Wikileaks on Malaysia

Where the Malaysian Constitution and "Rukun Negara" tells us that there will be Freedom of Religion in Malaysia since the formation of Malaysia..and over the years, the Malaysians of all religions were subject to one rule....Umno rules and Malays cannot be of other religions other than Islam.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000020

SIPDIS

FROM THE AMBASSADOR FOR EAP A/S CAMPBELL, ACTING A/S

DONOVAN, DAS MARCIEL AND DRL PDAS GLAZE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2020

TAGS: MY, PGOV, PHUM, PREL

SUBJECT: WHAT IS GOING ON IN MALAYSIA?

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 014 UPDATE ON THE ALLAH ISSUE
     B. KUALA LUMPUR 011 OVERNIGHT ATTACKS ON THREE CHURCHES
     C. KUALA LUMPUR 03 GOM APPEALS KUALA LUMPUR HIGH COURT RULING
     D. 09 KUALA LUMPUR 716 CANING PUNISHMENT POSTPONED

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES R. KEITH; REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

1.  (C) Two fundamental issues arise in connection with the Malaysian authorities' handling of the "Allah" case in which a Malaysian court has ruled unconstitutional the Najib Administration's effort to ban the use of the word "Allah" by a Catholic newspaper, publishing in both English and Malaysian.

Freedom of Religion

2.  (C) Despite its extensive efforts to reassure expatriate and foreign audiences, the Malaysian Government has focused only on protection of property and persons, foregoing an opportunity to make a clear statement on the maintenance of freedom of religion in the country.

Rule of Law and the Independence of the Judiciary

3.  (C) The Najib Administration's intervention has not been solely to promote and protect order and social stability. The Government has underlined the tenuous nature of judicial independence in the country by intervening to arrange a stay of the judge's order that the Catholic publication was allowed to use the word "Allah" in its vernacular text.

Moreover, the Administration has arranged a series of public comments from figures of authority ranging from the King to the Sultan of Selangor conveying to Malaysian citizens the clear message that the authorities are opposed to the judge's decision and do not foresee a time when the Government would retreat from its ban of the use of the word "Allah" in Catholic or other Christian publications.

4.  (C) The Administration's unwillingness to stand clearly for freedom of religion and the forthright application of legitimate judicial power, even when it is less than palatable to UMNO, the ruling party, is of concern.  That is particularly the case given the imminent trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim set to begin on January 25.

There has long been conflict between the ruling party's commitment in principle to freedom of religion and toleration of diverse views in practice.  Christians and Hindus, especially, find it hard in some states at some times to build places of worship or keep them from being plowed under in the name of development.

Chinese Buddhist temples are less problematic for the established federal and state powers.  Jewish places of worship are strictly forbidden.  Similarly, the Malaysian authorities do not respect in practice the independence of the judiciary, at least not on a consistent basis in which an opponent to the ruling party can depend on justice being served.

5.  (C) There remains a debate in Malaysia as to whether the Prime Minister genuinely intends to enact significant political reform or, alternatively, whether he is merely giving lip service to reform objectives so as to coax as many conservative Malay voters as possible back into warm embrace of the ruling party after mass defections in the March, 2008 elections.

There is evidence that his Administration wishes to liberalize the economy and recognizes the concomitant requirement to achieve at least a minimal level of political reform.  He has spoken openly about the need to revise the New Economic Policy, which embodies affirmative action provisions for the majority Malays and is the target of opposition and popular criticism because it establishes the equivalent of second-class citizenship for the roughly one-third of Malaysia's population that is either ethnic Chinese or Indian.

Najib has similarly taken small steps to open up the economy and is on record suggesting the country must change or perish.

6.  (C) But his failure thus far to record much in the way of tangible results, beyond more forward-looking and liberal rhetoric, leads to popular suspicion.  The conventional wisdom among most non-ruling coalition Chinese and Indians, for example, seems to be that the ruling party has orchestrated the "Allah" issue so as to increase support among Malay voters by fomenting division between Muslims on one side and Christians or secularists on the other in the opposition coalition.

