KUCHING – Even the Anglican Church is not spared during the Sarawak election campaign period as its bishop for Kuching and Brunei has refuted allegations made by a former bishop over millions in allocation for churches.
Anglican Bishop of Kuching and Brunei Darussalam Datuk Danald Jute has refuted claims made by former prelate Datuk Bolly Lapok, a Party Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) member, that millions were given to churches in Sarawak as a result of his direct involvement in politics.
Danald said the state Anglican Church only received RM6 million of the RM15 million allocated to all mission schools that include Roman Catholic and Methodist schools via the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) under the purview of the Chief Minister’s Office.
“The approval for this funding was long before Bolly joined politics and became a member of the opposition PSB.”
Bolly joined PSB on November 11.
“The various churches also received other funds from Unifor, but this has nothing to do with Bishop Bolly’s involvement in politics. For him to make such claims is ludicrous,” Danald told The Vibes.
Yesterday, Bolly said as a direct impact of his joining politics, grants in millions were already given to churches in Sarawak and that the Anglican Church received RM6 million.
On May 4, then chief minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg approved RM15 million for the construction, upgrading, and repairs of non-Islamic houses of worship in the state.
Former deputy chief minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, the minister in charge of Unifor, handed over the allocations to 23 representatives at the state assembly building.
Bolly raised eyebrows among the Anglican community when he joined PSB. Many touted him as a winnable candidate and saw him as lending a credible boost in the state polls – particularly with the Iban voter bank.
However, he did not turn up on nomination day to file his papers as a candidate. Yesterday, he told The Vibes that he is serving his party as an envoy to campaign for PSB candidates who need his support. – The Vibes, December 11, 2021
