Malaysia concept and that it is not just an empty slogan like his predecessor Tun Abdullah’s slogan of ‘Cemerlang, Gemilang and Terbilang’ as the fifth prime minister of Malaysia?” he asked on August 4, referring to prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s slogan, meant to unite Malaysians.
But the Utusan group took a different tack this week, focussing on DAP leaders’ comments and actions that touched on Islam.
It echoed Umno leaders who say DAP have no respect for the faith when it protested moves to curb beer sales in Pakatan-held Selangor despite objections from ally PAS.
... and accusing Lim Kit Siang and the rest of DAP as being anti-Islam. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has decided that convenience outlets can sell alcohol but must follow existing rules that prohibit sales to minors and Muslims.
In Penang, Ooi followed chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s directive to retract a statement calling JIM an extremist group. However, he did not apologise despite calls to do so by Muslim groups.
Mingguan Malaysia used the blogger-turned-politician’s statement as a sign that DAP is the biggest threat to the country, and not the Malays.
“In Western countries, the Muslim minority will rise against those who insult Islam, let alone those in Muslim majority nations in the Arab world and Indonesia who will riot. But due to the political chess in Malaysia, Muslims are cowards and can be insulted,” wrote Awang Selamat, a pseudonym for the paper’s editors.
“It is time for Muslims to unite and rise against this. Muslim leaders from all parties cannot be soft anymore.
“Will they be responsible when the country one day becomes like Palestine that is oppressed by the Jews,” Awang wrote today, touching on a subject close to the global Muslim community.
He added that he agreed with Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim that “insults against Islam must be contained to prevent racial and religious tensions.”
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