TEOH PEI YING
New Straits Times11 November 2017
KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial preacher Zamihan Mat Zin may have landed in hot water again after he was recorded calling Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak “unintelligent” for giving a 16ha plot of land to Saudi Arabia.
In a Youtube video uploaded on Oct 23, Zamihan said the government’s proposal to allocate the land for King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP) to counter terrorism was unrealistic.
“Yesterday, the PM announced that we will build KSCIP in Putrajaya and the government had agreed to allocate 16ha of land for that purpose.
“The proposal to give land to Saudi (Arabia) to counter terrorism is not realistic. We already have the police, the Home Ministry, Prisons Department and other security agencies such as the National Security Council. It is okay if Saudi Arabia doesn’t come to Malaysia to combat terrorism,” he said.
Zamihan was believed to have made the comment during an event in July.
“Why do we need to depend on Saudi Arabia to counter Daesh (Islamic State)? Saudi Arabia gave birth to Daesh. Scholars had proved that they funded IS militants in Iraq and Syria.
“They themselves could not contain terrorism in their own region, how could they help to fight terrorism here?” he asked.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) officer also questioned why the government did not seek the opinions of academicians and security experts on the matter.
“Why don’t they ask us for our opinion? It’s me who goes in and out to interact with the terrorists in prison.
“It’s not an intelligent decision. Is it because we borrowed money or had taken their funds and signed the MoU (memorandum of understanding) on the haj quota, so we decided to give them the land?
“The 16ha land is bigger than the Tabung Haji complex. That’s why I said it is unrealistic and unintelligent,” he said.
“Malaysia is a democratic country, if they want to take action against me as a civil servant, go ahead,” he added.
Zamihan was detained by police last month after a video of him criticising the Sultan of Johor went viral.
The setting up of the KSCIP was the result of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud’s visit to Malaysia in February. © New Straits Times Press
