No surprise race, religion played up as Anwar fights graft: lawyer

JOHOR BARU – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s seriousness in combating corruption is bound to face obstacles from certain quarters, including the use of racial issues, senior lawyer Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos said.

Racial issues, especially Malay issues and Islam, will be used since the Malay community is synonymous with political power in Malaysia. 

As such, certain politicians may attempt to stir up racial issues for support, he said in a statement to The Vibes.

“This is because the behaviour and mindset of the Malay – as to how he should look at his ethnicity and religion – will be sought to be manipulated to benefit the specific politician.

“Today, you have a race-based party (Bersatu) and a party based on a religion (PAS) that happens to be that of the Malays, together in national politics.

“What kind of political fire can we expect, God forbid?

“Hence, it is not surprising that once again we are going to see a round of Malay and religion-centric issues being played up,” Jahaberdeen said.

The senior lawyer also said Malay politicians should not claim to speak on behalf of all Malays, as in reality, they only represent their respective constituencies. 

Jahaberdeen also said Islam, as the official religion of the federation, should be protected from political interests. 

His comments today come in light of Anwar’s announcement yesterday that security forces have been put on alert for possible unrest stemming from irresponsible parties playing up racial and religious sentiments. 

While he did not make specific mention of any incident, Anwar's comments come at a time of controversies surrounding the indie film Mentega Terbang, accusations against the youth and sports minister of proselytising Christianity to Muslim youth, and the ban on politicians from delivering religious talks in mosques in several states.

It also comes in the wake of corruption charges being levelled against opposition leaders, including former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over his alleged involvement in the contentious Jana Wibawa initiative. – The Vibes, March 18, 2023