YOURSAY | PM must tread issue of religion delicately

YOURSAY | ‘Dare I say, Anwar and Hadi are just two sides of the same coin?’

COMMENT | Will Anwar confront religious extremism?

Salvage Malaysia: Things may look simple, but it’s not. We may see stronger Malay/Islam narratives leading up to state elections.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is positioning himself as a supreme leader protecting the Malays and Islam. Not even a royal decree will spoil his plans. That’s the risk he’s taking.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is also seen as another political leader protecting the Malays and Islam.

When both start attacking Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the risk is that he now will also want to be seen as a protector and leader of the Malays and Islam.

When this happens, they now hope to see the non-Muslims start to retract their support for Pakatan Harapan. If that happens Harapan will be weakened.

Man on the Silver Mountain: In the matter of religion, Anwar has to tread carefully and delicately.

Direct force may backfire and therefore his counter-action has to be well thought out, most probably involving nuances and indirect shadow play, a game often played as an art of war.

However, if the opposition, people like former prime ministers Mahathir and Muhyiddin Yassin, as well as Hadi overplay their rhetoric on race, religion, and royalty, then the law must be applied to them.

They should not be immune to the law.

GreenCheetah0027: If a small group has done a lot to influence others and accumulate lots of supporters and sympathisers, then a lot more effort must be made to win over the hearts and minds of these people first before taking any stern action against the small group.

That’s an age-old tactic in many fields. So, to solve a problem, don’t expect to do one thing only, but also to think and handle related issues at the same time.

Existential Turd: Dare I say Anwar and Hadi are just two sides of the same coin?

Failure to take action against people who threaten the peace and harmony of society is as good as abetting them.

Funding those extremists and provocateurs is as good as aiding them. If those people in power do not stem and reverse the tide of extremism in Malaysia, who else can do it? The commander’s admonishment is both pointed and valid.

Karnak: This is a turning point in the role of political Islam, a point in history that has been in the works for several decades already. It is not for us to say what Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is to do.

No, this is a matter for the rulers, as heads of Islam in this country. We have one man, representing a movement, now cornered into openly challenging the rulers.

This has been a long time coming. In the past, mosques have been breeding grounds for this extremism. And now PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and his party have challenged the rulers’ hold on the religion.

If the rulers do nothing, they will forever be beholden to PAS and any ulama who claims to have more knowledge than the common Muslim - let alone the rulers.

If they do something now, the rulers will take back the narrative from conservatives, and we can now pave the way for a more moderate Islam to take root in Malaysia.

Amadeus: The crux is that we the rakyat voted for them thinking these issues will be addressed by the prime minister and his cabinet. Sadly, it won’t be.

They need the largest vote bank and the non-Malays are lying to themselves saying “Give them time, the economy needs fixing first.”

Yes, the economy needs a major overhaul. But the fanatics haven’t stopped stirring the race and religion pot, have they? Vote them in, hope it will be better. It won’t. And the other side of the coin is the current opposition.

Cynic: It’s not all that easy, Commander. “I’m more afraid of an army of sheep led by a single lion than an army of lions led by a single sheep.”

Whether one acknowledges that or not, Hadi is a lion leading armies of sheep. He is so secure in that knowledge that he dares to defy every religious authority in our country, smug in his power of invincibility; so full of himself in his righteous religiosity.

All it needs is just one powerful authority to beard the lion in his lair, but it’s certainly not the commoner.

Jit: The longer Anwar and his cabinet take their time, the faster the enemies of the state gain power and support from the ignorant masses.

The opposition will do everything to ensure their narratives are peddled. The question is why the government of the day is not doing what it should. Arrest those doing things against the law.

Why the silence? Why no action? Why are Anwar and his cabinet seen as “toothless” apart from speaking as heroes at the PKR national congress? Do something concrete. Take action. Actions speak louder than mere words.

Andersonian: Aim at the content of what they preach. Anwar’s speeches are aired on all major TV channels. Hadi has the mosque to spread his thoughts. Besides the mosque they have TikTok.

Hadi knows he cannot run a country with just one race and religion. That would be his afterthought. The biggest question is should he hold power?

RedMarlin1833: Anwar has to tread carefully. It’s easier said than done, but he must start somewhere. If he keeps quiet, the situation is going to get worse for sure.

The law must be allowed to take charge without fear or favour.

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