Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KUALALUMPUR719
2008-08-13 10:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Cable title:  

RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PINR KISM KDEM MY 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9410
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0719/01 2261011
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 131011Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1488
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000719 

SIPDIS

FOR EAP/MTS, INR, AND DRL - JANE KIM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR KISM KDEM MY
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL
BY-ELECTION

REF: KUALA LUMPUR 365 - CATHOLIC CHURCH CHALLENGES BAN

Classified By: Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief William G.
Gray for reasons 1.4 (b and d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000719

SIPDIS

FOR EAP/MTS, INR, AND DRL - JANE KIM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR KISM KDEM MY
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL
BY-ELECTION

REF: KUALA LUMPUR 365 - CATHOLIC CHURCH CHALLENGES BAN

Classified By: Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief William G.
Gray for reasons 1.4 (b and d).


1. (C) Summary. The ruling National Front (BN) coalition
is gearing up to oppose Anwar Ibrahim's return to parliament
via an August 26 by-election. BN tactics include intense
rhetoric with religious and racial connotations. A Malaysian
Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam was shut down by a
group of Muslim protesters spanning the political spectrum, a
development that has provided the BN and
government-controlled media with opportunities to rouse the
emotions of their Muslim/Malay base. In the meantime, the
Government has again threatened to shut down a Catholic
newspaper for "dabbling in politics." Government and BN
spokesmen continue to label Anwar an "American stooge" and
accuse the USG of "meddling" in the internal affairs of
Malaysia. Post expects the rhetoric to continue to intensify
with both sides viewing the by-election as part of the
zero-sum power struggle between UMNO and Anwar. End Summary.

Protesters Block Forum
--------------


2. (SBU) The Malaysian Bar Council attempted to hold a
forum, entitled "Conversion to Islam," at their national
headquarters on August 9. Included in the forum was a panel
discussion of two high profile conversion cases involving the
difficulties faced by non-Muslims in conversion cases related
to religiously mixed marriages. A hostile crowd of about 500
protesters assembled in front of the building, including
representatives from the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS),
Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a
Member of Parliament),the United Malay National Organization
(UMNO),and Muslim-based NGOs. A group of protesters led by
Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president
Jais Abdul Karim and PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed the
building shortly after the forum began. Police at the scene
made no attempt to stop the protesters, but actually escorted
them inside, where the demonstrators disrupted the
proceedings, using racial epithets and other derogatory

language and forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan
to close the forum. Police did not make any arrests of the
protestors, but have announced that they are investigating
the forum's organizers.


3. (SBU) Criticism of the forum has crossed political lines
and split both the opposition and ruling alliances. On
August 8, de facto Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, taking a
position similar to that of Deputy Prime Minister Najib, said
that such forums should be held behind closed doors and not
openly. However, PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali
condemned the group that entered the Bar Council, including
PKR MP Zulkifli. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said he
hoped such forums would not be organized in the future,
explaining, "issues concerning religion are very sensitive"
and since matters on religion "are spelt out," there was no
need for discussions. Abdullah added that he would leave it
up to the Home Ministry to decide whether action, including
using the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Sedition Act, might
be taken against the Bar Council.


4. (SBU) Syed Hamid, Home Minister, said he "hoped that the
Bar council got the message that there are certain things
that are out of bounds for public discussion, even if held in
a private place." DPM Najib dismissed the protesters'
disruption, saying it was "expected" and blamed the
disruption on the Bar Council for its "stubborn" insistence
on holding the forum. De facto Religious Affairs Minister
Ahmad Zahid encouraged authorities to take action against the
Bar Council for its "defiance" by proceeding with the forum.
He claimed the forum had a "hidden agenda to disparage
Islam." While UMNO leaders have united in criticizing the
Bar Council, the non-Malay parties of the BN, including
Gerakan and MCA, have emphasized the need to address the
problems the Bar Council was attempting to discuss.