Few in the opposition credit the Government with a sincere commitment to freedom of religion or the rule of law.  They may go too far in their distrust of the Government's motives and they may give the Government too much credit in its purported ability to organize conspiracies, but the popular view is widely and deeply held among non-Malay, non-Muslims that the Government is antagonistic toward other religions and is engaged in a long-term effort to expand Islam's primacy in Malaysian society.

7.  (C) Najib's public relations efforts to downplay differences among the races and religions and promote the concepts of toleration and moderation notwithstanding, he appears to have hardened popular views since the advent of his Administration given the steps hardliners in the ruling party have forced on their fellow UMNO members.

The Kartika caning case and the cow-head incident (ref D), and a number of less prominent news events involving constraints on the practice of religious freedom have firmed up the views of those already in opposition.

It is difficult to say at this point how this latest controversy will affect the ongoing priority on the ruling party's part to woo back ethnic Malays before another general election must be held by 2013.  But it is clear that there are limits as to how far Najib will go to earn the characterization of Malaysia as a moderate voice in the Muslim world.

We should adjust expectations accordingly, and we will have to monitor closely the next likely test of Najib's political will, namely Anwar Ibrahim's January 25 trial.

KEITH

Some food for thought for Christian leaders in BN

Since the last two years alone we have seen how the freedom of speech and religion have been severely curtailed in Malaysia. And of late the debate and altercations in religious matters have escalated to an extreme proportions, no thanks to extremist statements by several firerand leader, and to the inaction by the authorities.


Up to now the Christian leaders in the Barisan Nasional have been very tolerant, speaking out quite loudly when necessary but not sufficient to bring the whole matter to a critical level. But to recap, what we have gone through include (1) The silly instruction to remove crucifixes from churches when a Muslim dignitary comes to visit “because the Christian symbols are offensive to Muslims” (so why not remove the whole church building as well, and why come at all?), (2) Church burning, (3) Arguments about the acceptability of Malay Bibles which have been in use in Sabah and Sarawak long before the creation of Malaysia, (4) Unauthorised confiscations of Bibles and Christian book at airports, (5) the banning of movies, including innocent cartoon movies like The Prince of Egypt (which by the way is about Moses, the prophet for Judaism, Christianity and Islam), (6) The defacing of Malay Bibles with serial numbers and conditions of their use (“…for use by Christians only” – so what if some Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, and pagans are interested to read and study the Bible?), (7) The quarrel about the use of the name “Allah” in which the Christians won the court case, but was appealed and is now deliberately stalled in the court to deny justice to Christians), (8) The double standard on the use of the name “Allah” (permitted in Sabah and Sarawak but forbidden in the Peninsular, so a person carrying the Malay Bible on a flight to Kuala Lumpur will suddenly become a criminal the moment the aircraft enters the peninsular air space – should he or she be forced to throw the Alkitab out of the aircraft window before landing?), (9) Datuk Ibrahim Ali said there is no such thing as a Malay Christian, and he may be right if he is talking about Malaysia, but there are 300 million Malayo Polynesians in the Malay archipelago, in Polynesia and Micronesia and they belong to many religions, including Christianity (e.g. in Indonesia), and Hinduism (in Bali), (10) We have been subjects to incessant bullying and threats, the extreme case being Ibrahim Ali swearing to be willing to be bathed in blood in a jihad against Christians), (11) We have been trapped into a nonsensical accusation of trying to install a Christian Prime Minister, no thanks to the dishonest and conspiratorial actions of two bloggers and the Utusan Malaysia which sensationalized the rumor into a supposedly legitimate news), (12) We have been highly discriminated as Christians in the civil service, especially in the armed forces and in teaching profession, because Malaysia wants these two sectors to be overwhelmingly dominated by Malays, and now they want to send 80,000 teachers to Sabah and Sarawak, so say goodbye to Borneonisation!), (13) The Herald, a Christian newspaper has been under threats of having its publishing permit suspended for using “Allah” and publishing news which are deemed anti-Islam.

