KUCHING – Malaysia was formed on the agreement that there should not be an official religion because our forefathers anticipated possible dominance by Malayan Malay-Muslims over Sabah and Sarawak in matters related to faith, said Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan.
“This was in the 18- and 20-point agreements,” he said, referring to the memoranda signed by Sarawak and Sabah, respectively, when joining the Federation of Malaya and Singapore towards the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
It is not enough for the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to say the word “Allah” can be used in the state without any objection from the federal government, in its press statement on Thursday, he told The Vibes in an interview.
“The GPS government should put its foot down and tell the federal government that it should not appeal against the decision of the court in this matter.
“The silence of GPS amounts to agreement that the appeal should proceed.
“We cannot serve two masters.”
On March 15, the Perikatan Nasional federal administration filed an appeal against the high court decision that Christians nationwide can use “Allah” and three other Arabic words – Baitullah, Kaabah and solat – in religious publications for educational purposes.
According to Voon, the GPS state government has to choose between the stand of Sarawak’s forefathers and that of the federal government.
“GPS must understand that about 62% of all Sarawakians are Christians. The majority of Dayaks in Sarawak are Christians, and their brethren in the whole of Borneo are watching this.
“GPS needs to know that to touch one Dayak is to touch the whole Dayak community in Borneo,” he said, adding that the Dayak Christian brethren, especially in Kalimantan, do not want to be discriminated against.
“Unlike in past decades, the Dayaks in Borneo are more united now. GPS and the federal government must realise this.”
He said GPS should acknowledge that the court decision affects the rights of Christians in Sarawak.
“It is not true that the decision will not affect Sarawak, because the law is clear.
“If GPS is serious about maintaining religious harmony in Sarawak, it should not allow religious teachers, especially those from Muslim NGOs, PAS and Umno, to preach in Sarawak.
“This is because the teachings of local ulama by the Sarawak Muslim brethren are acceptable to the people of the state.
“It is for this reason that we can see churches, temples and surau or mosques (located) not far from each other. We don’t object to surau in non-Muslim housing communities, or churches near or within Muslim communities in Sarawak.
“All communities in Sarawak live harmoniously, and we don’t want Malayan cultures to disrupt our harmony here.” – The Vibes, March 21, 2021
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