Blame the politicians for protesters' conduct

Today The Sun paper:

Blame the politicians for protesters’ conduct
THE conduct of protesters outside the Bar Council building and the few of them who were escorted into the auditorium by the police last Saturday, resulting in the disruption of a forum, puts Malaysia’s political maturity behind 20-30 years. The protesters could not have been so bold and confident if not for the earlier media statements of some politicians calling on the council to call off the forum or do it behind closed doors because of the subject’s “sensitive nature”. The home minister was even reported to have said that the council should bear the consequences if it went on with the forum. One would have expected these same politicians, in
this day and time, to prevail upon the extremist groups for tolerance and understanding.
Religious tolerance can be nurtured only by dialogue and understanding. Politicians should take the lead and be seen to be encouraging such dialogue in the process of educating the citizenry.
After 51 years of independence and being a sovereign state, currently in the UN Human Rights Council and now taking the chair of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the government’s role in promoting religious tolerance domestically is not only dismal but also shameful, going by last Saturday’s events. Being a multi-racial, multireligious and multi-lingual state, Malaysia today could be a shining example to other nations of inter-ethnic and religious tolerance. We are sadly not so. Malaysia’s human development in this area is most disheartening. The conduct of the police last Saturday once again demonstrates the continued deterioration of the integrity and credibility of the Malaysian
police.
Param Cumaraswamy
Kuala Lumpur

I cannot agree with Mr. Param more. The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has declared that there should be:
• No open forums or dialogues on religious or racial issues – no more discussion on matters of religion or race that had already been enshrined in the Federal Constitution; and
• No objection to the use of Internal Security Act and Sedition Act against those who organize such forums like the Bar Council – up to the Home Ministry to act against the Bar Council.
Abdullah has backed his deputy, Najib Razak and the Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar in lining up against the Bar Council for organizing the forum on Conversion to Islam to discuss the conflict of laws arising from civil and shariah court jurisdictions and Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution and freedom of expression in general, as well as gave approval to the demonstrators who had successfully stormed and disrupted the Bar Council forum by the help of the police.
Mohd Ali Rustam was calling for Bar members to be detained under the ISA.