Catholic Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing warned of the rise of a “new McCarthyism” in Malaysia where failed politicians engage in “witch-hunts and “scaremongering” as diversions from the problem of their sinking popularity.
In comments made to Malaysiakini on the emergence of allegations that Christian groups were out to undermine the status of Islam as the official religion, the Bishop of Melaka-Johor, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, said:“The last time a calumny like this was visited on Malaysian Christians was in the early 1970s when a past president of Pas described us as greater national security threat than were the Communists,” recalled the Jesuit-trained prelate.
“Fortunately, that was a lone instance and reflected one individual's fevered imagination. But now we see various groups of politicians intent on resurrecting this bogey to divert attention from the problem of their slumping popularity,” commented Bishop Paul Tan.
“Instead of dealing with the obvious causes of their sinking popularity, like widespread corruption, racism and intolerable economic inequities in society, they engage in witch-hunts against assorted scapegoats,” he continued.
“It appears their flavor of the month is the Christians whom these scaremongers have rounded on and perhaps now regard as a soft target,” said Tan.
He warned that Christians will not be daunted by the “rise of this new McCarthyism in Malaysian society” where everyone else is blamed except those most culpable for the worrisome situation.
“In the face of demagogic threats to their loyalty to the country and the federal constitution, Christians must renew their determination to join people of goodwill to tackle the country's manifold problems which have arrived at a level responsible citizens find deeply unsettling,” he asserted.
He urged Christians to make fidelity to the federal constitution a touchstone of their faith in the country and its future.
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