5:21PM Jan 5, 2014
'Najib’s silence on 'Allah' issue ‘unconscionable’
DAP national vice chairperson M Kula Segaran
described as “unconscionable” Prime Minister Najib Razak’s continued
silence on the raid last Thursday by the Selangor Islamic Affairs
Department (Jais) on the Bible Society Malaysia (BSM).
The raid during which copies of bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and in the Iban language were seized and two BSM officials were detained for questioning, has heightened tensions between Muslim religious authorities and Christians in the country.
“The Prime Minister’s silence is deafening and unconscionable because he was pivotal to the 10-point agreement forged between the government and Christian leaders in April, 2011,” remarked the MP for Ipoh Barat.
Kula said the raid by Jais, the department’s seizure of the bibles and questioning of BSM officials constituted a violation of the 10-point agreement.
“It’s
incumbent of the PM to say something about this violation as his
silence can be taken to mean that he is indifferent to infringements of
the agreements he has been instrumental in forging,” said the federal
legislator.
Kula said Najib’s silence was the “more deplorable” when viewed against the backdrop of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s support for the initial move - later retracted - of Selangor Umno to hold protests today at churches in the state where Christians would gather for Sunday services.
Angered by insistence
Selangor Umno said they were angered by the insistence of Christians on using the word Allah in their rituals of worship.
“Muhyiddin’s support for the move by Selangor Umno was irresponsible because given his stature as deputy prime minister, he should not descend to the level of the streets by supporting what can be called the reaction of a mob,” commented Kula.
“Fortunately, even the mob had second thoughts as Selangor Umno did not go through with their initial plan of holding protests though other Muslims groups appear to have gone ahead with their demonstrations,” observed Kula.
“Thus the situation was crying for the PM to intervene in a conciliatory and pacifying manner but what we have seen is only a deafening silence which is unconscionable,” asserted Kula.
“What is the point of holding the highest office in the land when in moments of moral and social crisis, the person with the most responsibility behaves like he is a deaf mute?” queried the DAP leader.
“The PM says he feels the people’s pain over recent spikes in the prices of goods but the evidence is that he has no feel for their economic or their psychological pains,” claimed Kula.
The raid during which copies of bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and in the Iban language were seized and two BSM officials were detained for questioning, has heightened tensions between Muslim religious authorities and Christians in the country.
“The Prime Minister’s silence is deafening and unconscionable because he was pivotal to the 10-point agreement forged between the government and Christian leaders in April, 2011,” remarked the MP for Ipoh Barat.
Kula said the raid by Jais, the department’s seizure of the bibles and questioning of BSM officials constituted a violation of the 10-point agreement.
“It’s
incumbent of the PM to say something about this violation as his
silence can be taken to mean that he is indifferent to infringements of
the agreements he has been instrumental in forging,” said the federal
legislator.Kula said Najib’s silence was the “more deplorable” when viewed against the backdrop of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s support for the initial move - later retracted - of Selangor Umno to hold protests today at churches in the state where Christians would gather for Sunday services.
Angered by insistence
Selangor Umno said they were angered by the insistence of Christians on using the word Allah in their rituals of worship.
“Muhyiddin’s support for the move by Selangor Umno was irresponsible because given his stature as deputy prime minister, he should not descend to the level of the streets by supporting what can be called the reaction of a mob,” commented Kula.
“Fortunately, even the mob had second thoughts as Selangor Umno did not go through with their initial plan of holding protests though other Muslims groups appear to have gone ahead with their demonstrations,” observed Kula.
“Thus the situation was crying for the PM to intervene in a conciliatory and pacifying manner but what we have seen is only a deafening silence which is unconscionable,” asserted Kula.
“What is the point of holding the highest office in the land when in moments of moral and social crisis, the person with the most responsibility behaves like he is a deaf mute?” queried the DAP leader.
“The PM says he feels the people’s pain over recent spikes in the prices of goods but the evidence is that he has no feel for their economic or their psychological pains,” claimed Kula.
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