Yesterday, the Deputy Home Minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin asked PAS to hand over its full membership list to the Home Ministry to enable it to identify those involved in the Al-Ma’unah.
Right-thinking Malaysians are shocked by these two statements which are the latest proof that government leaders are only interested in "playing politics", turning the Al-Ma’unah arms heists and killings into a "political football" to politicise the issue, instead of rallying and unifying Malaysians to transcend race, religion and political beliefs to stamp out religious deviationist groups which espouse violence and prevent ethnic, cultural and religious polarisation in the country.
When Zainal asked PAS to hand over its full membership list to the Home Ministry to enable it to identify those involved in Al-Ma’unah, it was not only an unreasonable request but an open admission that the Barisan Nasional government has no proof whatsoever to back its allegation that most of the Al-Ma’unah members are PAS members.
As the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has publicly made the allegation that most of the Al-Ma’unah members are PAS members, is he prepared to apologise and withdraw such an allegation as the Deputy Home Minister has clearly conceded that the government has no proof for such an allegation.
It is ludicrous for Zainal to demand that PAS produce its full membership to enable the Home Ministry to identify those involved in Al-Ma’unah when even school-children will know that it is for the Barisan Nasional to back up such an allegation with proof.
It is most irresponsible on the part of Zainal to try to go on a "fishing" expedition by asking for the full PAS membership list, as no one has the right to ask for the membership list of any political party. Is UMNO prepared to give PAS the full party membership list to enable PAS to do a similar check?
Rais’ statement raises the question as to the objective of the White Paper on the Al-Ma’unah arms heists - whether to give full, fair, impartial and authoritative account or to give a tendentious version to serve the overriding objective to establish the Al-Ma’unah-PAS link and whose credibility is immediately doubted and challenged.
It will be most unfortunate if the White Paper on Al-Ma’unah becomes a "White-Wash Paper" to absolve security negligence and breaches to allow the arms heists to take place or a "Black Paper" to falsely implicate Opposition parties or personalities to serve vested political interests - for the country will be plunged into a bitter party political dispute which will completely distract the nation and people from grave national issues, whether the stamping out of religious deviationist groups which espouse violence which all political parties, whether in Barisan Nasional or Barisan Alternative, are agreed upon or the restoration of justice, democracy, independence of the judiciary or good governance in Malaysia.
(24/7/2000)