If there is to be any 'regrets' or apologies, it must come from Prime Minister Najib - not from his special assistant...Najib must take responsibility. He cannot hide behind,
Najib should take responsibility - and not try to evade responsibility by getting special assistants, public servants, Ministers,....to take the blame whenever there is a wrong done. What is disturbing is that the PM's office took too mush time before coming forward to clarify matters and to apologize for than anti 1-Malaysia behaviour, that did not show respect to Malaysian Christians (and other religious minorities)...
Will Najib also come out some day and blame the banning(or attempted banning) of the Herald, seizure of Christian books, etc were all mistakes done by some subordinates, and he, the Prime Minister, cannot be faulted.
Whatever the case, there certainly must be honesty - i.e. tell the truth the whole truth. Was the directive only about the rostrum? Or do we have to wait for Wikileaks to tell us what the content of the directive was... Looking at the reactions, I believe that the directives /conditions covered more than just the rostrum.
Most likely there would not even have been this expression of regret from the PM's special assistance, the prompt application for revision of the coroner's decision by the AG, the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Teoh Beng Hock, the upgrading/re-surfcing of roads in Mentakab, the sending of Christmas hampers to the Catholic Church in Mentakab .... if there is no plans for an early General Elections (less than 3 years after the last GE in March 2008).
Hardev stressed that her request for the removal of symbols from the rostrum was a suggestion on her own initiative and not that of the Prime Minister’s.
“If my request has led to any misunderstanding, I express my heartfelt regret,” she said.
Najib should take responsibility - and not try to evade responsibility by getting special assistants, public servants, Ministers,....to take the blame whenever there is a wrong done. What is disturbing is that the PM's office took too mush time before coming forward to clarify matters and to apologize for than anti 1-Malaysia behaviour, that did not show respect to Malaysian Christians (and other religious minorities)...
Will Najib also come out some day and blame the banning(or attempted banning) of the Herald, seizure of Christian books, etc were all mistakes done by some subordinates, and he, the Prime Minister, cannot be faulted.
Whatever the case, there certainly must be honesty - i.e. tell the truth the whole truth. Was the directive only about the rostrum? Or do we have to wait for Wikileaks to tell us what the content of the directive was... Looking at the reactions, I believe that the directives /conditions covered more than just the rostrum.
Most likely there would not even have been this expression of regret from the PM's special assistance, the prompt application for revision of the coroner's decision by the AG, the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Teoh Beng Hock, the upgrading/re-surfcing of roads in Mentakab, the sending of Christmas hampers to the Catholic Church in Mentakab .... if there is no plans for an early General Elections (less than 3 years after the last GE in March 2008).
PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister’s special assistant has expressed regret over reports that a church was ordered to remove Christian symbols during a Christ-mas gathering last year.
Datuk Hardev Kaur, in a statement yesterday, denied that she had issued instructions to remove symbols from the entire venue or barred the singing of Christmas carols and scripture recital during the event.
Hardev claimed she had only asked for the rostrum used by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to give a speech to be free of Christian symbols and artefacts.
“I did not give any directive not to sing carols at the function,” she said in a statement as reported in an online news portal.
Hardev stressed that her request for the removal of symbols from the rostrum was a suggestion on her own initiative and not that of the Prime Minister’s.
“If my request has led to any misunderstanding, I express my heartfelt regret,” she said.
The Council of Churches Malaysia Youth leader Daniel Chai has said hymns were sung and prayers performed during the event hosted by the Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam.
“The venue was the car park of the archbishop’s official residence, to create a marquee garden party atmosphere ... an unlikely place to find a cross,” he said in a statement.He urged for all quarters to stop making the matter a political issue.
Various quarters had criticised Najib and Murphy, alleging that the Prime Minister and his aides had instructed that all forms of Christian symbols be removed from the event held on Dec 25. - Star, 7/1/2011, No orders to remove Christian symbols, says PM’s special assistant
See also earlier posts:-
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