The Malaysian prime minister’s warm welcome to Abdul Somad Batubara should have raised questions about the former’s commitment to moderate Islamic principles. That it did not cause more of a stir raises even more questions, say these ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute academics.
He stayed on to lecture at Dataran Sejarah, Ayer Keroh, at a celebration commemorating the Islamic new year. Somad’s presence was said to have triggered a “tsunami of believers”, pulling in about 50,000 attendees. In the same audience were Mohd Ali Rustam, other state government officials and local preachers.
Preachers, whether local or foreign, are required to obtain a licence from a state’s Islamic Religious Council, which is headed by the Malay ruler, before they can preach in a given state. Thus, this lecture was clearly sanctioned by the top state leadership. The six core principles of Malaysia Madani are sustainability, prosperity, innovation, respect, trust and compassion. These are useful guiding principles but other aspects of the framework might be inaccessible to the Malay-Muslim masses.Commentary: Malaysia PM Anwar faces crucial test in battle for Malay vote in upcoming state polls
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