Pak Lah As Expected Refuses To Set Up A Non-Muslim Affairs Department

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today it was not necessary to set up a Non-Muslim Affairs Department now because an existing special committee was playing an effective role in the matter.

"Maybe it (a department) is too big. Let's see, we will have the department in the future if it is deemed necessary.

"We are giving attention to non-Muslim affairs. Such attention is related to the problems faced by them for consideration by the government," he told reporters.

Abdullah was asked to comment on the request by non-governmental organisations for the government to set up the department to handle the affairs of non-Muslims in the country.

He said the existing committee in the Prime Minister's Department comprised Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (to handle matters pertaining to Christians), Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu (Hindus) and Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (Buddhists).

The prime minister also said that the Department of National Unity also had a similar committee with a minister entrusted with matters pertaining to solidarity, religions and beliefs.

Asked whether the decision to reduce the charges against the 31 people suspected to be supporters of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was made following several requests, Abdullah said the decision was made by the attorney-general.

"He must have considered what to do when he brought the case to court. He made an appropriate decision and he gave the reason why the charges were reduced," he said. (Bernama)

***** Not a surprising decision if you ask me. When you are the Prime Minister of a country which is administered on the basis of religio-racial division and discrimination, there is no way that you can avoid bowing to political realities and the demands of the more rabidly predisposed among the myriad racists and religious zealots that infest Umno, the main vote bank.

Frankly, forming a Non-Muslim Affairs Department is not a big deal in itself for the Umno leadership. All you need to do is to clear some space in an insignificant office area at Putrajaya, stack it with Malay kakitangan from the various jabatan agama Islam, appoint a token non-Muslim Chinese as joint ketua pengarah along with a pious Malay officer with preferably khalwat-busting experience and place Ong Ka Ting, Samy Vellu and either Maximus Ongkili or Bernard Dompok as co-chairmen.

But it will not be done. Even such an 'emasculated' version of a Non-Muslim Affairs Department will not be set up because it will be seen among the Malays as a sign of 'giving in' too much to the kaum pendatang. When you play the race and religion card as constantly and indiscriminately as Umno has been doing, political conditions are created which perforce limit their maneuvering ability even on matters which are very justifiable.

The PM knows it, the western educated elite in Umno too are well aware of this reality. Therefore to expect more than a perfunctory nod of approval without substantial and meaningful follow-up on all matters relating to race and religion of minorities in Malaysia, is to be remarkably naive.
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