KOTA KINABALU: The recent development relating to the growing inter-racial and religious conflicts in the Peninsular Malaysia is certainly throwing a lot of people from different races into the pits of anger and dissatisfaction, Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking said.
The spillover did unfortunately, he lamented, in some way affect the partners of the Federation of Malaysia, that is Sabahans and Sarawakians who have for decades accepted that racial and religious differences are norms and have always mutually respected each other as a unified people of Borneo.
However, the ‘Peninsular Malaysian’s bigotry and intolerance’ have recently tested the principles of mutual understanding, respect and sensitivity towards other religion under this Barisan Nasional Government’s rule is the recent seminar known as ‘Kalimah Allah dan Kristologi Nusantara’ organized by Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS), Akademi Pengajian Kontemporari UiTM and Warisan Ibnu Aaby, he said.
Several anti-Christian subjects were discussed and more than 1,000 copies of the controversial book known as “Pendedahan Agenda Kristian / Revelation of Christian Agenda” were distributed to the participants of the aforesaid seminar, he claimed.
“As a citizen of the Federation of Malaysia who believes that mutual respect and sensitivity are of prime importance in this multi-religious country, I have asked the Minister of Education (who is also the Deputy Prime Minister) in the recent parliamentary sitting as to what action will be taken against UiTM for organising such a seminar which could potentially create a major misunderstanding between the Muslims and non-Muslim innocents in Malaysia.
Darell in a statement yesterday said, “It is shockingly unbelievable that the Deputy Prime Ministry had confirmed in his reply that such seminar was held for ‘academic purposes and for intellectual discussions’ hence no action will be taken against the institution (UiTM).
“It is my opinion as am sure of many sane opinion, that UiTM had certainly created a very dangerous precedence which will be replicated by not only other Muslim dominated organisations or institutions but also by the non-Muslim dominated organisations or institutions, all under the guises of ‘academic discussion & intellectual discussions’ purposes,” Darell said.
Darell was of the opinion that the inability of the BN Federal Government to act immediately on this incident is truly regrettable when they could have instead ordered that any such future ‘academic discussion, forum or seminar’ which involves sensitive religious issues in any public organisation or institution should be first sanctioned by the National Unity Ministry beforehand and that proper and fair panelists representing all views should be invited.
“It is as if they are encouraging this bigotry and hate. After all, this is exactly the reason why the National Unity Ministry was created in the first place,” he claimed.
Darell disclosed that in that same reply, the Deputy Prime Minister did state that at the start of the seminar it was emphasised that no religious bashing was encouraged. However, this is an absolute paradox when the subjects discussed in that same seminar included ‘Ancaman Kristianisasi /Threats by Christians’ and ‘10 Sebab Mengapa Orang Kristian harus memeluk Islam / 10 reasons why Christians must embrace Islam’.
“It shows their arrogance and we in Sabah and Sarawak cannot be part of this bigotry and arrogance. All this is surely anti-Christian bashing and I urge that UiTM which should be the centre of learning must be heavily reprimanded for conducting such seminar as doing nothing and defending the obvious religious bashing seminar is shaping UiTM into an extremist religious institution!
“This has gone beyond the intention of any fair academic learning institution unless of course by the same definition in the Deputy Prime Minister’s reply all other ‘Intellectual Discussions” such as a forum reply conducted by Non-Muslim organisations are allowed too,”
“Lest they forgot that there are many ‘Bumiputras who are non-Muslims’ seeking academic excellence in UiTM and having ‘Anti-Christian’ seminars like this would surely be extremely uncomfortable and yes, divert away from the true nature of any centre for academic excellence,” he pointed out.
But again, Darell said there would seem to be no mutual understanding, respect and tolerance between different races and religions in Malaysia under the BN and this is shown, by the way, of another religion imposing over others at their whims and fancies and the nonchalant written reply by the Ministry of Education (which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister) only proves that.