Catholic Herald Under Renewed Pressure
--------------


5. (SBU) GOM has renewed its pressure on the Catholic weekly
newsletter Herald for allegedly "dabbling" in politics
(reftel). The Home Affairs had issued a show-cause letter on
July 16 accusing the paper of committing two offenses - not
focusing on religion and religious activities, and carrying
an article purportedly degrading Islam. The division issued
another warning on August 12 that Herald's permit will be

KUALA LUMP 00000719 002 OF 002


suspended if it goes ahead with a planned editorial on the
Permatang Pauh by-election in its forthcoming issue. The
Herald has a circulation of 12, 0000 and carries reports in
English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and Chinese. Editor Father
Lawrence Lim denied that the publication had breached permit
conditions. In his reply to the Home Affairs Ministry,
Father Lim stated that the Ministry had not defined the
concept of "religion" in the application form for a
publishing permit and neither is there a definition in the
Constitution. Father Lim pointed out that the forthcoming
editorial was only asking people to pray for a just and fair
by-election.

Anwar Portrayed as U.S. Puppet
--------------


6. (SBU) The GOM is continuing its fierce rhetoric on Anwar
Ibrahim, describing him as an American lackey. Foreign
Minister Rais Yatim fired the first salvo by stating that the
USG should not meddle in Malaysia's internal affairs, arguing
that even the UN secretary-general has not said anything
about how Malaysia is handling its legal matters. The press
has quoted Rais as saying that he planned to write a letter
to the UNSYG Ban complaining about U.S. "meddling. Rais has
maintained that the official U.S. stance as well as
statements by former Vice President Gore and former Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor violated the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter. Echoing the
foreign minister's view, UMNO Youth Internal Bureau Chairman
and former PM Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir described Anwar
as a political puppet of the United States government. He
added that the statements by the USG and its former leaders
are "a concerted conspiracy to install their lackey in
Malaysia." The UMNO-owned Malay newspapers have also
prominently editorialized on allegedly close links between
the U.S. and Anwar.

The Next Steps
--------------


7. (SBU) Anwar and BN continue to prepare to submit their
by-election nominations on August 16 while his lawyers,
confident they have a very strong case, prepare for the next
stage of the legal process, which resumes on September 10.
Anwar is expected to make appearances at a series of
political rallies leading up to election day. Although BN
publicly talks about defeating Anwar, privately they concede
his likely victory and seek to make the margin as small as
possible. Poloffs will monitor the Pan-Malaysian Islamic
Party Congress on August 15 in the Opposition controlled
state of Perak as well as the by-election on August 26.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) The response to the Bar Council forum has illustrated
the Government's willingness to utilize religious
sensitivities and tensions for political gains. The
involvement of party members from PAS and PKR show the
fragile nature of the Opposition's coalition and the
potential for UMNO strategists to continue exploiting the
coalition's lack of cohesiveness, especially along religious
and racial lines. The Malay language press on August 13 gave
prominent and sympathetic coverage to a demonstration by
thousands of students at the exclusively Malay Mara Technical
University against a proposal by the new PKR-controlled
Selangor state government to "integrate" the university by
allotting 10 percent of the places for non-Malays. As the
by-election draws near, BN will likely increase the rhetoric,
including implications that Malays' preferred status will
disappear if Anwar and the opposition seize control of the
government. The message emerging in the
Government-controlled media is that Anwar represents
increased instability and a loss of sovereignty to the West,
particularly the United States. While fierce, religious and
ethnic-tinged rhetoric is not unusual in Malaysian politics,
the intensity of the current campaign likely reflects the
views of the major players that the Opposition/BN power
struggle is a zero-sum game. Anwar believes he must become
prime minister or go to jail over the politically-motivated
sodomy charges and top UMNO leaders fear political defeat
would mean loss of their positions of privilege and in some
cases even result in exposure to possible criminal charges
for graft and corruption.
KEITH