Let’s move on from Zakir Naik? Really, Syed Saddiq?

The ease with which Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq made a 180-degree turn from his stand against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik begs some equally pertinent questions.

Shall we just move on from Najib Razak? Shall we forget Jho Low? Shall we drop the case against Zahid Hamidi?

All of them are alleged money launderers.

Najib also tried to leave the country to run away from facing justice but we stopped him.

Jho Low is even more like Zakir Naik. Jho Low fled the country and is now on the run, a fugitive, hiding in another country which seems to have accorded him refuge. Both ran away from their country’s justice system.

We want Jho Low to face our justice but we won’t send back Zakir Naik to face his country’s justice system? Similarly, why should the country that’s keeping Jho Low give him back to us?

Cabinet hypocrisy

All of it is hypocrisy of the highest order and mind-boggling when one realises it is the official stand of the Cabinet, made up of a prime minister and ministers voted in on the promise of serving justice.

Why bother pursuing Jho Low then? Maybe he is being given refuge in another country which acknowledges his fear for his life too? Isn’t that what Zakir Naik is doing here?

Is this government so blind not to see the blatant similarity? Are they so blinded by power and fear of losing privileges that they have turned a blind eye to this situation which has torn the country apart and may create greater ripples down the line.

This is the same Zakir Naik, who when asked whether to support a corrupt Muslim or a coalition with non-Muslims before the 14th General Election in May 2018, had answered that the corrupt Muslim, should be the choice for all Malaysian Muslims.

That’s right, Zakir Naik supports another alleged money launderer, Najib Razak.

Syed Saddiq supports money launderers?

However, all it took was one dinner with Zakir Naik for Syed Saddiq to urge all Malaysians “to move on”.

How about this Syed Saddiq? Why don’t the people move on and dump you and your party in the next general election too because you seem to support money launderers?

Okay, let’s call a spade a spade. The government is made up of hypocrites like Syed Saddiq. But how dare he ask all of us to be like him.

You have no right to tell us to move on Syed Saddiq.

Especially not over the issue of a money launderer and so-called preacher who told non-Muslims in Malaysia to leave our own country when we were born here as well as lying about our allegiance to the nation and prime minister. It is Zakir Naik who should be leaving, or kicked out of Malaysia. The sooner the better.

‘Foolish arrogance’ of a young minister

If the Zakir Naik about-turn was not bad enough, Syed Saddiq decided to poke his privileged brown-nose into the hot topic of “khat” under the education ministry.

He resorted to name calling against Malaysians who threatened to have their children in vernacular schools skip classes in protest against Jawi lessons, saying they were “bodoh sombong” (foolishly arrogant).

Syed Saddiq seems to have forgotten all the people who had voted for Pakatan Harapan on the promise of various reforms aside from change, transparency and accountability in government starting with politicians themselves.

As former minister and prominent lawyer Zaid Ibrahim commented recently, Syed appears to be involved in numerous issues.

“Syed Sadiq is not in education, yet he is the Jawi man.

“He is not in transport, yet he is the voice of Go-jek (for the motorcycle ride-sharing venture).

“He is not in religious affairs, yet a defender of Zakir Naik. If that is not ‘bodoh sombong’, I don’t know what is,” Zaid was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.

Called for fellow minister’s sacking

Let us not forget that just last December, PPBM Youth, whose chief is Syed Saddiq, submitted a memorandum to the prime minister that sought Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Waytha Moorthy’s sacking from the Cabinet over the racial tensions that followed riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Shah Alam the month before.

He had even blamed prominent lawyer and social activist Siti Kasim of sowing racial discord and “racialising everything”.

In response at the time, Siti Kasim had written “Mark my word. We, liberal Malaysians will remember this hypocrite (Syed Saddiq) and his betrayal. Let him be the champion of the racists. We shall see him come the next election”, on her Facebook page.