“And neither will he ever dream of denouncing Wan Ji’s arrest. In the event he did, the Chinese would immediately start running around Komtar like demented monkeys stuffed with ecstasy. They would censure the Chief Minister for supporting a preacher who, just like Zamihan, probably feels the Chinese are filthy simply because they eat pork and wipe their asses with toilet paper after taking a dump”
THE THIRD FORCE
On the 28th of September 2017, the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, undertook to appoint a postgraduate student from Kelantan to represent his office as information officer. The said student, Wan Ji Wan Hussin, is a well-known preacher in matters of Islamic governance and was tasked to explain to the people of Penang the DAP-led administration’s position on Islam.
Now, while that may be the official reason given by the Office of Chief Minister, our investigations revealed something of a very different nature. To begin with, Wan Ji’s appointment appears to have something to do with the party’s opposition towards Dato’ Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s Syariah Ammendment Bill. I am told, the preacher was hired to convince Kelantanese that the DAP ‘realised its folly’ and was willing to meet PAS halfway on the matter.
But that’s not all.
That is another reason why the Chief Minister roped a preacher from Kelantan into his circle. He needed to convince Kelantanese that the northern Malays were very comfortable with him. Wan Ji was supposed to sell the idea that the Chief Minister always looked into the welfare of the Malays and made sure their needs were taken care of.
At this point, you’re probably thinking that Guan Eng is willing to do whatever it takes to ‘soften up’ the people of Kelantan. If that’s the case, you’re spot on. As a matter of fact, the Chief Minister is even willing to rethink his position on the use of the word ‘Allah’ among non-Muslims just to convince Kelantanese that he is not an enemy of Islam.
So the million dollar question we ought to be asking is not how the Chief Minister plans to turn Kelantanese into his ‘friends’. We already know that he hired Wan Ji to do just that by filling the heads of Kelantanese with all sorts of crap.
Instead, the million dollar question we should be asking is why the Chief Minister did not get someone from Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to do the job. I mean, why go through all the trouble hiring a Kelantanese – and that too, a preacher – when Mat Sabu could have done exactly what the Kelantan fellow was tasked to do?
Well, the answer is quite simple – Guan Eng does not believe that Mat Sabu has it in him to talk crap the way Wan Ji does. I am told, with Wan Ji in the picture, the Chief Minister hoped to turn as many Kelantanese as possible against Hadi by having them believe that the PAS president lied about the DAP all this while.
But those hopes may now be in the dumps.
Last Friday, just two weeks into his appointment as information officer, Wan Ji was detained by police under the Sedition Act 1948 for insulting the Monarchical Institution. According to sources, the 35-year old father of four played down the rulers in 2013 by saying that given time, the Malaysian Monarchical Institution would be abolished as the country would gradually turn into a republic.
Now, what does that tell you?
It tells you that Guan Eng may actually harbour a secret agenda to turn the Island state of Penang into a sovereign republic. In an attempt to impress upon Muslims that the Monarchical Institution has no place in modern day Malaysia, the Chief Minister undertook to hire a preacher from Kelantan who believes that the Malays can do without heads of states telling them how to live their lives as devout Muslims.
Yes, Wan Ji’s anti-Monarchical slants can also be taken to mean that he does not believe in the rulers’ ability to guide Muslims in matters of Islamic governance. Interestingly, his arrest came days after the DAP sang praises of the Johor Sultan for taking a firm stand against Muslim fanatics operating businesses within the state.
Now, can you detect the hypocrisy in all this?
On one hand, the DAP believes that the Sultan of Johor was right to adjudicate on matters of Islamic governance and praised the ruler for taking a liberalist stand. On the other hand, the party’s leader saw fit to work with a Muslim fanatic who believes that people like Sultan Ibrahim should not be allowed to adjudicate on matters related to the religion of Islam.
If Guan Eng is truly inclined to uphold the sanctity of the Monarchical Institution, he should come out immediately to denounce Wan Ji for speaking ill of the Sultans. The Chief Minister should clarify once and for all if the DAP plans to turn the island state of Penang into a sovereign republic or if the Constitutional Monarch would be stripped off his powers should Pakatan Harapan ever march into Putrajaya. But that is something the Chief Minister will almost certainly never do.
Do you know why?
If he did, how would he explain to Kelantanese the arrest of their most ‘favoured’ preacher? Would it not send a signal to them that the DAP is dispassionate and ruthless simply because it involves an eastern Shariah scholar?
Worse, rural folk may actually believe that Guan Eng set a trap for Wan Ji to ‘get back at Dato’ Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’. As crazy and foolish as that may sound, it is an absolute possibility, given the feeble-mindedness of rural folk who are almost always academically deprived. Now, do you think Guan Eng would ever risk the DAP being accused of waging a vendetta against a man many revere to be the symbol of Islam?
Of course he won’t.
And neither will he will he ever dream of denouncing Wan Ji’s arrest. In the event he did, the Chinese would immediately start running around Komtar like demented monkeys high on ecstasy. They would censure the Chief Minister for supporting a preacher who, just like Zamihan Mat Zin, probably feels that the Chinese are filthy creatures that eat pork and wipe their asses with toilet paper after taking a dump.
Suffice to say, the Chief Minister of Penang is now stuck on the horns of a very, very deep dilemma. Should he sack Wan Ji, it would send a signal to Kelantanese that the DAP is truly opposed to ‘their brand of Islam’. If, however, he chooses to retain the preacher, the Chinese would hold a grudge against him for failing to reprimand someone they now associate with extremism and fanaticism.
Do you now see why the appointment of Wan Ji was a huge mistake?
