KUCHING: The statement from National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) which expressed regret over the raid by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises has once again re-affirmed that the action taken by the religious body is wrong.
“It is most interesting to note that NUCC said Jais’ raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises is regrettable.
“In short, it (the raid) was wrong and in the views of the Malaysian Bar Council, the raid was illegal, yet none of the Jais officials who were involved have been questioned or had books thrown at them,” Land Development Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said through a text message yesterday.
Masing was commenting on NUCC’s statement that the recent raid by Jais on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises recently should not have happened as such an incident could strain religious and race relations in the country.
NUCC chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said the NUCC believed the sensitive religious issue currently being hotly debated could be resolved through discussions without derailing the national unity agenda.
“The NUCC regrets the raid (by Jais) and calls on the government to abide by the 10-point resolution reached together with Christian groups in the country in April 2011.”
Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak president, said the raid by Jais on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises was the second incident in so many months. Such actions were taken by Muslim authorities from Peninsular Malaysia in trying to ‘intimidate’ Christians from exercising their faith.
“Such acts must not and should not be tolerated by the relevant authorities. Malaysia is not a rogue state. We are a nation governed by rule of laws.”
Meanwhile, in responding to a statement by Perkasa that NUCC is a threat to national unity, NUCC deputy chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said he would leave it to the chairman of the council to give an appropriate response.
It was reported that Perkasa called NUCC a threat to national unity, accusing it of questioning the Malay rulers.
Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali was quoted as saying that the NUCC was provoking Muslim anger by questioning the raid by Jais at the Bible Society of Malaysia premises last week, which saw the confiscation of some 300 copies of Bahasa Malaysia and Iban Bibles.