In fact, MCA's Religious Harmony Bureau chairperson Ti Lian Ker urges authorities to use the law to clampdown on the ‘Council of Islamic NGOs’, whose actions when protesting the satirical video yesterday were "totally unacceptable and reprehensible".
While he personally did not like Kok's video, Ti said that expressing different opinions were acceptable behaviour under a democracy but threat to harm any individual was not.
"In this context, where the safety and security of any opposition member has been compromised, our party condemns in harshest terms the actions by the Council of Islamic NGOs.
"Not only are such calls to ‘slap Teresa’ uncouth, out-of-time, they are a total abuse of the principles of democracy, and in this case, seditious, in gross contravention of an individual’s right to be free from harm in any form," Ti said in a statement today.
He urged the NGOs involved in yesterday’s protest to follow the law, stating like everyone else, they must give a 10-day notice as required under the Peaceful Assembly Act and then carry out a peaceful gathering.
Yesterday’s heated protest turned ugly when the group slaughtered chickens and smeared the blood on a banner featuring several opposition politicians' faces, including that of Kok, and issued a reward to anyone who would slap her and record the act.
"Therefore, MCA calls upon the authorities to come down hard on all parties who breach the law, to uphold and enforce the law so that such ugly, unhealthy trends of calling for mob rule will be nipped in the bud and halted permanently," he said.
Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari of human rights NGO Proham:
"This is clearly an act of inciting hate and violence. It has stepped beyond democratic freedoms.
"It is clearly an offence under Section 503 of the Penal Code, for criminal intimidation and under Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.
"Proham condemns such behaviour and calls on the police, attorney-general and the Home Ministry to take immediate and appropriate action under the law."
Cartoonist Zunar:"Teresa Kok's video was not so funny, but the government's reaction towards the video made me laugh!
"That said, the government's inferiority complex is not an excuse to victimise the rakyat.
"Thus, I urge the government to drop all sort of nonsense against Teresa and learn to laugh at themselves, or otherwise face the decline of the popular vote to be beyond 47 percent."
Fariz Musa of NGO Jingga 13:
"We question whether such action is in Islamic teaching. If it is, show us where is it stated in the text and traditions. What are the comments and reactions of government ulamak (Islamic scholars)?
"We also regret the statement to threaten Malaysians from Chinese and Indian ethnicity that are not fluent in Bahasa Melayu to be expelled from the country... this is really extreme.
"As an NGO with majority Malay Muslims, we feel ashamed and regretful that such actions are being carried out in the name of Malays and Islam.
"It is clearly irrelevant action and aimed at firing up racial sentiments while defaming the image and dignity of Islam to the non-Muslims."
Msiakini
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