Al-Ma’una arms heists have plunged Malaysia and Barisan Alternative into the  worst  crisis since the November general election last year

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang 

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But the  first casualty and unintended target of the exploitation and politicisation of the Al-Ma’unah arms heists and killings by the Barisan Nasional to launch a full-scale psy-war against the Barisan Alternative and in particular PAS is the Malaysian economy, as it would adversely affect the nation’s investment climate.

With screaming headlines of "Holy War", "Extreme Terrorist Groups", "Mujahedeen Cult  in Malaysia" and  "Bomb Blasts" coming on top of the perennial haze (with or without release of API readings) and the still unresolved 92-day Sipadan hostage crisis,  foreign investors would be downgrading Malaysia’s attraction as an investment centre.

The multiple targets of the Barisan Nasional exploitation and politicisation of the Al-Ma’unah arms heists and killings are:
 

• Implicate and incriminate PAS in Al-Ma’unah arms heists and killings.
• Stoke the worst fears of non-Muslims and liberal-minded Muslims that the Islam of PAS is associated with violence, extremism or fanaticism; incompatible with democracy, liberalisation and human rights; oppressive against women and minorities and inimical to religious and cultural pluralism.
• Discredit the Barisan Alternative.
• Distract national attention from the many urgent issues of the country such as:  (I) Chief Justice’s violation of the Judges’ Code of Ethics; (ii) the Prime Minister’s interference with the Anti-Corruption Agency investigations; (iii) The Danaharta Amendment Bill which makes Danaharta a law unto itself not subject to any legal challenge or judicial review for any misuse of powers;  (iv) failure of the Human Rights Commission to address the many human rights violations and  (v) official "cobwebsites" and the digital divide in Malaysia indicative of the government’s unpreparedness to take the country into the information age.

The Al-Ma’unah arms heists have succeeded in plunging Malaysia and the Barisan Alternative into the worst crisis since the November general election last year as a result of the exploitation and politicisation of the issue by the Barisan Nasional.

The Barisan Alternative parties must acknowledge that the Barisan Nasional psy-war against PAS and Barisan Alternative exploiting and politicising the Al-Ma’unah arms heists and killings, resorting to irresponsible insinuations and unproven allegations, and raising fears and phobias about "extremist terrorist groups threatening the country" (speech by Gerakan President Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik at the Gerakan Perak annual delegates conference in Ipoh on Sunday) has been most  damaging.

As a result of the politicisation of the Al-Ma’unah issue, the various controversies  of the past few months affecting PAS, such as tudung, karaoke, concerts, JAIS arrests in Selangor, etc. have taken on a very different and more  serious coloration among non-Muslims and liberal-minded Muslims.

Barisan Alternative leaders from the various opposition parties will have to address this scenario urgently, but Barisan Nasional leaders must ask themselves whether they are acting in the national interest when they are prepared to undermine international confidence in Malaysia’s economy and polity just to score political points against the Barisan Alternative by irresponsibly politicising the Al-Ma’unah issue.

(25/7/2000)