Speaking to FMT, Amanah Strategy Director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that leaders from both sides of the political divide should stop speaking of noble ideals until they can prove by their words and actions that they actually subscribe to those ideals.
“People are getting tired of seeing a stark contrast between what is being said and what is being practised,” he said. “Political leaders have to enter the domain of the problem solvers instead of staying where they are, which is being very much part of the problem.”
He denounced politicians who think they can gain influence by using the rhetoric of racial and religious supremacists.
Making an obvious reference to Umno and PAS without naming them, he said “a Malay-based party and a Muslim-based party” were actively advocating a kind of Malay-Muslim supremacy.
“In one breath there’s this motherhood rhetoric while in the other there’s this rhetoric of Malay supremacy and the Islamic struggle, through which the sentiment of being anti-Chinese, anti-DAP is projected,” he said.
“This contradiction between practice and preaching will not help foster an image of a peaceful Islam at all. Some characters, whom I will not name, have been known to advocate this kind of supremacy and then suddenly want to look holier than thou.
“The rakyat are more informed now and are tired of words. Words are cheap. What needs to be enhanced is the earnestness of political parties from both sides of the political divide to stand by what they preach.”
He said a similar kind of hypocrisy could be seen also in exhortations aimed at addressing the public’s anxieties over the rising cost of living.
“You cannot tell the people to live frugally while you yourselves continue with your lavish lifestyles.”
A news report this week quoted Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as urging Islamic media to engage in “healthy competition” in portraying Islam as a religion of peace and harmony.
In a reaction, Amanah Communications Director Khalid Samad told FMT that it was unfair to blame the media for the current inter-communal tension in the country.
“The media reports what is happening in the country and around the world,” he said. “If you have the Pahang Mufti calling people kafir harbi and the Red Shirts creating problems at Low Yat, then what do you expect the media to do?”
Khalid said he shared Dzulkefly’s distaste for politicians who would act or speak exactly in the same manner that they advise against.
“They say things like ‘DAP is the enemy of Islam’ and they practise the politics of race and religion. This proves that they are part of the problem. This sort of thing has always been a part of Umno’s modus operandi.”