Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh hopes Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ministers at the federal level will move a motion in the Dewan Rakyat to censure Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh over his recent remark on the Bible.
He urged Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to instruct the coalition’s federal ministers to do so, saying the PAS politician should not be allowed to hide behind parliamentary privileges to make such irresponsible statement which will damage racial and religious harmony.
“I therefore urge the chief minister to direct GPS federal ministers in the next parliamentary sitting to move a ministerial motion to refer Nik Zawawi to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges, to be formally reprimanded and rebuked for his un-parliamentary and derogatory remarks,” he said in a statement today.
He said Sarawakians expect GPS to take a firm stand on the matter in view that it is a partner of PAS at the federal level, especially as the state prides itself on its racial and religious harmony.
“We are a multi-racial, multi-religious and a multi-cultural society governed by democratic rule. We are guided by the Federal Constitution and a national ideology – the Rukun Negara.
“Nik Zawawi’s remark is against the constitutional and legal provisions and is against the spirit of Rukun Negara. This is an extremely dangerous tendency which should be condemned and must be checked,” he added.
Stressing that any attempt to denigrate another religion should not be tolerated or forgiven, Wong also demanded that the PAS MP retract his controversial remark and publicly apologise to Christians in Malaysia.
He said PSB believes that ‘unity in diversity’ must be promoted through mutual respect of each other’s religion and culture, and that Nik Muhammad Zawawi’s remark had injected ‘religious poison’ into multi-racial Malaysia.
“Prevention is better than cure and GPS leaders should not remain silent. We all must join hands, more so GPS leaders, to stop Nik Zawawi-type incidents in the future.
“Let us all deal with Nik Zawawi sternly and immediately so that we can return to political maturity and sanity to realise the importance of preserving inter-racial and inter-religious harmony,” he said.