On the overall, what we have witnessed is a case of serious bullying, intimidation, insult and moral degradation as Christians. The word tolerance and mutual respect no longer exist in the minds of many politicians and NGO leaders. The pleadings of Christian leaders for understanding and offer of dialogues between the faiths for the sake of interracial and interreligious harmonies have been totally ignored. Because of this, the Christian leaders in BN have been pushed to the corners and they have been fighting back quite bravely. Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, for example has been championing Christian rights, by saying that the Bahasa Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians, including Christian Malaysians and they have the right to use it in worship. He had also said there is nothing wrong with having a Christian Prime Minister, because after all the religion of the Prime Minister has never been made a condition in the Malaysian Constitution. The fight for Christians by other leaders in the recent controversy with confiscation of Bibles and conditions for their release was admirable and deserve our accolades.

But still the problem continues. There has been some quiet for a while but it might be the discomforting quiet before another storm. The campaign to formant hatred and to stoke anger against Christians have tested our patience and no noticeable intervention has been forthcoming from the Prime Minister, which is very, very disappointing. We know this is because of the Umno’s dilemma; they worry that by seeming to support Christians, BN will lose a lot more Malay votes. We can bet this is not the end of it. There will be more attacks later, especially after the next general elections, if the BN comes back to power.

Because it is already a problem which has already become endemic, the BN Christian leaders must now think very hard about their positions in BN, and where they are headed for as leaders. Obviously, their role as members of the BN elite group, and their opportunities to speak at the highest level in the land have been insufficient. They have been ignored and  treated as negligible. As such they must reevaluate their stances in the BN, and to stand back some distance and to see the BN situation as an outsider, and understand as clearly as possible what is really going on, what is really rotten in Malaysia. That way, they will be able to see the truth to help them make the ultimate decision whether or not to continue in BN or not. Keep in mind that the Christian issue is not just religious but also cultural, historical and spiritual, by which all aspects of our lives are involved for our ultimate destinies. Ask, how long can BN go on the way things are going in Malaysia now? Why not join forces under a new umbrella to create change and to get us to go back to what the Constitution originally intended for us?

They need to remind themselves that as Christians we are guaranteed protection by several provisions in the national Constitution, as follows: Article 3 (1): Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. Article 8 declares that “all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law,” but states that this article “does not prohibit . . . any provision or practice restricting office or employment connected with the affairs of any religion, or of an institution managed by a group professing any religion, to persons professing that religion.”
Article 10 states that, subject to proper requirements, (a) “every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, (b) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and (c) all citizens have the right to form associations.” Article ll (1): Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion, and subject to Clause (4), to propagate it. But too bad, these provisions seem to have become meaningless for Malaysian Christians!

DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN

Religious and Racial tensions the political trump card for Umno?

By Dullie Haji Marie

Another twist emerged by Utusan Malaysia, by sensationalizing on the issue that unsubstantiated with facts; the Christian leaders were conspiring to replace Islam as the official religion and install a Christian Prime Minister. It is incomprehensible when Islam is constitutionally the official religion of the nation.

Unfortunately, this deluge of lies was further dramatised by Datuk Ibrahim Ali, by waging a crusade against Christianity. The result of Sarawak election is sending a strong message to make UMNO in a panic mode. It will be the likely trend to continue in the coming GE 13. Just make a guess if this incident happens by coincident or is it crafted to destroy DAP directly and indirectly PKR and PAS by begging for the Malays to rally behind UMNO.



However, Malaysians in the West are so much immune on the issue of religion and race. They had been indoctrinated with the issue for almost half a century. The tactic is basically to garner the support from the Malays. Malaysians is now more civil and in general possess the highest level of tolerance and the maturity on the issue of religion and race.

This was well reflected on how they handled the incidents of cow head; the arson of churches over the use of Allah. They are very much aware that the instigation primarily as a political ploy to garner the support of the Malay in the name of Ketuanan Melayu. It is undeniable that the support of the Malays is so vital to keep UMNO in power.

