Talking about his loving Christian brothers and sisters, Ibrahim Ali enthused, “As the saying goes – tak tahu, tak cinta. Now we know and now we can embrace”.
With Perkasa getting increasingly familiar with the Christians for Peace and Harmony, revealed Ibrahim Ali to a press conference, it’s become much easier for both groups “to accept each other”.
He added that Malaysia’s multi-racial composition was a good “test bed” for inter-faith harmony.
ABOVE: Ibrahim Ali pictured with Rev. Wong Kim Kong
Ball in Ibrahim Ali’s court
Bishop Paul Tan has accused Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid of “Christian bashing“. The Council of Churches wants the minister to apologize. Some Christians are demanding that Mahdzir be investigated for hate speech under the Sedition Act.
There’s also the appeal to Perkasa to advise Mahdzir that Christians should not be made the scapegoat to divert public attention from Najib Razak.
The peaceful and harmonious Christians are hoping that their new BFF Ibrahim Ali will extend some sensible advice for Najib’s newly appointed cabinet minister to promote national unity instead of being so divisive.
Together forever, and never to part
After the opportunity to learn things (about Christianity) and understand the Christians, Ibrahim Ali promised, “All we need to do is lead by example and people will follow.”
The “actual 1Malaysia” is looking to Perkasa to show the way for living together in harmony which the Malay rights movement had learned from the peaceful and loving Christians.
Helen Ang 
Good for IA. Good for the Christian group as well. Who knew? IA was the most hated man of the Dap and by extension the Christians. Suddenly it’s all hugs and muaahh-mmuuaaaahhhhh between them. I expect anyday to see LKS and IA in a “Brokeback Mountain” clinch on the cover of MI or MKini.
It is Perkasa, not Umno, that needs a new president ,)
No. IA is the perfect choice there. He is the man that evokes extreme emotions. Either you love him or hate. He’s a clown, he’s an idiot, he’s a true Malay, he’s a barua and the list goes on. The only other man who brings out such emotions in everyone is LKS. Soulmates, those two, if only they would acknowledge their true feelings for one another. Sigh.
For an organization that 500,000 strong, Perkasa is most ineffectual and has a poor reputation partly due to how exceedingly successful the opposition, the Chinese and the Christians have been in demonizing its president and the movement he leads.
Think France’s National Front. A change at the helm from crusty old Jean-Marie Le Pen to his daughter the media-savvy and blonde Marine Le Pen has rejuvenated the party to the point that Ms Le Pen has become a frontrunner in the presidential race.
About LKS, I wholly agree with you. But of course for a Chinese to feel this revulsion for the DAP Mursyidul Am, you can guess what the Dapsters wanna do to me. But as you know, I usually think against the grain.
Do pls read this piece by Askiah Adam in The Mole. It’s a good starting point. You may even know her (your generation) – she a very senior journo.
I’ll try to articulate bit by bit the big picture – a very minority view at the moment – that I sense but it’s complex and not easy to frame in words. So I’m glad that AA has started the ball rolling.
Same with my two Ibrahim Ali-loves-the-Christians now pieces. There’s something more, deeper, darker, lurking in the subterranean. But how to explain beyond what is seen at the surface.
The fast and furious Christian reactions to the Education Minister smacks of bullying but they will bleat that they’re only a weak and meek 9 percent, what, so how can they be the bullies.
I suppose outsiders will find it difficult to credit that it is the 55 percent ethnic majority belonging to the Religion of the Federation are – paradoxically – the ones feeling besieged. Hard to imagine, hard to believe but the 9 percent minority are indeed the ones laying a “loving” siege.
How to explain all this to incredulous foreigners?
Askiah Adam @ http://mole.my/malaysia-running-headlong-to-failure/
Unfortunately for Askiah, the English language is not accessible to the Chinese or Malay communities so whatever she’s writing on most people will never get to read them.
She’s written big ideas that we need more than one reading to digest. (I’m tired. Also harassed for not along with the present ‘Get Najib’ tide.)
Ignore the “get Najib” crowd harrassing you. I wanna get Najib but since I’m not an Umno member, the best I can do is convince the Wanita Umno chief in my area to bring the matter up during their meeting. I’m definitely not going to the streets to remove Najib since that would be an idiotic thing to do. If we have quite a number who share my views, then it’s really up to Umno members to “get Najib”.
Thanks for the link.
It seems everybody’s out to get Najib.
I’ve been thinking about this rather, well, ‘paradoxical’ situation. He’s not a bully by nature. He didn’t have the heart to go for the jugular during Bersih 2.0 and do a decisive Ops Lalang.
At that time, I was still very mildly pro-oppo. I was expecting Haris (then still my friend) to be caught in the anticipated ISA dragnet. There was none. Action by the authorities fizzled out.
Today, those who want the status quo to be maintained and eschew any political upheavals are clamouring for Najib to toughen up, take stiff measures and clamp down on the troublemakers. We’re the ones who’re egging him to be something that he is inherently not. Isn’t it ironic?
No, he’s not a bully. But he is the PM. He had the law on his side when those people were demonstrating. But being the nice guy that he is, he let those people slide. Suddenly when he’s faced with a possible rebellion within Umno, he decided to play hardball. So now he has to follow through on that stand. You can’t be tough on your members and yet let the oppo-led troublemakers slide through the system. That’s like a double whammy on the Umno members.
Someone pointed out this very appropriate puisi on the dilemma named Najib :
LIKE! Some parts of the puisi were simply brilliant.
re: “But being the nice guy that he is”
His fatal flaw. Also his redeeming grace.
re: “he decided to play hardball”
No choice. It’s kill or be killed.
re: “You can’t be tough on your members and yet let the oppo-led troublemakers slide through the system.”
It’s crossed my mind that Najib’s dilemma is deep and complicated, and sort of like a Greek tragedy, i.e. being pushed to act against his nature.
e.g. My cold, clinical analysis is that BN has to jettison the MCA and play the demography game over those precious seats that will be burnt (‘hangus’).
But Najib’s first instinct is to remain inclusive and true to the original BN spirit – even though in my calculation (and I’m correct, data-wise), the Chinese community whom MCA purportedly represents has already torn up the social contract.
I’m also reflecting that I have to be careful what I wish for. The war general may ultimately produce tragic outcomes that impinge on me as a Chinese.
P/S is that wrong spelling of his name in the title on purpose?
No, typo error. The post was uploaded at 4.44am … thereafter I immediately went to bed for a short sleep.
Thanks for pointing out. I’ll correct.