NST 26 Jul 2006 M. K. Megan and Azura Abbas

KUALA LUMPUR: All activities relating to the formation of the Inter-Faith Commission should cease immediately as the religious tension in the country has reached a worrying level, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said last night.

The Prime Minister said the Cabinet had already decided to postpone the setting up of the commission. "I don’t know why this group of people have to carry out activities related to it. It is creating unnecessary problems. The Government will, in the near future, make an announcement on the Inter-Faith Commission," he added. Abdullah, who is also the Internal Security Minister, reminded the people that religious issues were very sensitive. "They evoke emotions. When discussed openly, and without control, they create anger, and this leads to unwanted situations." He said Umno was worried about the current situation, where the issue of religion was being hotly debated by various parties. "We have to be careful and be moderate so as not to create a situation where people from various faiths get all tensed up," he said. Abdullah, who was speaking to reporters after chairing an Umno supreme council meeting, was commenting on the Article 11 forum in Johor Baru recently that was disrupted by a few thousand people, including members from Umno Youth and Pas.

 

On the drug menace , Abdullah said the supreme council members had decided that Umno, through its drug prevention bureau, would champion the nation’s struggle in checking the problem. "This is an important programme, and it is our responsibility to deal with the matter as the number of addicts among young Bumiputeras is very high. "This is a great loss because these young Bumiputeras could have been part of the nation’s human capital to contribute in the nation’s development. "Instead, many of these youngsters, who do not seem to have strong willpower, have succumbed to drugs and are languishing at the Serenti centres. This is a great loss to the Malays, especially." Abdullah, who is the Umno president, said the party’s supreme council had called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. "We are gravely concerned, upset and angry with what is happening in Lebanon. There is disproportionate, indiscriminate and excessive use of force by Israel in Lebanon," he said. "Many innocent civilians are suffering, and more than one million people displaced following the escalating violence."

 

Malaysia was ready to send a peace-keeping team to Lebanon if the UN imposed a ceasefire, he added. Abdullah said the party’s membership drive had attracted 85,296 applications, with Terengganu topping the list with 19,892. PM challenges media to set better standards PUTRAJAYA: Be socially responsible or carry gossip that could create racial and religious tension among Malaysians. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday gave this choice to mainstream Malaysian media in the face of blogs that tended to sensationalise issues. "There’s no need to compete. No need to be carried away by the sensationalism of such websites. You must understand your role as the mainstream media," the Prime Minister told a Press conference after launching the Internal Security Ministry’s Mass Media Conference 2006. The conference was attended by academicians, ministry staff and members of the media. Abdullah said the mainstream media should not emulate blogs, especially those on politics, which may be more interesting. There was nothing to be gained by trying to be as popular as blogs and other Internet political forums. "You have a social responsibility to fulfil by avoiding news or gossip that could create tension," said the Prime Minister, who is also Internal Security Minister. He said the Malaysian media had the freedom to write but had to respect its limits. "Don’t sensationalise news that can heighten racial or religious tensions," he said to a question about the credibility of the mainstream media which often stayed away from issues covered by Internet sites. Abdullah said even poison-pen letters had become a source of news. "You should not choose to be popular for the wrong reasons.

 

You should not be competing with someone you know is doing something wrong. On these sites, people make statements that can stir ill feelings. "Do you need to make news out of such views? Even though what was said might be correct? Do you need to report it?" Abdullah asked. The Prime Minister called on mainstream media journalists to understand their role, the laws that governed Press freedom and their responsibility to society. He said even though Malaysia was more developed today, Malaysians were still sensitive about many things, especially issues that touched on race and religion. "The media’s responsibility is to decide whether to publish or not, whether something is appropriate (for public consumption). If it will cause bad reactions, then there is no need to air those views." Abdullah said the media should help the public understand that achieving Vision 2020 ‘ what he termed the "national mission" ‘ was a task for all Malaysians.

 

To a question, he said he was generally satisfied with the media’s reporting of sensitive issues such as the Article 11 Forum and other issues involving religion. The conference, which ends today, will address topics such as media law and control, local media and the challenges of globalisation, and the competition between print and the web media. At the session on media law and control, the panelists debated whether current laws were outdated because of new media technology, and whether laws were applied fairly to all media, as print and electronic media were regulated by different ministries.