It has been the norm whenever the election is around the corner the same issue is manifested. Usually the issue is non-issue but it was manufactured that the treat is seen to be real. The most flagrant example, on how the same issue, race and religion, was capitalized back in 1990. The incident when Tengku Razaleigh was seen as Christian just only by wearing a Kadazan’s headwear. Normally in Sabah such an act is considered merely as a sign of respect and gesture of friendship. But it was blown up out of proportion in Semananjung with the end result Semangat 46 was trashed. This incident should have been noted seriously by Sabahan and should treat it as a wake-up call on the danger of racial polarization.

Sabahan in generally is not too sensitive on the issue of religion and race. This was proven and reflected by the political history of Sabah. During the Sabah Alliance it was governed by three major parties representing the Bumiputras Muslim/non Muslim and the Chinese.

The tolerance and harmony prevailed until to the era of PBS rule. It was the moment when UMNO making its presence in Sabah politics. It was the beginning when Sabahan indoctrinated on the issue of race and religion. It is an effort to make a smooth way to the entrance of UMNO. Since then, UMNO capitalized on the issue, to divide and rule along the race and religious lines. That lethal strategy is so glaring through gerrymandering and invoking on strategy of giving My Cards to the foreigners.

In reality Sabahan do not subscribe to the ideology of Malay Supremacy as propagated by UMNO. However, most of Muslim Bumiputras are now considered themselves to be as Malay just because they are Muslims as stipulated by the Malaysian Constitution.

The indoctrination is beginning to bear fruit but in the end these Muslim Bumiputras no longer carry the stigma of their origins. This is of a great concern to the future of our generation.

In a long run the Muslim Bumiputras will be marginalized and outnumber with the emergence of new groups creeping into our society. The impact will be horrendous besides the lost of languages and cultures.

Generally, we don’t have the problem on the issue of religion and race. But because of UMNO in Sabahan are willingly sung along and embraced ourselves on the problem imported from Semananjung. But in reality we don’t have the problem here.

We in Sabah had been living in harmony and the issue of race and religion has never been our problem and it has never been our agenda towards the formation of Malaysia.

Sabah is truly a typical example of homogenous society that richly endowed with cultures and creeds and that diversification bonded our unity.

The reality in Sabah is very much mix, we are able to sit together in coffee shops and enjoyed our foods by respecting each other although of different ethnics and creeds.

In most instances, although we are of different religions but most of us are related either through our ancestors or through marriages.

Although we are of different backgrounds but we are related and usually we are often mingling with each and talk over on our problems.

Because we are related it has been the tradition to celebrate social and religious events together. In Sabah, it is very common to see some ethnics embraced different religions. Religion only as barrier to separate them but in reality they are related to each other.

Sabah perhaps is the highest number of mixed-marriages. This is the most unique and the beauty of our culture in Sabah. This precious culture was inherited from our ancestors and it is our duty to protect and preserve them from being destroyed in the name of religion.

Actually our aspiration joining Malaysia is very basic and clear that we want to be treated equally; that is when our rights and autonomy as promised should be respected; that we never dream when religion will be used as a barrier to divide us.

We should not be naive and must be awakened to the political realities. We have to be realistic on pertinent issues that confronting our daily life and on issues that will have tremendous impact to our generation.

The immediate issues that confront us now and that need to be addressed are the increase on the cost of living; rampant corruptions and abused of power; high unemployment and poverty rates and the impact on social problems by the PTI.

The issue is real; we must not derail ourselves from the real issues. The issue of religion is very much superficial and only subscribed by the old school of thought. We should not be trapped with the issue; because it is not real but merely as tool to perpetuate political agendas to hang on power.

This issue will soon be over taken by time, proven by what is happening in the Middle East. We should not subscribe to an outdated ideology that will bring us to the brink of destruction.

The world is borderless awaken ourselves and see on the reality happening around us. The nation and the people will suffer and there will be no gainer, even the perpetrators themselves will also suffer.

The dream to be a progress nation is only realized when the society live in harmony, peace and united. This only can be achieved not through feudalism but through democratic process.

This is the struggles that motivated SAPP for the better future of Sabah.

Dullie Hj.Marie,Vice President of SAPP

Sabah doesn’t need a politician like Ibrahim Ali

Importation and escalation of extremist racial and religious politics into Sabah.

