11 more prominent Malays join G25
(May 27): Eleven more prominent Malays, including educationists and former civil servants, have joined the G25, the group of influential people who are appealing for rational discourse on Islam.
Its spokesperson, former diplomat Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, said the 11 new additions bring the total number of G25 members to 53, more than double its initial number.
They include Tan Sri Dr Asiah Abu Samah, a former education director-general; Tan Sri Mazlan Ahmad, former mayor of Kuala Lumpur; Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid, a former High Court judge, Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chair of Parent Action Group for Education; Professor Khalid Yusoff, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi Mara; and Dr Normala Obid, associate professor at International Islamic University.
The original group of 25, which consists of retired civil servants and influential leaders, had published an open letter on December 8 asking for a rational dialogue on the position of Islam and Islamic law in a constitutional democracy.
In their open letter, they asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to address religious and racial tension and exercise leadership in guiding Malaysia back to moderation.
The letter decried the "lack of clarity and understanding" on the place of Islam within Malaysia's constitutional democracy, as well as a "serious breakdown of federal-state division of powers, both in the areas of civil and criminal jurisdictions".
It also expressed concern at how religious authorities were "asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction" and that fatwa issued had violated the Federal Constitution as well as the consultative process.
Among the proposals it recommended was the need to promote awareness about the diversity of views and interpretations in Islam.
Some members, in individual comments to the media, had singled out groups like Perkasa and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for politicising Islam, prompting Perkasa to consider taking legal action against them.
Public support for the letter's contents and for the 25 signatories has been strong, with many writing to media organisations expressing their thanks and solidarity with the signatories, while an online petition called #iam26 drew thousands of signatures.
Recently the group recommended that a constitutional court be formed in Malaysia to allow the people a chance to challenge government's decisions that were unconstitutional.
Tan Sri Sheriff Mohd Kassim, who is part of the group, said through the formation of the court, fundamentals in the constitution such as clean and fair elections, freedom of speech and the people's right to dissent would be guaranteed and not abused by the government. – The Malaysian Insider
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