By Phyllis Wong
ON March 25, a young boy took the life of a young girl in Miri. The victim, Tiffany Wong, was only 17. She had a bright future ahead of her.
She loved her God, her family and her friends. To return her affection, her friends started a Facebook page — RIP Dear Tiffany – and in the three short days that preparations were being made for her funeral, more than 15,000 people visited the Facebook page, set up by two friends of Tiffany’s. Thousands left messages in her memory.
At first, Tiffany’s parents rebuked the action of the boy but when his parents finally visited them to seek forgiveness, something miraculous happened. Tiffany’s parents forgave not only the boy’s parents but also the boy who had shown repentance by surrendering himself to the police and confessed to his cruel act.
What really tugs at the heart-strings is the fact that within such a short of time, Tiffany’s parents, despite their great loss, are still able to receive the boy’s parents and say they forgive the boy and his family.
How many of us are able to do that? Notably, the grief and sorrow of Tiffany’s parents have not turned into hatred but love and forgiveness.
A local newspaper, sharing similar sentiments, wrote: “City unites in Tiffany’s sorrow.”
Someone later observed: “To forgive is very Christian.”
Yes, we certainly see such forgiveness in Tiffany’s case.
Impounded Bibles
As Tiffany’s parents grieve but free themselves of hatred and as her friends remember her fondly, many Christian leaders are, ironically, still embroiled in the issue of the impounded Bibles.
Someone said: “It would be interesting to expound on what Jesus would have done”
So, the issue does seem to involve “thinking Christianly about forgiveness.”
In a world gone insane with hate and misplaced passion among a humanoid race that is destroying itself with immoral filth, how can a Christian maintain his or her integrity against the currents of the day?
Let’s go back to the Bible.
It’s arresting to recall that Lord Jesus not only commands us to forgive but also rebuke one another.
In Luke 17:3 of the New Testament (which is also found in the bibles impounded at Kuching Port as in other bibles that contain the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs), the disciples came to the Lord with a question, and in answering it, Jesus said: “If your brother offends you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”
We see and hear the word “forgive” but pay scant attention to the word “rebuke” — yet one is as much a command as the other.
If your brother offends you, rebuke him — tell him so.
This is what the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the umbrella body of almost all Christian groups in the country, did on March 10, 2011, to the authorities for ignoring the Prime Minister’s promise that there will be no ban on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.
With regard to the impounding of 35,000 copies of bibles in Bahasa Malaysia in Klang and Kuching, the considerable period of waiting on the part of CFM president Bishop Ng Moon Hing and other Christian bodies for the Bibles to be released is exemplary of their forbearance and patience. This is definitely commendable.
Swift Reaction
The government reacted swiftly on March 16, 2011, by releasing the Bibles but on the condition that the bibles should carry a “For Christians only” stamp.
According to Datuk Seri Idris Jala, a prominent Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) leader, the Federal government is committed to resolving any inter-faith conflict by way of dialogue and in line with the spirit of 1Malaysia.
Idris, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the decision to release the Bibles is a reasonable compromise.
However, that’s not the end of the story for CFM.
Ng did not think it was a reasonable compromise, saying: “This is Idris’ way of handling things. The government wants it to look like it is the one giving in when it should have followed the gazette in the first place. In fact, it is we who have lost so much ground.”
The bibles were not taken out of the port. It appears there was rebuke, repentance but no forgiveness.
To repeat the Lord’s command: “Rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if seven times in the same day he turns to you and say I repent, then forgive him seven times (Luke 17:3b-4)”.
Further Compromise
On March 22, 2011, Idris Jala, representing the government, agreed to a further compromise. The federal government will no longer serialise or place a large Home Ministry stamp on Al Kitab (Malay language Bible).
Instead, the government will require the words “For Christianity” in Arial (font size 16) to be either printed at source or stamped at the receiving port.
As for copies of Al Kitab, already stamped and serialised, but Christian groups refuse to claim them, then Christian donors will pay for new copies to be imported.