Race and religion have been made used to stir up people's sentiment from time and time again by politicians. This is very disturbing political trend in the country.


We in SAPP must say it loud and clear; we totally disagree and abhor with the way of new trend of politicking taking shape in the country and must not be imported to Sabah.

Malaysians in Sabah don’t find it amusing being not used to it, brandishing hatred of others’ races and religions.


We taught our young at school to behave and treat each other equally and with respect but out side school compound our leaders were scaremongering with all sorts of slogan even lifting kris in the air to show how mighty they were.

On the issue of race superiority, take for example, our Deputy Prime Minister who said, his is Malay first, Malaysian comes second, and how do we reconcile this with the promotion of 1 Malaysia?

The motives of using race and religion as political bashing are non other than to score political mileage to attract followers on one side, whilst destroying the long established harmonious culture on the other.

Constitutionally all citizens are guaranteed of their right of religious freedom in this country, why are we restraining them from practicing their right?

Race has never been a problem in Sabah, we never quarrel about it, neither we quarrel over religion, no exhuming dead body.

Ibrahim Ali is talking about jihad-crusade against other religion, which is very offensive in nature. Why is the government taking it lightly? The Utusan Malaysia is continuingly harping to create racial and religious tension by publishing something, which was untrue such as Christian, is plotting to take over Islam.

Publishers and printing presses in the past were penalised for behaving in the manner they did today. Their licenses revoked, editors and writers were made to resign. Is this not a double standard treatment?

Sabah people are among the most harmonious society in Malaysia, no history of aggressiveness. No experience in racial conflict. For example, we only knew there was a 13th May incident in Peninsular after it was already over. No single communist in Sabah found even during emergency era. That’s the proof.

In Sabah today, especially in urban areas it’s difficult to find a family in a house that make up only by one race. I can quote from my own experience there are sisters and brothers who are Muslim while the mother or father are Christian or other religions. Or among the brothers and sisters they’re practising different religions yet still living under one roof. Do you expect them to hate each other?

Ibrahim Ali is talking about crusade –jihad against Christians, even the most idiotic man wouldn’t do it let alone the normal one. It's really is seen that desperate fight resorts to desperate behaviour!

Ibrahim Ali should talk more about corruption, injustices, abuse of power so on and so forth.

UMNO leaders are the least concerned about Ibrahim Ali's rhetoric, they keep quiet because PERKASA is doing the job for them.

Sabah doesn’t need a politician like Ibrahim Ali.

Wonder also how and what do the Sabah leaders in BN component parties think about this issue?

Haji Amde Sidik

Perkasa imaginary war against Christians

Perkasa, Utusan Malaysia are Umno's tools to win Malay votes at all costs

Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali is trying to wage a war against the Christians in the country by alleging that Islam' position in the country is under threat.

Common sense tells us Malaysians that how in the world can Christianity threaten Islam in this country where the majority of the races are Muslims.

This conspiracy game was first created by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, by a ridiculous claim that a group of pastors were plotting to make Christianity the official religion of the nation and appoint a Christian prime minister.

The Perkasa president in his attempt to spark flames told the Christians in Malaysia, "If they want a crusade, so be it. If they say that the peace that we enjoy is not good enough ... we shall take up the challenge. Don't take the silence of Muslims as a sign of fear,” he warned to cheers from about 150 people at a ceramah last night.

“Before our followers fall in this battle, (Perkasa) leaders will first lay down their lives and die sprawling in blood,” he thundered.

Speaking at a function organised by the Komuniti 1Malaysia group of Kampung Kerdas and Kampung Changkat in Gombak, Ibrahim accused the Christians of “challenging the sovereignty and dignity of Malays and Muslims.

Apparently what Ibrahim Ali was a tool under the umbrella of Perkasa to help Umno in their political strategy to unite the Malays in the country by creating fear and hatred among the races.

Previously, he had used race as an issue but religion was used as it happen now a second attempt for maximum effect.

