'Big Dog' refuses to apologise
KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger "Big Dog" said yesterday he would not apologise for claiming in a blog posting on Saturday that a DAP member of parliament and a group of pastors had vowed to make Christianity the country's official religion.
The blogger said he was highlighting DAP's ploy of exploiting church members and individuals.
"I was not insulting Christians," said the owner of bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com.
Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun, implicated in the claim, had demanded that the blogger and Utusan Malaysia apologise to all, including the Christian community, within 24 hours.
"Big Dog" claimed that Ooi had organised a feast, attended by pastors and party workers, which allegedly saw 35 pastors vowing to make Christianity the country's official religion.
The posting titled "Making Christianity the official religion?" also claimed that 1,700 pastors were expected to hold a special convention in Penang and a special meeting was to be held later, allegedly to ponder the matter.
Ooi has denied this. The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship and Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri Murphy Nicholas Pakiam, had also denied the claim.
Asked whether he stood by his contention, the blogger yesterday said he would let the police determine the truth.
"If I apologise, it means I admit I was wrong."
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Sunday had called on Malaysians to remain calm and warned anyone against exploiting the issue, adding that investigations would be carried out.
In George Town, Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan urged police to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation.
He said action should be taken against the Malay daily and the blogger if the claim was unsubstantiated.
Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said in Kuala Terengganu that the party would never back any proposal to change the nation's official religion and urged all political parties to remain true to the Federal Constitution.
He said the opposition parties made a resolution in its convention last year that Islam would remain the official religion.
In Putrajaya, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said that the Islamic Development Department would not investigate the matter as it concerned national security and would leave it to the police.
"We have no say in this, otherwise there could be a clash between Muslims and the non-Muslim community."
New Straits Times
Bravo Big Dog. Your stand of not apologising to the DAPig kiasus are applauded. We should not apologise if what we are doing is right, especially in exposing the conspiracy of some quarters who are out to create chaos in our beloved country.
Those racist kiasus should be apprehended under I.S.A. for having the gall to try and change the constitution.
What is PAS, the so called champion of Islam's stand on this? Don't be cowards since even before this you succumbed to Karpal's Singh demand to drop the formation of Islamic nation by PAS.
Don't claim yourself to be the champion of Islam if you are only pigs ridden on by the communist.
