Negara-Ku initiative deserves our support to stop racists and extremists
My article was earlier published in TheAntDaily.com on 22/7/2014
The formation of the Negara-Ku movement ought to be welcomed by all as this new NGO’s aim is to heal our nation of divisiveness which has been caused by the rising influence of the racist and extremist groups.
As we all know, Negara-Ku’s primary objective is to promote national unity, peace and harmony among the multi-racial and multi-religious communities. It is a fact that the Negara-Ku movement has nothing against anybody or any parties at all.
This NGO is promoting positive values amongst Malaysians from all walks of life by going back to the basics to counter negative elements that are threatening to tear our communities apart.
We should well note that although the racist and extremist groups are no doubt a mere minority, it would be a big mistake to ignore their threat from afar. We must remember that the existence of the originally small band of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters was initially ignored by the authorities but it eventually grew into a large fighting force to control many parts of Iraq and Syria today.
The basics that the Negara-Ku movement has defined and aims to enhance for the general public are the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement and the Rukunegara.
So, what is wrong with promoting all these good values? Isn’t it good that national unity among people of different ethnicities and faiths should be preserved as the beauty of our nation’s multi-culturalism?
However, extremist organisations like Isma, Perkasa and Muafakat, and Umno-owned mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia accused the Negara-Ku movement of liberalism and being LGBT-oriented, threatening the position of the Malays and Islam in particular.
Leaders of Isma, Perkasa and Muafakat have also accused Malay activists who are part of the Negara-Ku movement of betraying the Malay community and deviating from the teachings of Islam.
These organisations are not only displaying their racist tendencies but also playing God to label others as infidels.
It is mind-boggling that Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia see it fit to periodically raise the spectre of the May 13 tragedy. Are inciting hatred, condoning violence, stoking fear and making seditious statements to split the people a noble cause? Are all your actions more Islamic than others’ and are you all really defenders of the Malays and Islam? Your claims are simply absurd.
When a junior military envoy attached to the Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand was detained for allegedly molesting a woman and trespassing into private property, why didn’t Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia protest against the diplomat’s act, which is clearly a disgrace to our nation?
When ISIS and the Talibans deliberately used Islam to spread terror over Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, killing thousands of innocent Muslims including women and children, and destroying mosques, why didn’t these organisations protest against the actions of these terrorist groups?
Corruption, power abuse and mismanagement in the government are still rampant until today. Billions of ringgit has been lost almost every year and yet no stern action was taken against the culprits. These corrupt politicians and senior government officials had continuously used our nation’s coffers for their personal ends like nobody’s business. And again, we wonder why Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia are keeping quiet over all such negative elements which are threatening the wellbeing and socio-economic status of the Malays?
The decades old New Economic Policy (NEP) has failed to build a strong income base for the Malays until today. Why did these Malay non-governmental organisations blame the opposition parties for this failure instead of taking the government to task?
Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia claim to be defenders of the Malay race and champions of Islam but their actions prove otherwise.
Well, we all know very well that these organisations are just doing the dirty job for Umno. Their actions are calculated to create suspicion between the Malays and non-Malays and between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities to shore up support for Umno.
The time has come to bring forward the Federal Constitution and the Rukunegara again as suggested by the Negara-Ku movement to remind the entire nation of the importance of preserving peace and national unity.
Every one of us should therefore stand up and be counted in our desire for unity, peaceful co-existence, harmony, equality, and a just and fair society.
The formation of the Negara-Ku movement ought to be welcomed by all as this new NGO’s aim is to heal our nation of divisiveness which has been caused by the rising influence of the racist and extremist groups.
As we all know, Negara-Ku’s primary objective is to promote national unity, peace and harmony among the multi-racial and multi-religious communities. It is a fact that the Negara-Ku movement has nothing against anybody or any parties at all.
This NGO is promoting positive values amongst Malaysians from all walks of life by going back to the basics to counter negative elements that are threatening to tear our communities apart.
We should well note that although the racist and extremist groups are no doubt a mere minority, it would be a big mistake to ignore their threat from afar. We must remember that the existence of the originally small band of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters was initially ignored by the authorities but it eventually grew into a large fighting force to control many parts of Iraq and Syria today.
The basics that the Negara-Ku movement has defined and aims to enhance for the general public are the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement and the Rukunegara.
So, what is wrong with promoting all these good values? Isn’t it good that national unity among people of different ethnicities and faiths should be preserved as the beauty of our nation’s multi-culturalism?
However, extremist organisations like Isma, Perkasa and Muafakat, and Umno-owned mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia accused the Negara-Ku movement of liberalism and being LGBT-oriented, threatening the position of the Malays and Islam in particular.
Leaders of Isma, Perkasa and Muafakat have also accused Malay activists who are part of the Negara-Ku movement of betraying the Malay community and deviating from the teachings of Islam.
These organisations are not only displaying their racist tendencies but also playing God to label others as infidels.
It is mind-boggling that Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia see it fit to periodically raise the spectre of the May 13 tragedy. Are inciting hatred, condoning violence, stoking fear and making seditious statements to split the people a noble cause? Are all your actions more Islamic than others’ and are you all really defenders of the Malays and Islam? Your claims are simply absurd.
When a junior military envoy attached to the Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand was detained for allegedly molesting a woman and trespassing into private property, why didn’t Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia protest against the diplomat’s act, which is clearly a disgrace to our nation?
When ISIS and the Talibans deliberately used Islam to spread terror over Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, killing thousands of innocent Muslims including women and children, and destroying mosques, why didn’t these organisations protest against the actions of these terrorist groups?
Corruption, power abuse and mismanagement in the government are still rampant until today. Billions of ringgit has been lost almost every year and yet no stern action was taken against the culprits. These corrupt politicians and senior government officials had continuously used our nation’s coffers for their personal ends like nobody’s business. And again, we wonder why Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia are keeping quiet over all such negative elements which are threatening the wellbeing and socio-economic status of the Malays?
The decades old New Economic Policy (NEP) has failed to build a strong income base for the Malays until today. Why did these Malay non-governmental organisations blame the opposition parties for this failure instead of taking the government to task?
Isma, Perkasa, Muafakat and Utusan Malaysia claim to be defenders of the Malay race and champions of Islam but their actions prove otherwise.
Well, we all know very well that these organisations are just doing the dirty job for Umno. Their actions are calculated to create suspicion between the Malays and non-Malays and between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities to shore up support for Umno.
The time has come to bring forward the Federal Constitution and the Rukunegara again as suggested by the Negara-Ku movement to remind the entire nation of the importance of preserving peace and national unity.
Every one of us should therefore stand up and be counted in our desire for unity, peaceful co-existence, harmony, equality, and a just and fair society.
