PAS “Cawat” to “Bible been Amended” Whats Next??

This was 2010 which was an unnecessary remark by the President of PAS during a by election in Sarawak which was reported by the mass media which reads,”Hadi had angered Sarawak’s Iban community when he blamed PKR’s loss in the April 7, 2010 Batang Ai by-election to ignorant voters who did not know how to vote and “were still wearing loinclothes”

10 Years later in 2020 in Parliament a PAS MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh touched on the very subject which most Sarawakians of Christian Faith holds dear to them,”The Bible”.

Surely, the Christian Community will not just let this slide.

Who and Which Political Party in Sarawak will come out voicing their “stand on this issue” this time around? 

In 2010 the then president of SPDP Tan Sri William Mawan said this,”“To us Dayaks, this (Hadi to be PM) is looking down on us and very condescending. The Dayaks, even those in the Opposition I think, would know who not to support.” 

There was also voices of support from PBB supreme council member and Assistant Housing and Youth Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah said Hadi had insulted the Dayaks and Sarawakians in general when he made the “cawat” remark.

“Isn’t this the chap who belittled the natives of Sarawak as still backward, still wearing ‘cawat’ and don’t know how to vote?

PRN12 Sarawak  is just around the corner and the fence sitters of which make up 40% of the voters will see who will stand out for them to ensure that Sarawak remains free from extremists,bigotry and to “USHER OUT“those who practically uses religion for their own benefits.

This is the way for the voters to kindly tell  the aspirants that ,”WE KNOW WHO WE WANT”

The Association of Churches in Sarawak Archbishop Simon Poh has spoke out loud and clear in his statement {extracted in full below}.

Let’s await the next course of action…..We leave it to the authorities concerned.!!!!

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak’s council of churches has joined the chorus of criticisms against Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh over the PAS man’s comments on the Bible made in the Dewan Rakyat recently.

In his exchange with Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham on the religion permitting adherents to consume alcohol, Zawawi had said the Bible had been amended.

The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) said the MP’s comments were offensive and unacceptable, adding that his statement was a direct insult against the Bible.

“The statement that ‘kitab Injil ini dipesongkan ataupun diubah’ alleging that ‘the Gospel is distorted or changed’ crosses into the boundary of religious sensitivity.

“This is considered serious and unacceptable since these statements were openly said and recorded in the official transcript of the 14th Dewan Rakyat sitting on Aug 26,” ACS chairman Archbishop Simon Poh said in a statement today.

He demanded that Zawawi retract his statement and apologise over the matter, adding that it went against the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

The PAS MP had said all religions do not allow their followers to consume alcohol, sparking a brief tiff with Ngeh.

Islam did not stop others from selling alcohol. Likewise, other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism also did not allow adherents to consume alcohol, he told the House.

Ngeh asked Zawawi to correct his facts as other religions, such as Christianity, allowed people to taste alcohol but not get drunk.

However, Zawawi told Ngeh to check his facts, including about Christianity, “before the Bible was amended”, as even a bit of liquor was not allowed.

Ngeh retorted by telling Zawawi to ask other religious experts first, prompting the PAS MP to say he had read about Christianity written by Christians.

Other Christian leaders in the peninsula had responded to Zawawi, saying consuming alcohol was not a sin in the Bible although it condemns intoxication.

DAP & PSB Misusing Youths??

In little less than 2 weeks in the month of August , two provoking issues by the opposition parties in PSB and DAP Sarawak has caused an uproar of some sort. The question within the question is that are these strategies being deliberate or the youth wings of the parties being used as they are naive to a certain extend.

What will  they gain from their overzealous actions? Is it the 3 R’s Recognition,Relevancy or Rewards which ever comes first. The sign of the times in this present age is not about research and sitting in meeting rooms not to say they are not needed but more so on the ground getting the HEAD COUNTS to win in the constituency.

Everyone plays their part so the Youths in these party as we were informed by certain political heavyweights that the political scenario has indeed changed to suit the situations in each and every constituency.

Sun Tzu is just a guideline and the strategy and methods used were relevant during that era. We still use it but nowadays the world is closely knitted with the internet and anything can be found by “Dr.Google“.

How we deliver the win to a party for the seat is utmost importance.

Everyone is useful, being given a “tasks to fulfill” and we absolutely detest the fact harped out by some textbook political researchers who are using overpowering words to squeeze the living daylights out of the local constituency areas political party members of the party.

Some are overzealous and trying to sell their “thesis” to the highest bidder and on top of that charging exorbitant prices for their services.

