FACT: There were 900 or more police reports lodged against controversial Muslim convert preachers Zamri Vinoth and Firdaus Wong over provocative and inflammatory remarks.
Fact: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has declared that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute these individuals.
The fall-out?
A widespread perception that there is selective prosecution pertaining to 3R (race, religion and royalty) matters.
That is the contention by Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) and the MIC.
In a recent statement to the Dewan Rakyat, Azalina revealed that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) would not file charges due to “insufficient evidence” – a decision that has reignited widespread public disquiet over how Malaysia handles religiously sensitive cases, especially when minority communities are the target.
Just how did the learned minister come to this conclusion when both individuals have made remarks that were widely seen and shared on social media, not least Zamri’s offensive statement equating kavadi bearers to drunkards?
Such statements caused great outrage not just among the Hindu community but also among other minority Malaysians. That such remarks go unpunished reinforces the view that certain individuals have carte blanche to do as they wish.
Glaring double standards
The laws of the land, racial harmony and 3R sensitivities be damned.
“When justice appears selective, it ceases to be justice,” argued GHRF president S. Shashi Kumar. “A judiciary that applies the law unevenly undermines its own legitimacy. The law must protect every Malaysian equally without fear or favour, regardless of race or religion.”
Echoing MIC, the GHRF claimed that this issue went beyond the two individuals. “The broader issue is not just about two individuals but the perception that the law is being selectively enforced,” fumed the human rights activist.
“In cases involving perceived insults to Islam or the monarchy, authorities are often swift to investigate, detain and prosecute, sometimes within hours. Yet when minorities are targeted, investigations are prolonged, explanations vague and charges rare.”
Such blatant selective prosecution will only embolden the right-wing faction that seek to sow the seeds of discord.
It means that individuals such as Zamri and Firdaus are free to continue thumbing their noses at minority groups knowing that they are protected under the flimsy guise of “insufficient evidence”.
For minority Malaysians, the message this sends out is disheartening and quite simply offensive in itself.
The laws of the land can be treated with impunity and the sentiments of minority groups are of little or no consequence. Such inaction underlines that a Malaysian Malaysia remain just a pipedream.
Earlier, MIC president Tan Sri V.A. Vigneswaran shared a similar sentiment when he argued that the 3R principle is not a legal tool to defend the sanctity of only one religion.
On the contrary, it exists “to preserve religious harmony, public order and social cohesion across all communities in our diverse, multi-religious nation.”
It was also pointed out that this was NOT the case in neighbouring Indonesia despite the country being the world’s most populous Muslim nation which has barred global celebrity Indian preacher Zakir Naik from public-speaking.
Contrast this with Malaysia where not only is this agent provocateur is allowed to give his sermons but is widely celebrated with politicians and senior religious figures attending his ceramah. – July 24, 2025
