EVEN after hearing Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff’s side of the story, the same questions hovering around him refuse to go away.

Why does the senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia have such antipathy towards DAP? Is he acting alone or is he merely being managed by others?

Why would someone who was largely unknown decide to court controversy?‎ Is it a coincidence that he and Umno share the same worldview about DAP? 

Very little was known about Kamarul last week when he attacked Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh for trying to “Christianise” Malaysia through her autobiography Becoming Hannah.

“I’m not from any political party. I was supposed to reveal all this last year, but never got around to it,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Kamarul did not want to go into specifics citing a police investigation which is under way. Still, that self-imposed injunction did not stop him from attacking DAP, calling it “overly arrogant” with scant regard for the Federal Constitution.‎

“I was just giving my fair and professional view on Malaysian political parties.

“It so happens that my specialisation is on Malaysian opposition parties and it so happens that DAP is the hottest opposition party in Malaysia these days, and with the largest number of seats in Parliament,” he said.

The lecturer did not want to comment on his police report against Yeoh and how her book was allegedly an attempt to “Christianise” Malaysians, citing the police investigation.

“I am not that critical of DAP. I even praised DAP when it was proper. Just that DAP has been overly harsh on me of late, attacking me left and right. I am merely defending myself,” he said, omitting to mention that the opposition party was ‎reacting to his attacks against Yeoh.

He admitted that he had criticised DAP quite a bit but qualified himself by saying the party was arrogant and did not recognise the Federal Constitution.

“They have their own constitution but they do not recognise Islam as the religion of Malaysia nor do they recognise the position of the Malays and Bumiputeras,” he said, several hours after ‎police recorded a statement as in response to Yeoh’s report on May 15. 

“My statement was eight pages long. It took the police three hours to record the statement. I gave them my full cooperation.”

Kamarul lodged a police report against Yeoh on May 17 in Changloon, Kedah. He said Yeoh, a Christian, was trying to influence Muslims through her autobiography.

He had also accused DAP of hypocrisy in matters of religion, and used Yeoh as an example of how DAP wished to separate religion from politics only when the religion was Islam.

Yeoh lodged a counter report against the lecturer.

In another post yesterday, Kamarul said more than 100 academics had signed his memorandum to the Registrar of Societies, asking the DAP to show cause for activities against Islam and Bumiputeras. 

“The main reason behind the memorandum is to question why many of DAP’s activities are against Islam’s position as the religion of Malaysia and the position of Malays and Bumiputeras,” said Kamarul.

The basis for the memorandum is based on Section 2A(1) of the Societies Act that says it is the obligation of each registered society to ensure that its activities do not challenge Islam as the religion of Malaysia, or the position of Malays and Bumiputeras in the country, said Kamarul.

He said more than 100 local academics, including 18 professors, have signed the memorandum. – May 23, 2017.