Dr.Google will give you that and am sure not all political leaders will fall for that now. HEAD COUNT and going back to basics is still the order of the day. The voters today will tell you ,“Would you like to vote for someone who don’t even say “hello?”

The saying goes,”United we win,Divided we fall” still holds true to all political elections and battles.

Going back to Youths being misuse. We know that the UNIFOR complex has barely died down which is itself is a religious issue brought up by PSB Youth. They got a ton of ‘harsh and unkind words thrown at their faces.

Not to be outdone DAP Youths came up with their own drama, Equipped with stickers and ladders they attacked the road signs of chinese characters and the local tabloids headlined it,” Multi Lingual Road Signs necessary in tourist hot spots”

In an immediate response  PBB Youth Deputy Chief  and ADUN Tupong said,“DAP’s recent act of harping on the language used on road signs in the city could lead to RACIAL TENSION and even be considered SEDITIOUS. They are using the Chinese language issue only for their own party’s vested interest. “

Moreover, across the South China Sea there are also calls by PH/PN leaders ,”

Amanah and PKR Youth leaders have called on the Sarawak DAP Youth to apologise for their actions in pasting Chinese writing on three road signs in Kuching.

Amanah committee member Faiz Fadzil’s said the action of his fellow coalition members was not respectful of the Malay language as the national language and violated the federal constitution.

“Actions like this may invite misunderstanding among different communities in the country especially the Malays who are incited by certain quarters to stoke racial sentiments.

The Sarawak Cabinet Minister in charge of DBKU said this,”

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs and DBKU) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said in doing so, Dapsy members had breached regulations as they did not obtain the required approval from the commission.

“These actions can be taken as vandalism because they disrupted public properties and thus, DBKU is paying serious attention towards this matter,” he said.

It is of little wonder that PSB and DAP are looking for ways to rattle the State GPS ruling administration as PRN12 is edging closer and every political pundit will tell you ,”its up to the CM Sarawak to fix a date for dissolution”

It does point out to be an “interesting yet unpredictable” PRN12 where they will be skirmishes aplenty and the party or coalition which up keeps their willingness to serve the people of their constituency will be the winner.

How you sell your party , yourself as a candidate and challenge the “NEW NORM” in this #COVID19 Pandemic time by making use of the available resources will determine which direction the wind blows.

DAP and PSB Youth have shaken the ‘harmony tree” and its up to the Sarawak Voters to put an end to these “unthinkable,provocative and meaningless acts”

We shall see wouldn’t we when the RESULTS are out. Until then #staysafe……

PSB “Youth Wing Nucleared You”

When former 22 months Minister of works and now perceived by many as the “intelligent frog”said this ,”PSB is a multi -racial party and has very good aims and objectives. With my entry and a few Dayak leaders in PSB it’s our hope that we can make an in road in the Dayak majority seats this time round.”

A voter said has he just woken up from a “certain dementia syndrome”? Little does he know that he has been nuked by the youth wing of the party even though he tries to downplay the damage done on UNIFOR.

It will be uphill struggle now for the party which did rattle some within the GPS coalition.

What more could he do? He is not the President nor a deputy for that matter. Only a new MP/ADUN who decided to join a local based party to stay relevant says the voter. Could he go down on bended knees,apologise,fasting 40 days “which is very unlikely” to the religious bodies and authorities. That is for PSB and him to consider. The statement has irked many and there are no more foxholes for PSB to hide.

The CM Sarawak statement plus another writers column together with various other statements indicates one must not use RELIGION to score “brownie or political mileage”

KUCHING: The unwarranted criticism from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) youth on the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) does not sit well with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

The chief minister took a jab at the opposition party’s youth wing, labelling them as ‘daft’ for questioning the state government’s rationale in constructing the Unifor complex.

“From the religious side, we are being thoroughly fair, that is why I continued the efforts to be fair to all religions. We did this by establishing Unifor.

“This is despite there are some people who expressed disagreement when we decided to build the Unifor complex. This is just daft,” he said when officiating at the Padawan Road upgrading project on Saturday.

Abang Johari said for Sarawak, the state government wanted to foster unity among the people adding while the relationship with God was a private matter, the most important this is that the people have moral standing and ethics.

“This of course comes from the religious teachings which enable us to execute our duties. That is why we give the allocation to Unifor to build houses of worship,” he said.

Abang Johari said if everyone holds to their religious teachings dearly, the nation would prosper.

“That is why I think that with a strong unity among our people and with us able to carry out our duties, my friends and I through Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will be able to transform the nation,” he said.

Unifor complex, our pride!

