VZCZCXRO9410
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0719/01 2261011
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 131011Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1488
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000719 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EAP/MTS, INR, AND DRL - JANE KIM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR KISM KDEM MY
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL 
BY-ELECTION 
 
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 365 - CATHOLIC CHURCH CHALLENGES BAN 
 
Classified By: Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief William G. 
 Gray for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 
 
 ¶1.  (C) Summary.  The ruling National Front (BN) coalition 
is gearing up to oppose Anwar Ibrahim's return to parliament 
via an August 26 by-election.  BN tactics include intense 
rhetoric with religious and racial connotations.  A Malaysian 
Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam was shut down by a 
group of Muslim protesters spanning the political spectrum, a 
development that has provided the BN and 
government-controlled media with opportunities to rouse the 
emotions of their Muslim/Malay base.  In the meantime, the 
Government has again threatened to shut down a Catholic 
newspaper for "dabbling in politics."  Government and BN 
spokesmen continue to label Anwar an "American stooge" and 
accuse the USG of "meddling" in the internal affairs of 
Malaysia.  Post expects the rhetoric to continue to intensify 
with both sides viewing the by-election as part of the 
zero-sum power struggle between UMNO and Anwar.  End Summary. 
 
Protesters Block Forum 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Malaysian Bar Council attempted to hold a 
forum, entitled "Conversion to Islam," at their national 
headquarters on August 9.  Included in the forum was a panel 
discussion of two high profile conversion cases involving the 
difficulties faced by non-Muslims in conversion cases related 
to religiously mixed marriages.  A hostile crowd of about 500 
protesters assembled in front of the building, including 
representatives from the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), 
Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a 
Member of Parliament), the United Malay National Organization 
(UMNO), and Muslim-based NGOs.  A group of protesters led by 
Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president 
Jais Abdul Karim and PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed the 
building shortly after the forum began.  Police at the scene 
made no attempt to stop the protesters, but actually escorted 
them inside, where the demonstrators disrupted the 
proceedings, using racial epithets and other derogatory 
language and forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan 
to close the forum.  Police did not make any arrests of the 
protestors, but have announced that they are investigating 
the forum's organizers. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Criticism of the forum has crossed political lines 
and split both the opposition and ruling alliances.  On 
August 8, de facto Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, taking a 
position similar to that of Deputy Prime Minister Najib, said 
that such forums should be held behind closed doors and not 
openly.  However, PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali 
condemned the group that entered the Bar Council, including 
PKR MP Zulkifli.  Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said he 
hoped such forums would not be organized in the future, 
explaining, "issues concerning religion are very sensitive" 
and since matters on religion "are spelt out," there was no 
need for discussions.  Abdullah added that he would leave it 
up to the Home Ministry to decide whether action, including 
using the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Sedition Act, might 
be taken against the Bar Council. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Syed Hamid, Home Minister, said he "hoped that the 
Bar council got the message that there are certain things 
that are out of bounds for public discussion, even if held in 
a private place."  DPM Najib dismissed the protesters' 
disruption, saying it was "expected" and blamed the 
disruption on the Bar Council for its "stubborn" insistence 
on holding the forum.  De facto Religious Affairs Minister 
Ahmad Zahid encouraged authorities to take action against the 
Bar Council for its "defiance" by proceeding with the forum. 
He claimed the forum had a "hidden agenda to disparage 
Islam."  While UMNO leaders have united in criticizing the 
Bar Council, the non-Malay parties of the BN, including 
Gerakan and MCA, have emphasized the need to address the 
problems the Bar Council was attempting to discuss. 
 
 
Catholic Herald Under Renewed Pressure 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) GOM has renewed its pressure on the Catholic weekly 
newsletter Herald for allegedly "dabbling" in politics 
(reftel).  The Home Affairs had issued a show-cause letter on 
July 16 accusing the paper of committing two offenses - not 
focusing on religion and religious activities, and carrying 
an article purportedly degrading Islam.  The division issued 
another warning on August 12 that Herald's permit will be 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000719  002 OF 002 
 
 
suspended if it goes ahead with a planned editorial on the 
Permatang Pauh by-election in its forthcoming issue.  The 
Herald has a circulation of 12, 0000 and carries reports in 
English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and Chinese.  Editor Father 
Lawrence Lim denied that the publication had breached permit 
conditions.  In his reply to the Home Affairs Ministry, 
Father Lim stated that the Ministry had not defined the 
concept of "religion" in the application form for a 
publishing permit and neither is there a definition in the 
Constitution.  Father Lim pointed out that the forthcoming 
editorial was only asking people to pray for a just and fair 
by-election. 
 
Anwar Portrayed as U.S. Puppet 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The GOM is continuing its fierce rhetoric on Anwar 
Ibrahim, describing him as an American lackey.  Foreign 
Minister Rais Yatim fired the first salvo by stating that the 
USG should not meddle in Malaysia's internal affairs, arguing 
that even the UN secretary-general has not said anything 
about how Malaysia is handling its legal matters.  The press 
has quoted Rais as saying that he planned to write a letter 
to the UNSYG Ban complaining about U.S. "meddling.  Rais has 
maintained that the official U.S. stance as well as 
statements by former Vice President Gore and former Supreme 
Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor violated the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter.  Echoing the 
foreign minister's view, UMNO Youth Internal Bureau Chairman 
and former PM Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir described Anwar 
as a political puppet of the United States government.  He 
added that the statements by the USG and its former leaders 
are "a concerted conspiracy to install their lackey in 
Malaysia."  The UMNO-owned Malay newspapers have also 
prominently editorialized on allegedly close links between 
the U.S. and Anwar. 
 
The Next Steps 
-------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Anwar and BN continue to prepare to submit their 
by-election nominations on August 16 while his lawyers, 
confident they have a very strong case, prepare for the next 
stage of the legal process, which resumes on September 10. 
Anwar is expected to make appearances at a series of 
political rallies leading up to election day.  Although BN 
publicly talks about defeating Anwar, privately they concede 
his likely victory and seek to make the margin as small as 
possible.  Poloffs will monitor the Pan-Malaysian Islamic 
Party Congress on August 15 in the Opposition controlled 
state of Perak as well as the by-election on August 26. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The response to the Bar Council forum has illustrated 
the Government's willingness to utilize religious 
sensitivities and tensions for political gains.  The 
involvement of party members from PAS and PKR show the 
fragile nature of the Opposition's coalition and the 
potential for UMNO strategists to continue exploiting the 
coalition's lack of cohesiveness, especially along religious 
and racial lines.  The Malay language press on August 13 gave 
prominent and sympathetic coverage to a demonstration by 
thousands of students at the exclusively Malay Mara Technical 
University against a proposal by the new PKR-controlled 
Selangor state government to "integrate" the university by 
allotting 10 percent of the places for non-Malays.  As the 
by-election draws near, BN will likely increase the rhetoric, 
including implications that Malays' preferred status will 
disappear if Anwar and the opposition seize control of the 
government.  The message emerging in the 
Government-controlled media is that Anwar represents 
increased instability and a loss of sovereignty to the West, 
particularly the United States.  While fierce, religious and 
ethnic-tinged rhetoric is not unusual in Malaysian politics, 
the intensity of the current campaign likely reflects the 
views of the major players that the Opposition/BN power 
struggle is a zero-sum game.  Anwar believes he must become 
prime minister or go to jail over the politically-motivated 
sodomy charges and top UMNO leaders fear political defeat 
would mean loss of their positions of privilege and in some 
cases even result in exposure to possible criminal charges 
for graft and corruption. 
KEITH