Why for Perkasa only, ask other Malay rights defenders

With the funding sources of Perkasa disclosed, two Malay-Muslim NGOs, Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM) and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), are crying foul over the government favouring the right wing Malay movement over them.

The two NGOs, which are similarly involved in defending Malay and Muslim rights in the country, said they, too, want recognition and some of these funds.

MJMM president Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah said they suspected that Perkasa had government backing, but it had not been made this clear before.

"Now, with it revealed that Perkasa has government funding... I feel it's not fair if only Perkasa alone gets the funds," Rani said in a text message to Malaysiakini today.

"We are moving along with our own pocket money... so I urge the government to carefully review again the funds for NGOs."

MJMM has been actively policing the social media, such as Facebook, and has filed several police reports against those allegedly insulting Muslims or Malays online.

It is also among the NGOs that in October called on police to investigate DAP MP Tony Pua for labelling Utusan Malaysia and the Registrar of Societies (ROS) as 'anjing Umno' (running dogs for Umno) in a online posting.

MJMM is also protesting against price hikes and higher cost of living, Rani said.

Isma: It’s not Umno’s generosity

Earlier this week Perkasa admitted that it had received funding from agencies such as the National Security Council (MKN), National Civics Bureau (BTN) and the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), which come under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

Isma is similarly unhappy that  government funds are not handed out more evenly.

"Umno cannot bring it up as if it is their generosity (to fund Perkasa)," Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman (right) said.

"Until now, I have not seen the government truly acknowledge the role of NGOs in building up the community, especially Malay and Islamic NGOs."

Abdullah noted that the government has shortchanged Islamic NGOs as they were given much lesser funds than non-Islamic NGOs, despite the bigger contribution to society by Islamic NGOs.

Isma made the limelight recently for tearing at human rights group Comango at the UN review in Geneva two months ago.

It has also called for Malaysia to take a stand on the Islamic form of human rights and to ignore the more liberal international standards.

To avoid favouritism, Isma recommended that the government enshrine funding to NGOs as a constitutional right, so that governments would no longer hand  them out at their discretion.

"For me, the role and credibility of the NGOs are ruined when they are managed according to the whims of the ruling party," Abdullah Zaik said.