And saying goodbye to a dearly departed in Spanish is no offence.
I wrote two articles questioning the arrest and the reasons for it.
I
had to “educate” the police, the IGP included and suggested that they
use Google if they did not understand any foreign word before jumping
the gun.
Never mind that the IGP and some of his officers were made to look
like fools when they had to retreat with their tails between their legs
because the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) decided there was no case
and binned the investigation papers.
As an advocate of free speech
as one who expresses his views and opinions without fear or favour, I
hold steadfastly to the laws of the land.
I had made a conscious
decision from the beginning not to touch the three Rs – race, religion
and royalty. Occasionally, I cross boundaries because of public
interests.
That is why I have chosen to address PAS president
Abdul Hadi Awang - whose speeches and diktats have crossed the borders
of free speech.
He has falsely accused some communities of wrongdoing and as a result, caused discord and disharmony among the people.
Making wild accusations
No
one will have objections if he wants to preach his own breed of his
religion, but when he steps on racial issues and even ventures to pass
unsavoury remarks on the royalty, it becomes a big “No”.
Ever
since GE15, the PAS leader and his cohorts have made all kinds of
statements, making wild accusations and authorities seem to believe it
is par for the course.
Last year, Hadi turned his guns against the non-Muslims and
non-Malays, claiming that the majority of the corrupt are non-Muslims
and non-bumiputera.
Last week, he took it further, slamming Malays who work with the non-Muslims and non-Malays, whom he claimed are the “biggest plunderers”.
They
(such Malays), he said, work with the non-Muslims and non-Malays, who
form the biggest group of plunderers, and those who give and receive
bribes.
It continued with a tirade against media outlets which
carry the “devil’s voice” and academics “whose brains are kept in their
stomachs”.
How long can we go on dismissing these statements as
words of a frustrated old man who has lost the seat of power and perks
that come with it?
Surely
such statements are causing discord, especially with comparisons made
and wild accusations being levelled against certain sections of the
community.
Hadi has reiterated calls for the Malays to unite, as the race is being openly conned (ditipu terang-terangan). While no one grudges the unity bit but what followed was unacceptable.
“They
have become victims of the country's politics, and are being plagued by
corruption, moral decay, and division among themselves,” the Marang MP
said.
How long will the authorities pretend these wrenching
pronouncements were not uttered or published and that they will not be
repeated?
Those who monitor social media postings have picked out
far lesser harmful statements, arresting the perpetrators, detaining
them for a few days and then charging them in court.
Is Hadi one
of those untouchables the authorities do not want to touch? Is he one of
those who have been given the carte blanche to say anything and the
rule books are thrown out of the window in the process?
We cannot
have one set of rules for the ordinary man and another set for a
politician who is dressed in religious garb with matching headgear to go
with it.
But we must take cognisance and be reminded that “no one
is above the law” is just another phrase in the armoury of those who
are tasked with upholding the law.
Is it a case of “different strokes for different folks?”