DAP's pastors meeting: A DAP man confesses

Prologue: Ok, no matter how much you hate Utusan Malaysia and want want to kick their journalists to Kamunting, you can only blame one DAP man here. And those who have called bloggers Big Dog and Shamsul Yunos liars please shut up and do consider apologizing when the time comes  ...

The confession of Mohamad Razali Abdul Rahman.  This 42 year-old Penangite, who claimed to be a DAP member (and a Muslim at the same time), has helped thrown a bit of divine light on the meeting of pastors sponsored by the DAP in Penang over a week ago.

That meeting, or of what we know of it so far, has sparked a major controversy. Big Dog or real name Zakhir Mohamad and journalist Shamsul, who ran the blog Marahku before it vanished (just before the worldwide suspension of blogspot.com - Marahku ran on blogspot)*, had reported a pact to make Malaysia a Christian nation during the meeting. The postings were picked up and frontpaged by Utusan Malaysia last Saturday, which earned it a warning from the KDN and saw some quarters who previously claimed to be anti-ISA to call for the editors to be sent to Kamunting where ISA detainees go without trial.

Who is this DAP man Razali? I don't have details. But if he's really a member of the party, we can expect the DAP to sack him after today. But the damage is done; he's lodged a police report to say he was there at the meeting of pastors organised by the DAP, could not stomach the lies told by several quarters, and want the truth to be told.

"I have come (forward) to tell the real story of what happened there (at the pastors' meeting) because I was present at the meeting. I am making this (police) report because I am overwhelmingly disappointed with the earlier reports (in the media) made by certain quarters who may not know what actually took place".

So what is the truth?

Ok, we don't know what this Razali wrote in his police report. He may have actually said in his report that Utusan Malaysia was wrong or Big Dog and Shamsul were liars (in which case the DAP won't sack him but may promote him, grudgingly since he is a Malay and a Muslim to boot). But why come out now if that is what he wanted to say? After all, the KDN has reprimanded Utusan Malaysia editors and the two bloggers have been turned upside down and crucified; in Big Dog's case especially by his own comrades within Umno. The matter is (or was) considered almost settled already and everybody wanted to move on.

So, I am betting that Razali has something else and something more compelling to share. Read the newspaper's (sorry, I only buy Utusan Malaysia these days) report on page 8, Isu Kristian: Ada asas kebenaran and you can read between the thin lines about how a report by an individual may have lent credence to an Utusan Malaysia report quoting two bloggers about what happened during a pastors meeting sometime last week, etc etc.

Saksi tampil cerita perkara sebenar

Oleh ZABRY MOHAMAD

zabrymohamad.madzlan@utusangroup.com.my

MOHAMED Razali Abdul Rahman ditanya oleh kalangan wartawan di pekarangan Balai Polis Jalan Patani, Pulau Pinang semalam, selepas membuat laporan mengenai anjuran majlis pertemuan paderi-paderi di sebuah hotel baru-baru ini. - utusan/ Sazali Che Din

PULAU PINANG 13 Mei - Kecewa dengan pembohongan oleh pihak terlibat mengenai penganjuran majlis pertemuan paderi-paderi di sini baru-baru ini, seorang saksi tampil menceritakan perkara sebenar yang berlaku dalam majlis berkenaan.

Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, 42, hari ini hadir di Balai Polis Jalan Patani membuat laporan bagi membantu polis melakukan siasatan mengenai perkara itu.

Mohamed Razali yang merupakan ahli DAP Bahagian Jelutong mengakui dia ada pada majlis kesyukuran itu yang diadakan secara tertutup untuk paderi-paderi di sebuah hotel di Jalan Macalister di sini.

"Saya datang untuk ceritakan keadaan sebenar apa yang berlaku di sana (majlis berkenaan) sebab saya sendiri pun hadir pada majlis tersebut. Saya buat laporan ini sebab terlampau kecewa dengan laporan-laporan (dalam media) sebelum ini yang dibuat beberapa pihak yang mungkin tidak tahu apa yang sebenarnya berlaku.

"Jadi saya pun buat laporan dan saya serah kepada polis untuk buat siasatan lanjut tentang isu ini," katanya ketika ditemui di luar Balai Polis Jalan Patani di sini selepas membuat laporan itu.

Mohamed Razali yang ditemani isteri tiba di balai tersebut pukul 9 pagi dan keluar kira-kira tiga jam kemudian.

Beliau bagaimanapun tidak mendedahkan butiran yang dilaporkan kepada polis kerana tidak mahu mengganggu siasatan.

Ahli Parlimen Jelutong, Jeff Ooi dalam muka depan Utusan Malaysia pada Sabtu lalu menafikan dakwaan kononnya beliau menganjurkan satu majlis pertemuan paderi dari seluruh negara yang turut berikrar untuk menjadikan Kristian sebagai agama rasmi Persekutuan sekali gus melantik Perdana Menteri dalam kalangan penganut agama itu.

Menurut wakil rakyat DAP itu, beliau hanya menghadiri majlis kesyukuran yang diadakan secara tertutup untuk paderi-paderi tersebut di sebuah hotel di Jalan Macalister di sini sebagai tetamu.

Majlis pertemuan paderi-paderi berkenaan dan ikrar menjadikan Kristian sebagai agama rasmi Persekutuan didedahkan oleh dua laman blog iaitu bigdog dihttp://bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com/ menerusi entri bertajuk Making Christianity the official religion? dan blog Marahku di http://marahku.blogspot.com.

Mohamed Razali menambah, sebagai orang Islam, dia wajib tampil ke depan bagi menceritakan apa yang berlaku pada majlis berkenaan.

"Sebagai orang Islam saya rasa kecewa. Saya ceritakan dalam laporan (polis) apa yang berlaku," ujarnya.

* Like everyone else, I was not able to log into blogger for the last two days. This is my first posting after the worldwide blogger suspension. Yesterday, I was told by some readers that some of my postings had disappeared. Shamsul Yunos, who lost his entire blog Marahku and his Mail Motor website just before this global phenomenon, is busy trying to get back what he's lost and put them together in a brand new blog. His fans and enemies need not worry ... beliau masih marah (he's still angry). Both he and Big Dog are still being investigated by the police for postings that appeared in their blogs about the pastors' meeting.