August 10, 2020

By M Rajah

Unifor cannot expect the government to be its Santa Claus in giving financial handouts all the time. ~ Richard Lon, Unifor director

Why has the proposed RM70 million Unifor (Unit for Other Religions) complex suddenly become an issue?

The complex when completed will serve as an exemplary landmark depicting religious freedom in Sarawak. It will serve as an icon for the whole country — and perhaps other nations in the region too — to witness what true religious freedom means and emulate the example set by our leaders.

Shouldn’t Sarawakians, yes you and I, be proud of this complex? Shouldn’t we be thankful of the tireless efforts of our leaders who ensure continued multi-racial and multi-religious harmony which has become the hallmark of the state?

Why do we have politicians or quarters creating issues to disrupt the peace and harmony that Sarawakians have enjoyed for decades?

Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Youth recently questioned the rationale for the construction of the multi-million-ringgit complex, arguing that it’s a “waste of public fund”.

I can’t fathom how a party of nearly 100 percent non-Muslim members could criticise the government’s efforts to help the state’s 60 percent or so non-Muslim community. The party should instead be championing and supporting the state’s efforts through Unifor and its charitable trust fund.

Is there a hidden agenda? Youth movements of political parties, anyway, are known to be independent of their parent bodies and tend to be critical. They often end up putting their foot in their mouth and in the end get reprimanded by their party leaders.

Though they often act as the mouthpiece of their parties, in this instance I would like to think that PSB Youth was not sanctioned by the party leaders to make the ludicrous statement that it made which caused non-Muslims a lot of anguish.

But the fact that the party leaders are keeping quiet goes to show that the Youth movement could have been sanctioned to make the statement. That being the case, the party has gone beyond the boundaries of its political expediency which will do it more harm than good and badly affect its position in the eyes of the non-Muslims.

Even our Muslim brothers and sisters in Sarawak have given their full support to Unifor since it was mooted by the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem in 2016. Yet, here we have a political party of non-Muslims questioning the good intention of the Sarawak government!

Unifor director Richard Lon responded aptly to PSB Youth, and I quote: “Having a ‘magnificent’ complex is not a sin and in fact, it will spur Unifor and Unifor Charitable Trust to do even more … The very fact that the Sarawak government has decided to give a 1.2ha premium site for the complex and a RM70 million grant to finance its construction speaks volumes of the significance and recognition for Unifor in its roles towards solidifying religious and racial harmony and unity in Sarawak.”

You couldn’t have said it better, sir!

Even National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique was all praise for Unifor while on an office visit to Kuching early last month, noting the agency was “unique to Sarawak as it promotes understanding, tolerance, acceptance and mutual respect between Islam and various religions in the state and is a very practical and important organisation”.

Halimah reportedly said she had briefed the King about Unifor and its objectives and roles and would invite Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas who oversees Unifor and Unifor Charitable Trust to have an audience with His Majesty to brief him on the agency’s role in promoting interfaith unity and harmony.

Since 2017, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has allocated a total of RM115 million (which includes the RM70 million allocation for the Unifor complex).

For the record, Unifor has undertaken more than 520 infrastructural projects statewide.

In the words of Lon: “We are glad we have put the roof in many roofless churches, temples or chapels. Also built were walls and all where bare foundations once stood, this has allowed more faithful worshippers to congregate and pray in more spacious halls. We have fulfilled many dreams in cities and towns as well as longhouses and settlements far and deep in the interiors.”

So, there you go. Unifor has put to good use all the money allocated to it.

It has also helped several houses of worship. They include:

• RM2.3 million for the reconstruction of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuching.
• RM3.5 million for the Sarawak Sikh Temple Association for its temple extension project in Kuching.
• RM400,000 for the Holy Trinity Parish in Miri.
• RM1 million for the Interfaith Community Centre in Miri.

Back to the RM70 million Unifor complex, it will not only serve as an office building, but also generate sustainable income for the agency to take care of the welfare of non-Muslims. It can’t be operating from shop lots and it can’t be relying on the government for grants forever, can it?

I conclude by appealing to more organisations and houses of worship that have benefited from Unifor’s assistance to come forward and voice their support instead of keeping silent.

We do not want to be judgemental on how the party will fare in PRN12 but the youth wing of the party has done enough for PSB senior leaders to feel downhearted and ashamed.

Remember the people who votes will have their say in the polls and Sarawakians will not take kindly on the party even-though its a Local Based party.

Your party has raced too quickly like a car without brakes and most have lost judgement on what you cannot do and that is playing with religion in Sarawak.

We will continue to uphold what most Sarawakians Value. Didn’t you already know and that is “Religious freedom and the right to practise their own beliefs.”