Arrangements can also be made to put stickers with the words “For Christianity” to cover the Home Ministry stamps and the serial numbers.
Idris assured the Home Ministry director-general will issue a directive to civil servants to ensure there is no misrepresentation of the government order.
There is also assurance from the government that future Bibles in BM can be imported and released with the words “For Christianity”.
On March 30, CFM deemed the “repentance” shown and “solutions” reached did not address “the substantive issues.”
It deliberated that the appropriate words should be “A Christian Publication” and that the stamps and serial numbers on the Bibles amounted to “an act of defacement, disrespect and treating with disdain the holy book of the Christians”.
Ng left it to the importers to decide whether or not to collect the bibles “based on their different specific circumstances and level of trust in the authorities and the processes in their local context”.
10-Point Solution
On April 3, Idris put forward the following 10-point solution to address the Bible issue:
1. Bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia.
2. These Bibles can also be printed locally in peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This is a new development which should be welcomed by the Christian groups.
3. Bibles in the indigenous languages of Sabah and Sarawak such as Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang can also be printed locally and imported.
4. For Sabah and Sarawak, in recognition of the large Christian community in these states, there are no conditions attached to the importation and local printing of the Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia and indigenous languages. There is no requirement for any stamp or serial number.
5. Taking into account the interest of the larger Muslim community, for peninsular Malaysia, Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, imported or printed, must have the words “Christian Publication” and the cross printed on the front
covers.
6. In the spirit of 1Malaysia and recognising that many people travel between Sabah and Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia, there should be no prohibitions and restrictions for people who bring along their Bibles and Christian materials on such travel.
7. A directive on the Bible has been issued by the Secretary-General (KSU) of the Home Ministry to ensure proper implementation of this Cabinet decision. Failure to comply will subject the officers to disciplinary action under the General Orders. A comprehensive briefing by top officials, including the Attorney General (AG), will be given to all relevant civil servants to ensure good understanding and proper implementation of the directive.
8. For the impounded Bibles in Kuching, Gideon, the importer, can collect all the 30,000 copies free of charge. We undertake to ensure the parties involved are reimbursed. The same offer remains available for the importer of the 5,100 Bibles in Port Klang, which have already been collected by the Bible Society Malaysia (BSM) last week.
9. Beyond the Bible issue, the government wishes to reiterate its commitment to work with the Christian groups and all the different religious groups in order to address inter-religious issues and work towards the fulfilment of all religious aspirations in accordance with the constitution, taking into account the other relevant laws of the country. In order to bring urgency to this work, the Prime Minister will meet the representatives of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) soon to discuss the way forward.
10. The Christian Ministers in the Cabinet will meet on a regular basis with representatives of the various Christian groups in order to discuss their issues and work with the relevant Ministries and Prime Minister in order to resolve them.
Idris, Sarawak’s Proud Seeking Forgiveness
The Right Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok, chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, and Anglican Bishop of Sarawak and Brunei, has described the 10-point solution as “surprising, exuding in generosity and sensitivity that characterises the Sarawak culture”.
It was not only the culture. Idris, fondly regarded as Sarawak’s proud son, sought forgiveness, saying: “In the spirit of Lent, it is time for sacrifice, reconciliation and forgiveness.
“In our history as a young nation, we achieved a lot in a short period of time but we have our shortcomings. The government and our civil servants are not perfect as indeed all human beings are ‘beautifully imperfect’ in the eyes of God.
“And for all our shortcomings in handling the Bible issue, I hope the Christians will find it in their hearts to forgive us. In my church at SIBKL, we have been praying for a Christian revival to take place in our country. For all the hurt that exists as a result of our differences, I believe we need healing, forgiveness and reconciliation in this country.
“The Bible says in Matthew 18:21-22: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.”
Should we Christians in the country, especially those in Sarawak and Sabah, not move on and continue to enjoy our freedom of worship and freedom of communicating with our dear Abba Father in languages which we find most comfortable with?
As Idris rightly pointed out: “The focus should be on putting the bibles in the hands of people who want to read them.”
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