State Govt has moral duty: Pastors
Published on: Saturday, April 11, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The Kota Kinabalu Pastors Fellowship (KKPF) on Friday said the State Government, as one of the parties in the formation of the Federation of Malaysia as well as a trustee and guardian of the Malaysia Agreement 1963, has a moral and legal duty to defend it. A joint statement by its chairpersons, Pastor Cornelius Hendry, Pastor Steven Choon and Pastor Daniel Chin, said the forefathers of Sabah had earnestly participated in the formation of Malaysia, including passionately advocating the views of their respective communities to the Cobbold Commission. "So, it is high time our State Government stand up to defend the sacred covenants, even if the Federal Government might, thus far, seem slow in doing so," they said.
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Referring to the proposed implementation of the hudud law, they said it saddens them that in recent years this mutual bonds and trust have been repeatedly put to the test, and that certain quarters such as the so-called Sabah dan Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) movement have begun to champion the idea of breaking up the Federation of Malaysia. "Although we still firmly believe that secession is not the answer, at the same time, we must also acknowledge that such sentiments have arisen out of decades of deep disappointment, and even resentment. "Therefore, we agree with the Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) statement that fellow Malaysians should be reminded about the sacred covenants of the Grand Compromise we have all made in 1963. "We also agree that it is the duty of all patriotic Malaysians to honour and defend these sacred covenants, and we call upon everyone to do so – including individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)," they said.
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In the pluralistic country of Malaysia, they said, Christians only wish to have friendly and appreciative relations with other religious communities. They said they acknowledged and appreciated the positive contributions of various groups of society that work towards building a strong rainbow nation based on fairness and justice.
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"We were taught to always forgive and love our neighbours, to respect and encourage each other and to show kindness and bless one another," they said. The spirit of the covenant, they said, is such that all sides are bound to defend and honour it, despite the changing circumstances. Hence, while non-Muslims shall honour and defend the position of Islam as the official religion of the Federation, likewise, Muslims shall also honour and defend the secular nature of the Federation and freedom of religion for all. "This, our forefathers have agreed, and it is our eternal duty towards one another," they said. Therefore, they said it is untenable for any party to the covenant, however strong or weak, to disregard it, just because it is deemed no longer appropriate or suitable, due to reasons specific to that particular party itself such as when it is deemed no longer appropriate or suitable for Muslims not to implement hudud laws.These sacred covenants, they said, are the products of a long and arduous process of discussions, culminating in a "Grand Compromise" among the various peoples, which, by definition, involves inconveniences, disadvantages and even sacrifices on all sides. They said they acknowledged the importance of hudud laws to the Muslims and all the compromises and sacrifices Muslims from all over Malaysia have made so that the secular Federation may endure and continue to be strong."On the other hand, we also have no doubt that our Muslim brothers and sisters recognise that we, the non-Muslim, too, have done the same. "Therefore, our dear fellow Malaysians, we cannot ignore the sacred covenants we have made with each other, and the duties we owe towards each other to defend and honour them. "If any party were to disregard them, it would only tear apart the very bonds and trust we share with each other, which have endured so many challenges in so many testing circumstances for so long, which have made our multi-racial and multi-religious country the beacon of hope for peace-loving people everywhere, and the envy of nations around the world," they said. Malaysia, they said, is at a crossroad. The Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code II Enactment 1993 (amended 2015), passed by the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly on March 19, this year, the Kelantan's Hudud Enactment, if allowed by the Federal Parliament to be implemented, they said, will change Malaysia forever. To this, they said that they agreed with the statement on March 26 by Rev Datuk Jerry Dusing, President of the Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) regarding the issue. They said that during the British colonial rule, at the formation of Malaysia and even up until now, no single ethnic group or religion has been regarded as superior to the rest and vice versa. "The same is also true of Malaya before the formation of Malaysia. Even though the positions of Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak have been given special constitutional recognition, it was never intended to import any form of racial supremacy into our beloved country. "Likewise, the fact that Islam has been recognised as the official religion in the Federation of Malaysia, is also not meant to relegate all other religions to an inferior position, nor to alter the social fabric of the country," they said.As pointed out by the SCC, they said that even at the formation of the Federation of Malaya itself, it was made clear that, by making Islam as the official religion, "...this will no way affect the present position of the Federation as a secular State." Former Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, they said, also gave this assurance with regard to the Malayan Constitution, as recorded in the Hansard on May 1, 1958.The Tunku, they said, made it very clear that Malaysia is not an Islamic State."He said it is merely provided that Islam shall be the official religion of the State," they said. They said similar assurance was given during the formation of Malaysia, as seen from the SCC statement. At that time, they said, leaders from Sabah and Sarawak had expressed great concerns about making Islam the official religion of the Federation of Malaysia. However, they were assured that there would be freedom of religion in the new Federation, and that Malaysia in effect would be secular and that nor will it make Malaysia a State less secular.The KKPF said such was part of the social contract made by the forefathers among Federal and state governments comprising Muslims and non-Muslims alike. "As a matter of fact, freedom of religion was so prominent in the minds of our forefathers that it was made the very first point of the 20-point Agreement advocated by the leaders of Sabah. "This solemn promise has even been enshrined in the famous Batu Sumpah in Keningau where it says that "Ugama Bebas dalam Sabah" or freedom of religion in Sabah," they said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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