3 of us spoke out about Zakir Naik, what did Gerakan do, says Gobind

Melati A. Jalil Melati A. Jalil Updated 7 years ago · Published on 12 Jul 2018 5:21PM · 17 Comments

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo says he and two more Indian ministers raised the issue of Zakir Naik in a cabinet meeting yesterday. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 12, 2018.

DAP’s Gobind Singh Deo has slammed Gerakan for accusing Indian leaders in Pakatan Harapan of lacking the will and power to have controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik sent home to India.

The communications and multimedia minister said he and two of his colleagues,  Human Resources minister M. Kulasegaran and Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar had raised the issue of Zakir in a cabinet meeting yesterday.

“Gerakan should ask itself – it was in the government for 61 years – what did it do? It failed the people and it is the reason why the people rejected them.

“Our position is different – we speak up in cabinet meetings, we express the views of the people and when this became an issue we went to the cabinet, all three of us and we spoke out about it,” he said after attending the launch of the integrated parcel centre (IPC) expansion project in Shah Alam, today. 

He was asked to respond to a Gerakan leader’s statement blaming Indian leaders in the coalition for failure to convince Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to extradite Zakir, who is wanted in India on terror-related charges.

Zakir left India in 2016 and has since lived in Putrajaya over protests from local Indians. 

He has permanent residency status in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Malaysiakini earlier today quoted Gerakan national legal and human rights bureau head Baljit Singh as saying Indian leaders in PH were unable to keep their GE14 promise to extradite Zakir.  

Gobind said the government would respond accordingly to the case put forward by India or any other country for their citizens to be extradited.

“As far as we are concerned India has to put forward its case and once the case is put forward, the government has to decide as to whether or not he should be sent back. 

“That is the position I take and that’s what’s discussed in the cabinet yesterday. 

“As far as this issue is concerned, we follow the rule of law,” he said. 

On July 6, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Zakir would not be deported as long as he did not cause any trouble in Malaysia.

Furthermore, he said, Zakir had been granted permanent residency by the Najib administration. – July 12, 2018.

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Comments

  • Good response. Yeah, what did Gerakan and MIC do? Are they still in the dream? Or are they still having nightmare about being treated as slaves by UMNO?

    Posted 7 years ago by Awang Top · Reply

  • Aiyoh, Malaysia used to harbour terrorists during Mahathir's 1.0 time eg, Nur Misuari (MNLF), Abu Bakar Bashir (Jemaah Islamiyah), the leaders of PULO, etc (Southern Thailand), leaders of Free Acheh Movement, etc .... so it seems he never changed ......

    Posted 7 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply

  • Zakir Naik gives his speeches in English and they always appear on Youtube. If he breaks any of our laws, go ahead and charge him. I doubt he will get justice in India if extradited when Muslims are lynched in the streets for just transporting cows. Thousands of Budhist and Hindu priests have been coming to Malaysia on tourist visa over the last 20 years. Nobody cares or monitors their activity because they dont speak English or appear in youtubes speaking in English.

    So Gobind, please set our national priorities right. Talk to Muhyiddin and come up with a comphrehensive plan to deport all the illegals foreigners in Malaysia. Also get rid the legal ones that brought diseases to our country like those from India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

    Let me give you some tips on where to start.
    1. Petaling Street
    2. Pasar borong Selayang
    3. All the car wash shops ( why the f***k we need to bring a bangla in to wash cars)
    4. Ampang Point-- thousands of Arabs, Syrians, Iranians and Koreans doing business
    5.And dont forget the Africans too.

    Posted 7 years ago by Zaki Razak · Reply

    • Does the religion of Islam endorse the preaching of terror? And if one person is acused of numerous crimes, should this person as a muslim clear himself or should he continue to break the law by hiding in another country. You see, it the end, all we hear is this fugitive claiming h is innocent and then saying that he will be tortured. Can we not use diplomatic channels to ensure his trial is fair? We can. But to insist that he will be killed on the streets by mobs and all these juvenile excuses is nonsense. Send him back and let him learn that if you tell people to kill, they will. Let him learn and come back a reformed man.

      Posted 7 years ago by Colin Nathan · Reply

    • Hating zakir is exactly the same as hating malay muslims.

      So, muslimin, mukminin and muhsinin, please take nate note of these nonmuslims,
      who hates muslims.

      Posted 7 years ago by Kksb ajil · Reply

    • Hating zakir is exactly the same as hating malay muslims.

      So, muslimin, mukminin and muhsinin, please take nate note of these nonmuslims,
      who hates muslims.

      Posted 7 years ago by Kksb ajil · Reply

  • No harm done if Zakir Naik is also acquainted with the scenario that the world's 4 great religions to which Malaysians subscribe in modern times sprang up at different times in history to address various problems in society and now tend to promote peace and well-being among their followers, not spew dissension or hate?..

    Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Enough with this divisive man. What exactly is this dumbfounding love for this man about anyway? If we want to help the man, sponsor his legal fees or insist using diplomatic channels that he receive a fair trial. But never ever should we interfere with the legal or criminal process in a sovereign state. Zakir Naik has always claimed that he is innocent and that his reason for hiding here is because he will not receive a fair trial. So lets put an end to this controversy by doing all we can to ensure his trial is fair. Naik is acused of inciting the murder of 22 young men, all muslims by the way. And there are several money laundering cases that he has to answer to. Send him back, let him clear his name and we will welcome him back to continue doing whatever he is doing here. If we ignore these repeated extradition requests, we are behaving like the Taliban leaders of Afghanistan who refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. And I'm sure are are better than that.

    Posted 7 years ago by Colin Nathan · Reply

  • Good. Gerakan, MIC, MCA are 'dedak eaters'. They were quiet then. Now they are barking as the dedak supply has been cut off.

    PH will make sure that Zakir is deported. It's just that they have to follow the rules of law. I agree.
    Just wait.... Malaysians don't need a chameleon like Zakir to be here. He has become a liability
    to the country.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ken destino · Reply

  • Gobind...Any success story in your ministry so far?....Nothing .....Please focus on your ministry....Stop looking for cheap publicity. We Malaysian are watching you ...Same with Kula the U turn minister...Another Non-performing minister......All Talk only ....No action.....

    Gobind and Kula, please set your priorities right....Don"t waste the tax payers money..... deport all the illegals foreigners in Malaysia. Also get rid the legal ones that brought diseases to our country like those from India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

    .And dont forget the Africans too.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jerry wong · Reply

  • Strange and foolish of gerakan just to call only Indian MPs to voice out about Zakir Naik. The scum bag may be from India BUT it is not just the Indian MPs to voice it out . It is the responsibilities of all the PH MPs irrespective of whatever faith you are to collectively bring this concerns to the fore and actions to be implemented. WE the rakyat are NOT HAPPY that Zakir Naik is in the country and creating a ruckus to the harmony and disunting the races by sinisterly playing religious and racial issues. He is wanted for money laundering in India and thru' his religious institutions he is using Islam as a front to protect himself from being apprehended. The more the racist sentiments he has stirred in the guise of Islam ,more naive and ignorant crowd will get suck in to the beliefs that he is the champion and the New Found Messiah of Islam. This is dangerous as can be seen in Putra Jaya fools and can easily caused mayhem to the peaceful country. Zakir Naik is an insidiousan intelligent fake and a con man beguiling on the weak and directionless who are in awe of a memorizer and seeing hopes in his repertoire of the Koran. They will wake up from the spell when once they see he is being prosecuted for all his shenanigans.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

    • Ramasamy DCM 2 Penang is linking to Tamil Tiger terrorist...Gobind and Kula ...Why you keep quiet!

      Posted 7 years ago by Jerry wong · Reply

  • Western media has certainly done a superb job by brain washing millions if not billions around the globe. Many just believe what they ser on the tube

    Posted 7 years ago by Jamal Abdullah · Reply

  • Western media has certainly done a superb job by brain washing millions if not billions around the globe. Many just believe what they ser on the tube

    Posted 7 years ago by Jamal Abdullah · Reply

  • Western media has certainly done a superb job by brain washing millions if not billions around the globe. Just believe what u watch on the tube. Great huh? Taliban did not hand ober OBL? The question we have to ask ourselves is did OBL really exists in the first place?
    How many times did OBL die?
    Body laid to rest in the sea?
    Has any single been charged with the crimes of 9/11? Oh yeah...i forgot about KSM. Anyway what happened to KSM? Anyone? Tortured 136 times at Gitmo.
    My comment may sound unrelated to the topic here. Its not. I just keep shaking my head while reading the other comments by high ranked intellectuals.
    Wake up while u can. Zakir Naik has been speeching for over 20 years. Only now he is promoting terror. That guy debates you on your own scriptures and you loose. Does that make him a promoter of terror. Do not blindly hate someone without conducting a in depth study on your own.
    How many of you have actually listened to a full lecture of Dr.Naik? Point out to me ONE lecture where he promotes hate or terrorism. My challenge.
    But then again...do not come up with a editted version. That old trick is history now.
    Have a nice day.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jamal Abdullah · Reply

  • Hating zakir is exactly the same as hating malay muslims.

    So, muslimin, mukminin and muhsinin, please take nate note of these nonmuslims,
    who hates muslims.

    Posted 7 years ago by Kksb ajil · Reply

  • New Malaysia subscribes to the rule of law. Please return this arrogant bigot home to face justice for the crime that he did instead of protecting him as a fugitive in Putrajaya. We can do with one less bigot in our community.

    Posted 7 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply