It is shocking that Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi could treat the cow-head incident with a large dose of nonchalance. A cow is sacred to a Hindu and yet the uncouth minister dismissed the despicable act with a disdainful statement. It is as if he condones the action of the perpetrator whose wanton action could lead to civil strife.
One could even conclude that the “criminal” had done a sterling service to a political cause and would get a pat on the back.
A state assemblyman had opened his “big mouth” to criticise the ruling party. For his pains, he is facing a court action. The matter should have rested with the court to let justice take its course. But no, someone wants to teach the state assemblyman a lesson for daring to talk bad about the ruling masters. What “better” way to do it than to throw a skinned cow’s head in front of his house. The assemblyman RSN Rayer is a Hindu and this deed of sacrilege was calculated to pour scorn on his religion.
But when Ahmad Zahid opened his big mouth, the words that spilled out were outrageous. He clearly intended to ignite an already inflamed situation. His classless remark that the assemblyman had to pay the price for speaking out against a party that has long lost its claim to fair play carries the stigma of a bigot. By implicitly supporting the cow-head “exploit”, he is goading sinister characters to commit the same crime on any Hindu politician who runs down Ahmad Zahid’s dominant party.
The right and proper thing to do for Ahmad Zahid as the Home Minister is to condemn in no uncertain terms any act of sacrilege. He is duty-bound to protect and defend the faiths of all races. Religion has become an extremely sensitive issue and it must be handled with utmost caution. Unfortunately, the dark forces of fanaticism and intolerance have assembled and reared their ugly heads, threatening to lay waste this broad and sunny land.
Ahmad Zahid and his ilk must know that Malaysia is sitting on a powder keg. Peace and stability are fast thinning and the political animals, mostly of the establishment type, run wild. If the minister – a powerful figure in politics and government – encourages by deeds or words, implicitly or explicitly, acts that smack of religious hatred, he is only fanning a big fire that will consume everyone. The next time he opens his big mouth and passes callous remarks, the price he has to pay is seeing the Big Brother in the coalition family cut down to size in the next battle for the hearts and minds of the people.
