PETALING JAYA: The police investigation into Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching's controversial surau visit has been called a "complete comedy" that flew in the face of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia concept.
Teo's DAP colleague and lawyer Gobind Singh Deo told FMT today the authorities were sending a signal that anyone who went to a place of worship risked being prosecuted.
"That just goes against what 1Malaysia is supposed to stand for. What she (Teo) did was obviously geared towards fostering greater relationship and understanding of religions," said Gobind, who is Puchong MP.
But what vexed Gobind more was that the police could not even tell Teo and himself what sort of offences Teo were being investigated for.
"When I asked them, they simply said a police report was lodged against Teo. But they could not answer me why they were asking for Teo's statement. If a complaint or police report doesn't form the basis of any criminal charge, the police shouldn't look to her for answers. That's 'fishing' for a case, which isn't allowed," said Gobind.
He added that the police should not even be investigating this (report).
"Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code says that a person need not answer questions which incriminate them, but in this case, how do you know what incriminates if you don't know what your offence is?" asked Gobind.
He said police would ordinarily call witnesses after they have weighed a police report and gauged if it fell under any criminal offence, not the other way around.
"If there were no offences, they shouldn't be calling people just to 'understand what happened'," said Gobind.
Politically motivated exercise
Teo herself was puzzled by the police action, calling it a politically motivated exercise.
"I am unhappy because day in and day out, people from my constituency tell me that police have not taken action on their reports, even when they could identify the suspects who sometimes even stay in the same area," said Teo.
"But now they've called me here when they do not even have a case against me," she added.
"Is this a criminal offence? This is ridiculous. Most likely they had received instructions from their 'superiors' from Umno," she said.
Teo said she had even asked the police: "If I had made a police report against Najib for visiting a museum, would you call him up?"
"Of course not. As far as I know, visiting some place is not a crime," she said.
On Saturday, she was grilled for more than an hour by Kajang district police. They asked her whether she had permission to visit the surau and what she wore and what she said in a speech.
Issue over-hyped
Teo was also asked if she knew that her behaviour has caused disharmony in society and whether she was aware that she had provoked a community.
"As a citizen, I have done my part in giving the police full support. It's up to them to charge me,” she said, adding that the whole issue has been over-hyped.
"Is it because I am Chinese? But I'm definitely sure that it's because I am from DAP, because they (police) were trying so hard to claim that we are anti-Islam," she said.
Teo hoped that the whole issue could yield something fruitful for Malaysia.
"There is a debate going on in the Muslim community about this. In the US, Najib said there is Islamophobia and we cannot deny that it's also here in Malaysia.
“The conclusion and reaction from the Muslim community would affect the non-Muslims. We should take an inclusive rather than an exclusive approach. I hope that we can achieve more unity at the end of the day."
Teo said that from a Christian point of view, a place of worship should welcome anyone of any faith as it was a chance for anyone to know more about a particular religion.
Teo’s visit to Surau Al-Huda in Kajang on Aug 22 to present Ramadan aid came under fire when it was reported in Utusan Malaysia. The paper published a photograph of her delivering a speech in the prayer hall without covering her hair, causing uproar from groups such as Umno and Perkasa.
It was also alleged that Teo committed another offence by delivering a tazkirah (sermon) during her visit, which Teo had denied.
However, Pakatan Rakyat leaders including PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat have come out in Teo’s defence, saying there was nothing wrong in Islam for a non-Muslim to enter a surau or a mosque. They said even the National Fatwa Council allowed non-Muslims to be present inside the mosque.
Teo had been warned by MAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Council) not to repeat her action and she has since apologised to the Sultan of Selangor.
Brief chronology:
Aug 22: Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching entered the prayer area of the Surau Al-Huda, Kajang, to present a RM1,000 contribution and also gave a speech with her head uncovered.
Aug 27: A picture of Teo standing in front of the praying room without a headscarf was published in Utusan Malaysia, sparking outcry from Muslims from various groups. MAIS chairman Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa reportedly said Teo’s action had angered the Sultan of Selangor, who ordered immediate action against the management of the surau. MAIS took over the management of the surau with immediate effect.
Aug 28: Teo said she was disappointed that the matter had been blown out of proportion.
Aug 28: Teo openly apologised to the Sultan of Selangor, who was reportedly angered by her actions. "I welcome all reminders and advice from all quarters and will do my utmost to carry out my duties more carefully so as not to create any discomfort, conflict or misunderstanding among Muslims in the future," she said.
Aug 29: PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat defended Teo, saying that what the MP did was the best way to get to know Muslims better. ''There is nothing wrong for a non-Muslim woman to speak in a surau as long as she is decently dressed," he reportedly said.
Aug 29: Wira Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah failed to send a letter and a RM1,000 contribution to the committee members of the surau so that the surau can return Teo's contribution.
Sept 21: Harakah reported that Teo had to put up with twitter posts from individuals linked to MCA, that smacked of sexual harassment as well as being spiced with Islamophobic messages. One post from a self-admitted MCA cybertrooper "MCAJB" said: “Date me, for i wont ask u to wear a tudung, or rape u without it .”
Sept 1: Teo received a letter from the MAIS barring her from entering any prayer hall in surau or mosques without permission.The letter stated that the Sultan of Selangor has directed that non-Muslims were not allowed to enter the prayer hall without approval from MAIS. “The letter said that after an investigation was conducted, MAIS found that I had indeed entered the surau,” Teo said. She was told not to repeat such action.
Sept 5: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Teo violated the National Fatwa Council’s decree when she entered the prayer hall of Surau Al-Huda. The fatwa, issued last March, stated that non-Muslims must get permission from the mosque and be appropriately attired before entering the mosque.
Oct 2: Police took Teoh's statement over the surau incident at the Kajang district police headquarters. She was accompanied by Selangor DAP chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo. Teo, who maintained that she had not committed any offence, said police informed her they were not out to prosecute her but to know what actually happened.
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