‘Umno’s Christian plot to bag Muslim votes’

In an interview with the Vatican Radio, the Herald's editor Father Lawrence Andrew says the government is stirring up a controversy to revive Muslim support.

KUALA LUMPUR: The allegation of a Christian coup being planned is an attempt by the Umno-led government to stir up controversy to revive Muslim support, said the editor of the local Catholic weekly, Herald.

Speaking to the Vatican Radio, Father Lawrence Andrew claimed that the government felt that it was losing the popularity it once commanded.

“Because they are losing popularity, they will enjoy some uneasiness that will create confusion – that will create fear – in the people,” he said.

He said the allegation was absurd, pointing out that Christians made up less than 10% of the population.

Andrew had also criticised Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for the latter’s remarks regarding the issue.

The minister, he said, was not being “prudent” in describing the allegation as serious, and stating that the government would take action.

“If I were to have said that (a similar allegation about other faiths), I would have been arrested immediately, and I would have been brought to the police station.

“But (since) it is being done by the Muslims, none of them have been arrested till today,” he said.

Last Saturday, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia published a front-page report claiming that Christian leaders were conspiring with DAP to make Christianity the official religion in Malaysia instead of Islam.

Hard truth

The report, based on unsubstantiated claims by pro-Umno bloggers, also accused the groups of praying for a Christian prime minister.

Both DAP and Christian leaders had denied the allegation, and lambasted Utusan for spreading dangerous lies.

In his interview with the Vatican Radio, Andrew said he agreed with Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng that Utusan was “setting fire to the land”.

Since the 2008 general election, Barisan Nasional had failed to win back support from the Chinese community, illustrated again in the recent Sarawak polls.

Whether or not the Utusan article was a plot, a political observer said that BN and Umno realise that as far as Chinese votes were concerned, the writing on the wall was clear.

“BN can no longer depend on Chinese voters, that is the hard truth.

“The prime minister’s 1Malaysia concept and other inclusive policies have failed to make an impact on them. So BN and Umno must rely heavily on the Malay vote-bank.

“Malay voters are split three ways between Umno, PAS and PKR. So striking fear in their hearts about a Christian plot involving DAP will definitely erode support for PKR and PAS, since the two are DAP’s allies,” added the observer.