THE removal of LGBT activist portraits from the George Town Art Festival is the first black day since the installation of the Malaysia baru government.

It crushes the hope of Malaysians who want to see changes in the way this country is administered. As a Penangite myself, I feel truly ashamed, as one of the leading states in Malaysia, the Penang government has allowed this to happen in our state.

The situation is made worse that this incident took place during George Town Festival, an event to celebrate the diversity, art and various community.

Over and over again, we are made to witness religiously motivated policies being indoctrinated upon the lives of Malaysians. This is a sign that Malaysia is going to continue to slide down the road of a failed state if drastic measures are not taken urgently to separate governance from religion.

Since the start of Parliament meetings after GE14, among the issues that signal the continuation of Talibanisation policies are, for example, the reluctance to end child marriage, the worthless idea of wanting to issue female dress code guidelines in the private sector, the comments made by minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa that he would close down Genting Casinos if he had the opportunity to do so, the granting of refuge to fugitive and Islamic extremist Zakir Naik and now the removal of LGBT activist pictures.

It seems that proponents of extremist ideology and enemies of liberalism are in control of the Malaysia baru government.

Ministers, such as Mujahid, have failed to protect human rights and stand up to pressure from extremists in this country. With all due respect, Mujahid should be removed if he can’t uphold the inspiration of the majority of Malaysians who voted for change in the last elections.

It is sad to note that in this century, a learned minister can make a statement and say that Malaysia does not promote LGBT.

He has failed to understand that the government should be free from any religious-motivated policy and should be the government for all communities, protecting their rights and interest.

He has also failed to understand that being a homosexual is not by choice. Homosexuality dates back to as far as 2400 BCE. Many historical figures, such as Socrates, Lord Byron, and Edward II, could be linked to homosexuality.

Many countries in the past had severe punishment for homosexuals, including burning to death, stoning to death and public hanging. This was linked to the belief of their religion, for example, Christianity and Islam and cultural practices, which prohibit homosexuality.

In Malaysia, the law which makes sodomy an offence, the very same law, Anwar Ibrahim was sent to prison for, is inspired by British law which was motivated by Christianity.

Over the years, many countries have abolished legislation criminalising homosexuality after coming to understand that despite the various punishments and legislations, homosexuality still exists.

The state and federal government should be able to make policies which are free from religious foundation and based on the right of an individual.

To impose your belief on others is not a right but a violation of other’s rights. We should be clear about this. I am a Christian myself and I am not a gay activist, but I respect human rights, diversity and one’s choice to live his or her life according to his or her wishes.

Penang state secretary Farizan Darus should be ashamed of himself for instructing the pictures to be removed from the exhibition. Penang does not deserve leaders like him.

I call upon our Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to intervene. The DAP government should lead the way, as we always have shown to the rest of Malaysia that we are different.

I congratulate Exco Chong Eng for opposing the ludicrous action of removing the pictures. Activist Marina Mahathir should also be applauded for requesting that her picture be taken down as a sign of protest. I suggest for other leaders, such as Lim Kit Siang and even Siti Kasim, should follow suit to send a strong protest message.

If we don’t rectify the mistakes now, this could be the beginning for bigger Talibanisation policies to be implemented in the future, and the road to destruction would be at sight.

The Council of Eminent Persons should advise the prime minister to go all to eradicate extremist ideologies and protect human rights. I am sure the council would have learned by now how much damage religious-inspired policies have done to our country.

To you your religion, unto me my religion. Respect human rights. Free our country from religocrats. – August 9, 20q8.

* Sudhagaran Stanley is a local activist and heads the northern region office for the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4). He is also political researcher to Bukit Gelugor MP Ram Karpal Singh.  

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.