Abdul Rahman (fifth left) with the Kota Belud parliamentary office personnel cutting a cake. Also present was UPKO Kota Belud chief, Ewon Benedick.
KOTA BELUD: Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said Sabah and Sarawak are unique in that people in the ethnically and religiously diverse society in the two states have always coexisted harmoniously.
“When I officiate at functions or events in Kadamaian, a Christian-majority state assembly seat within my constituency, prayers citing the AlKitab are normally led by a pastor. This shows how tolerant we are in Sabah and Sarawak of each other’s religion,” the Kota Belud member of parliament said.
Abdul Rahman, when officiating the Kota Belud Parliamentary office’s Christmas and New Year celebration yesterday, opined that the use of bibles in the Malay language is essentially a non-issue in this part of Malaysia.
“The Christians of Sabah and Sarawak have been using the AlKitab long before the formation of Malaysia. We must respect this piece of our nation’s history. To ensure Kota Belud continues to be a good example to the country in terms of acceptance and moderation, I propose and support interfaith dialogue in Kota Belud as a platform to demonstrate our ability to coexist peacefully in a diverse society.
“While we respect the sensitivities of communities in Sabah and Sarawak, at the same time we must acknowledge that different places have different sensitivities. Therefore, we, in Sabah and Sarawak, must also respect the sensitivities of the Muslims in Peninsula Malaysia as well. Our histories are different, and the kalimah Allah and Alkitab issue in Peninsula Malaysia emerged out of different sensitivities and historical background,” he pointed out.
Abdul Rahman also stressed that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the issue on the kalimah Allah.
“Respect, tolerance, moderation and common sense are key. I am a Minister for all Malaysians. I believe sensitivity and compromise are very important values to uphold. Emotion and rhetoric should not cloud our views and judgments. We must maintain rationality in our resolution of issues.
“Therefore I reiterate my position on this issue: I support the 10-point solution in Sabah that allows for the use of the Alkitab in the state of Sabah,” he said.
For those who are quick to criticise the 10-point solution by saying that Malaysia must not have two rules or laws for different parts of the country, Abdul Rahman reminded them that in the case of religious and racial issues, no solution is perfect.
“If having different laws applied to Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia will make us live harmoniously and united, I say go ahead, have those laws.
“As it is anyway, we have current laws which are only applicable to either Peninsula Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak only. Immigration, labour, legal and quarantine Acts are some of the examples where the laws only applied to certain parts of the country,” he said.