
Finding Balance in An Unbalanced Time – Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim
Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia
Media Statement
14 October, 2013
Rule of Law or Rule by Zahid’s Law?
The Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has, since the last general election been behaving unbecoming of a Minister of Malaysia. He behaved his worst on October the 6, 2013, in Melaka when he committed multiple serious mistakes against the nation.
GBM is aghast at his behavior. It is totally unacceptable of a Minister of any country!
Blatantly ignoring the fact that 51 per cent of the peoples’ popular vote in the13th General Election went against UMNO, Zahid Hamidi told the Malaysians that 51 per cent of them could leave the country and settle elsewhere. This showed his total disregard for the choice the rakyat and his disrespect for democracy.
Last Sunday, 6th of October 2013, he was in Melaka to brief the people on issues related to national security. In the supposedly closed door meeting, Zahid Hamidi had the audacity to declare that the “Three Line Gang”, a banned Malay gang, as a friendly “festive gangsters” and cheered them on to do what has to be done. This is a blatant racist call to the Malay underworld to continue with their acts of gangsterism. GBM is constrained to state that lending support to gangsters of any type is contradictory to the responsibilty of the Home Affairs Minister.
With an eye on the forthcoming UMNO General Assembly and his aggressive lobbying for the VP post, Zahid ranted that the Chinese underworld were the head of gangsters and the Indians, the operators. He rationalised that the combination of these two pendatang races in the underworld rendered the Malays as their victims. GBM firmly believes that supporting the Malay gangsters, branding the Chinese and the Indians as head gangsters and operators respectively and declaring the Malays as the victims of gangsterism is unmistakably a racist discourse and a heinous scheme that can provoke racial emotions of the rakyat. He warned the journalists present at his so-called closed door meeting not to report the racist slurs that he had indulged in at the meeting. He threatened them with the closure of their papers. He had earlier threatened a young journalist, Lawrence Young of Malaysiakini. His threats to muzzle the press violated the freedom of speech as guaranteed by our Constitution.
Another major misdeed of Zahid has been his “shoot first” statement.
GBM is not defending common criminals. It will, however take to task those vested with power, like the Home Minister and the IGP, when they act in total disregard of the Rule of Law.
GBM deeply regrets that our Prime Minister, while busy and active globe-trotting promoting moderation, has done nothing to restrain or reprimand the Home Minister Zahid Hamidi or the IGP.
GBM calls upon the Prime Minister to heed the call of the people and act swiftly to restrain ministers the likes of Zahid Hamidi, and police personnel to tone down their racist innunedos and “shoot first” calls and ensure the security personnel act in a professional manner so as to win back the confidence of the people.
GBM, with utmost respect, would like to appeal to His Majesty, SPB Yang Di-Pertuan Agong to summon the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet, to advise and caution them to conduct themselves in the best interests of the people of this country.
GBM, with utmost respect, implores His Majesty, SPB Yang Di-Pertuan Agong to sternly advise the members of the Cabinet to remember and to function as Ministers of all people of Malaysia.
We also implore His Majesty, to advise the members of the Cabinet to embrace unequivocally the Constitution and the precept, “Rule of Law” as the supreme weapon against lawlessness, towards ensuring peace and order in the nation.
GBM appeals to each and every rakyat to do whatever needs to be done to ensure that Rule of Law rules our Country.
Issued by the Executive Council of GBM
GBM comprises of the the following 25 Member Organisations: