Anyone who touches on racial sensitivities to the extent of causing instability in the country will not escape the long arm of the law, and this includes permanent residents, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.
He said that while citizens are subject to the laws, permanent residents are all the more required to abide by the laws because the PR status is an award.
“It is the same for (Dr) Zakir Naik as with everyone else. There are Muslims who want to defend him. True, he is a preacher and a (Muslim) expert, but if he touches on certain (sensitive) matters like what he has (allegedly) done, we cannot allow that. Do we want to remain silent if that triggers instability due to widespread feelings of dissatisfaction?
“There are boundaries to be observed whether the individual is a PR or a citizen. There is no exemption. No one is above the law,” he told reporters after opening the International Seminar on Religious Values in Preventing and Responding to Terrorism Extremism (PCVE), here, today.
Muhyiddin was asked on the developments in the police investigation of Zakir who reportedly made controversial statements against the Hindus and Chinese in Malaysia during a speech in Kota Bharu.