POLITICAL grandstanding means the issue of ERA FM presenters allegedly mocking Hindu rituals will not be allowed to lie.
The three radio presenters – Nabil Ahmad, Azad Jasmin and Radin Amir Effendi Ahmad Aruani – have been contrite and have apologised over their ill-advised action with Hindu Sangam accepting their show of remorse and merely reminded them to be more culturally sensitive, especially since they are media personalities.
Salah tetap salah, jgn buat gurau pasal agama & bangsa. pic.twitter.com/GFeupyzaKa
— 🇲🇾 (@localrkyt) March 4, 2025
That should be that.
But this being Malaysia, racial and religious issues are just an opportunity for some to gain further political mileage.
Enter the great defenders of the faith – the MIC. Having urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Council (MCMC) to take action against the radio station for uploading the offensive content on social media, it now trains it sights on controversial Muslim convert preacher Muhammad Zamri Vinoth.
Zamri himself had further stirred the hornet’s nest with his social media post that kavadi bearers often look like they are possessed and drunk, hence Hindus should not be offended when others merely mimic what they see.
Huffing and puffing in indignation, MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has reacted by challenging Zamri to a debate which the latter gladly accepted..
With time and date set on March 23 at 11am, the Tapah MP has given Zamri the “freedom” to name his preferred venue for the event which features the Dewan Bahasa Tamil Malaysia as the organiser.
Like a major sporting event, there are seemingly supporters on both sides, underlining how divisive 3R (race, religion and royalty) issues can be.
With some already making travel plans for the big event.
Not wanting to be left out, another firebrand Muslim convert preacher – Firdaus Wong Wai Hung – decided he had to give his two sen’s worth, specifically bringing up the usage of national language in the proposed debate.
One commenter though pointedly asked what the authorities are doing by allowing Zamri to continuously make inflammatory remarks under the guise of religious ceramah.
While keyboard warriors, politician and firebrand preachers continue to mine this issue for what it is worth, it was pointed out that playing up such sentiments only divide Malaysians further.
One netizen summed up best when he urged all Malaysians to stand united and not be swayed by such divisive rhetoric.
The noise surrounding this issue will soon subside once Malaysians are captivated/offended by the next sensationalist clickbait.
FocusM also believes that this much trumpeted debate will NOT take place simply on grounds of public safety.
It is doubtful that the authorities will grant a permit for such inflammatory topic to be publicly debated, thus there is only a small window left for interested parties to ride on this issue. – March 7, 2025
