YOURSAY | ’PM is out of touch and playing to the ultra-conservative right.’

COMMENT | Not wrong to be conservative, or anything else either

PM: There is public consensus on LGBT but harassment not condoned

RimauTongkatAli: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made a fool out of himself on CNN when interviewed by Christiane Amanpour.

How is it possible that the LGBT community in Malaysia would not be open for harassment when the Home Ministry is raiding Swatch shops?

The raid is akin to an unspoken message to the public that the government is against LGBT and will take any action possible. Anwar, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Wake up and decide where you stand - you just can’t please everyone but, at least, stand for what you believe.

Otherwise, you are no different from any of the Perikatan Nasional politicians.

Chokstone: A great embarrassment for Anwar in front of the world audience!

The world is watching where Malaysia is heading; no explanation would save the damage to the reputation that has been done to Malaysia.

The mark of religious fanaticism has been embossed on Malaysia, as the reasoning given by Anwar would only reveal that we Malaysians are living isolated in our world.

Our Home Ministry should have some common sense, instead of rushing into appeasing bigots.

Cheong Sai Fah: Malaysiakini columnist Zan Azlee, well said and written. There are few absolutes in life, opinions and beliefs. We are shaped by our genes, the environment we grew up in, and the circumstances we are born in.

So, it is far better if we accommodate each other’s views and not come to blows. Live and let live as long as we don’t encroach into each other’s space.

That is hard to do sometimes, but we need to do that for the future of Malaysia as a peaceful nation.

Mario T: Tell the truth and shame the devil. The situation is different here from what you, Anwar, had stated to Amanpour.

This community is isolated, marginalised, and threatened with punishment for no fault of theirs.

Religion is supposed to show empathy but treats them like discards.

The public consensus is that they should be treated with compassion and just like other human beings. They, too, are children of God.

Unspin: Anwar should not insult the intelligence of his audience.

Raiding the Swatch stores was an attempt by his government to pander to the far right to fish for votes in the last state elections.

Did it work? Absolutely not.

While there are people who are anti-LGBT, there are also people who empathise with their movement because LGBT people have been marginalised and discriminated against.

Why does something as trivial as confiscating watches have made us the laughingstock of the world?

Worse, we scare off potential investors in our country because we spook them with our silly actions.

Seal the Deal: Absolute nonsense. Anwar is out of touch and playing to the ultra-conservative right.

Most decent people understand the plight of the LGBT community.

Just because he had a shouting match with Putrajaya MP Mohd Radzi Md Jidin in Parliament, does not justify his statement. It’s nonsense.

William DC: Firstly, what “consensus” are you talking about? As far as most people can ascertain, the issue has been created by politicians and little Napoleons in the civil service.

Young Malaysians are seeking asylum in other countries based on persecution in their country of birth, because of their sexuality, sexual identity, and sexual preferences.

Secondly, whatever happened to the leadership - showing the way forward by example, embracing all the differences within the human race, and its ethnicities, religions, beliefs, genetic differences, and life choices?

Salvage Malaysia: The Madani government should never make the same mistake of telling the rakyat what to do.

For some, polygamy is a cardinal sin that will send you straight to hell. For others, it’s no big deal. So who are we to force our beliefs onto another person?

Vgeorgemy: The leadership should have a sense of justice and carry forward the virtue of having a sense of justice when it addresses the nation’s various challenges.

We are only expecting a sense of social justice from leaders who must always strive for inclusive governance.

Jimi: So with one breath, the prime minister calls on other countries to ban Quran burnings because it can offend Muslims worldwide - and then defends Malaysia’s anti-LGBT policies, which can offend that community worldwide.

He should be more consistent. Either approve of active intervention in other countries or accept that different countries have different values.

ScarletPuma5866: Believing in democracy and human rights is one thing, practising it is totally another, and that’s exactly the prime minister’s and the government’s position right now.

Otherwise, how do you explain the inhumane racial discrimination and lopsided preferential treatment for Malay-Muslims only?

Talk is cheap and anyone can say what they want.

Hafidz Baharom: Just when exactly was this public consensus held?

And if it isn’t a form of harassment, why is the word “pride” blacked out on the searches of Malaysian e-commerce platforms?

Why are books being banned? Why are watch stores raided?

Undecided: Malaysians live under such a discriminatory and polarised environment making it difficult to adopt a “live and let live” attitude although it is essential for the peace and prosperity of the country.

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