Shut up, your comments hurting the country, Dr M tells Isma

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has told Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) to pipe down, days after the Muslim NGO trained its guns on non-Muslims. The former prime minister said comments by Isma's leaders were not constructive.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has told Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) to pipe down, days after the Muslim NGO trained its guns on non-Muslims.

The former prime minister said comments by Isma's leaders were not constructive.

His admonitions were in response to Isma labelling the Chinese as "trespassers" and calling for the Islamic penal code hudud to be imposed on all Malaysians.

"He should keep the comments to himself. They are not doing any good to this country," he said at a press conference after launching the "Reminiscences of Insurrection: Malaysia's Battle against Terrorism 1960-1990" a coffee table book by Lt Col (R) Mohd Azzam Mohd Hanif Ghows, at Wisma Perwira in Kuala Lumpur, today.

Saying Isma's statements were not helping to maintain peace, Dr Mahathir said the Chinese in the country are Malaysian citizens who have rights.

"We don't need people to instigate racial riots and things like that," he said.

On Isma's proposal that hudud should be applied to all, the country's longest-serving premier pointedly told the group to "follow the Quran".

"If he had read the Quran properly, it says God does not like people who create huru hara or turmoil.

"So he should follow the Quran," Dr Mahathir said, referring to Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman’s latest remarks that the Islamic penal code should be imposed on all Malaysians, and not only Muslims.

Dr Mahathir said those who cause racial and religious tensions have failed to learn from history.

"People are not learning from the past. There is no benefit in causing tension, confrontation and instability. Why fight? You will kill each other in the end, and what do you get?"

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was in a difficult situation in trying to quell the rising racial religious tensions.

"He's trying to do a good job but it's a very difficult situation. You (voters) did not give him a strong enough mandate," he said, referring to the last year’s general election results which saw the ruling Barisan Nasional government repeating its weak perfomance, returning to power with simple majority.

"On the one hand you want liberalisation, and when we are liberal, it is misused. If you take action, we are accused of not being liberal," he added. - May 9, 2014.

Pendapat Anak tak Seharusnya Sama dengan Ayah...

We need more Dyanas in Malaysian politics, says Marina

 

Despite the criticism surrounding Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir has praised the DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election for sticking to her guns, and questioned the Barisan Nasional on its lack of young, female candidates

“I don’t care what party she is from. She is young, female and we don’t see that around... well, give me the BN equivalent of that.

“Have you got any of that? Or someone? I support young women,” she told The Malaysian Insider today.

The daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir said the rising number of outstanding Malay women politicians were mostly from the opposition, with the most prominent being PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Nurul Izzah is the daughter of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

While Marina declined to comment on remarks from Dyana's mother yesterday, which had gone viral on social media, she did praise Dyana for standing up to her ideals.

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday Dyana’s mother Yammy Samat, an Umno member, said she had tried to raise Dyana like Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, but her daughter ended up being like Marina.

Yammy was replying to Dr Mahathir’s criticism of allowing her daughter to ‎contest on a DAP ticket.

"I tried to raise her like‎ Mukhriz, but she ended up like Marina. I give all my children the freedom to choose what is right and wrong. Dyana is old enough to think as it is," she told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

Dyana, a 27-year-old Perak-born lawyer and UiTM graduate, joined the DAP in 2011. She rose to prominence for being the political-secretary to DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, for being the DAP candidate in the Teluk Intan by-election, and for speaking out against Umno supreme council member Datuk Razali Ibrahim on the pro-Bumiputera policies of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Her rebuttal earned her praises from Marina, who in a Facebook post on Monday defended Dyana, saying that she is a “smart” individual who was well ahead of “most politicians”.

“Very smart girl this... she can think, she can articulate, she can write. That’s three up from most politicians already,” said Marina.

“Very few of the top gun politicians write their own speeches, let alone any articles.

“In any case, why are people so against her because she is young? (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib Razak was 26 when he first became a minister. Dyana’s 27 and only vying for a parliamentary seat. We need more young people because they bring fresh ideas,” she said.

Dyana will be facing Gerakan’s Mah Siew Keong in the Teluk Intan by-election on May 31.The by-election was triggered by Seah’s death due to cancer on May 1.

The seat has 23,301 Malay voters (38.6%), 25,310 Chinese voters (41.9%) and 11,468 Indian voters A total of 60,349 registered voters consisting of 59,927 ordinary voters, 410 early voters and 12 overseas absentee voters are eligible to vote in the by-election. - May 21, 2014.