The Malaysian Insight

FIVE months into power, several Pakatan Harapan ministers are still navigating the nuances of making public comments and dealing with the impact of their words from various demographics, especially when the statements involve religious and racial sensitivities.

The recent claims by two ministers that they were misquoted or misreported in the media follow a string of similar denials by other newly appointed cabinet members.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa is, perhaps, the one with the most claims of being misquoted or misrepresented.

Mujahid is again in the limelight, this time, involving The Star newspaper, which he accused of fabricating parts of an interview that the English daily had with him last week.

The Star reported that Mujahid, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, had declared that there would be a stop to khalwat raids, or the “banging down of doors in the wee hours of the morning”, by the moral police.

The daily has since clarified the matter, and expressed regret over the report.

Mujahid was quoted in the interview as saying some of the actions by Islamic enforcement authorities did not reflect the religion’s values.

However, in a Monday interview with TV Alhijrah on The Star report, he denied having made the remarks, and accused the editors of the newspaper of “making their own summary of my statement”.

The report had sparked a furious debate on religious policing among Islamic conservatives, religious leaders, civil society groups and politicians.

Mujahid’s aide has given the daily 24 hours to issue an apology, or face “tougher action”.

In August, the minister caused an uproar among sexual minority rights advocates when he ordered the removal of the portraits of two activists from a photography exhibition in Penang, saying “promoting” the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community was “not in line” with the PH government’s policies.

Later, he said having the portraits on display would have been alright if they had not been labelled “LGBT activists”.

He also said the removals were done to protect transgender people from backlash.

Another first-time cabinet member, Works Minister Baru Bian, said he was misreported when he slammed news portal Malaysiakini of misinterpreting a statement he had made about a decision to abolish tolls.

“I was quoted as saying the decision to abolish tolls in the peninsula would be made within the next two to three months,” he told journalists in Kuching.

“The tolls will not be abolished just yet. Not when the country’s finances are in dire straits,” he said, clarifying the report.

“What I said and meant was that, in the next two to three months, the government will come up with alternative arrangements to reduce the impact of tolls,” said Baru, adding that the Malaysiakini report had sent officials in the Finance Ministry into a frenzy.

The two ministers are far from being the first cabinet members to cry foul over media reports that have landed them in hot water since PH took over Putrajaya following its victory in the May 9 general election.

In July, mere months after assuming the post of human resources minister, M. Kula Segaran got a taste of the power of the media when a furore was raised over a report by the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia newspaper, claiming that he had called Malays “pendatang” (immigrants) in the peninsula, and that Hindus had been in the country first.

Kula Segaran said his speech, given in Tamil, at an event in Seremban had been taken out of context and misconstrued.

He accused Utusan of distorting his views on Malaysian history “to cause racial tension”, but still had to apologise over the outcry it created.

He was also one of the first ministers to be forced to backtrack when in June, he set off panic among restaurant owners after declaring that all eateries serving Malaysian food could only hire locals as cooks beginning January 1 next year.

His statement earned him brickbats and accusations of racism and xenophobia by social media users, and the minister later clarified that there would not be a blanket ban, and that foreigners may still be employed.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who also holds the women, family and community development portfolio, is infamous for “clarifying” numerous questionable statements, especially on the sensitive issue of child marriage.

Speaking to reporters about Kelantan’s second known case of child marriage this year, involving a 15-year-old bride, Dr Wan Azizah reportedly said the government was powerless to act, as the teenage had “consented to the marriage” to a 44-year-old man.

This and other comments have drawn outrage and criticism from rights activists, who accused the government of lacking commitment to raise the minimum marriageable age to 18, with no exceptions.

Dr Wan Azizah responded by saying she remains “against child marriage, and (I) do not condone it”, adding that her earlier comments were “just a descriptive statement of what the child explained to my officers”.

The ministry eventually issued a written statement to reaffirm her opposition to child marriage and explain the steps being taken to address the matter.

Whether truly misquoted or merely misunderstood, PH’s first-time ministers need to quickly adjust to the reality that their statements reflect government policy and can affect the lives of many Malaysians.

While their candour is refreshing, it must be tempered with reality and the understanding that their words can be interpreted differently by the media looking for scoops and sensational reports. – October 10, 2018.