By Jericho

The Malaysian Circus

Malaysia held ransom by a small bunch of rascals 

First they say that the Chinese are going to take over Malaysia. Now they say that the Christians are going to take over Malaysia. Later, they may say it will be Chinese Christians who will take over Malaysia. When are they going to make up their minds?

Then they went on to mock the Royalty, by conveniently inserting the word ‘Agong’, saying that the Agong’s consent is needed to allow the Christians to install a Christian Prime Minister. Really, that has got to be biggest joke of the 21st century. And to think that a respectable newspaper like Utusan couldn’t see through the charade and though it worthy to carry the story in its headline news is simply amazing.


Now, they say that Muslims, who constitute 60 per cent of the country’s population, are frightened of the Christians, who account for only 10 per cent of the population. The weak Muslims in the country are being threatened and may lose their right to worship, as one prominent blogger ‘Wakakaka’ would say.

Worse still, they even felt the need to have to have a Chinese Muslim make the call and add credence to their statements.

Yes, Islam is under siege. Extremism is rearing its head again, and is now trying to speak on behalf of all the Muslims in this country. They really have no qualms about belittling the Muslims that they purport to represent in the eyes of the non-Muslims. Without valid and concrete proof, they go on to accuse other Faiths of undermining the sanctity of Islam.

Glazed and dazed

If you ask Najib, what is happening, he will just look on with starry, glazed eyes and shrug his shoulders,

Now that the racial card has simmered, the religious card is being played to the hilt Using religion to fan the fires of destruction is really debasing. How did the country ever managed to stoop so low?

Who says there are racial conflicts in this country? Malaysia is the most peaceful country in the world. Malaysia’s ability to preserve its peace and multiculturalism all this while is a wonder by itself. The world look on us in disbelief, that Malaysia can hold on to each other for so long, despite all the past tries to destabilize this nation.

Malaysians, please ask yourself, honestly. “Was there any time in your life where you actually felt physically threatened by the other races?” Malaysia is so peaceful, that you can actually hear a pin drop. You can go to the most rural village and walk the darkest street and you would not feel the least uneasy.

There is a very small group of people up there who are actually pulling all the strings. They play a card game akin to Tarot Cards. Used by Fortune Tellers, each card in the deck are strategies to control our thought processes.

Instead of working, they are sitting there playing with the sentiments of the people. And they have been doing that for 50 years. They know the Rakyat has caught on to their game. They know that we know. But they still go on playing this game, changing the stakes here and there. And yes, they are willing to sell us out in their bid to retain power.

They use every card available in the deck to achieve their aim to hunker us down, tame us and reduce our spirit to fight back.  They have been wearing us down spiritually, mentally, emotionally and even physically so that we will beg and crawl for mercy.

They have nearly succeeded in disciplining a particular race as a safe deposit, and they are now trying to wear the others down using the same tactic.

Let's take them on

Thank goodness, they are not very smart although not stupid either.

For them it is a passion to wallow in the threshold of power, fame and fortune. Drunk from all this power, they cannot pull themselves away and constantly feel threatened that they are about to lose their the gold mines. That's why they are now drawing out every available card  in the deck as fast as they can dish out to try and neutralize the gains by the Opposition.

From buying over frogs to black mail, death threats to religious sensitivities, racial rights to Royal Rights, they have gone on a relentless campaign to ensure that we will not be able to penetrate their defences nor successfully unite to threaten them.

Ironically, we were the same people that voted them in, in the first place. But getting rid of them happens to be a formidable task. This small bunch of rascals will continue to stir up all kinds of trouble, just so that they can control the status quo.

They buy over gangsters who will roam the streets, sparking unrest, hold demonstrations, break the peace, threaten public safety and start street riots all in the name of religion and race. Their objective is to spark of racial conflicts that will trigger a state of emergency just to keep this small group of people in power.

Through the smoke screen, Malaysians are fed daily doses of anti-nationalistic propaganda, racial deterioration, nasty religious insensitivities, and the need to stay apart to protect our own communities. These are the same people who are ever ready to sell us out as prostitutes and beggars to the highest bidder, and who won’t blink an eye to hijack religion and to empty every single cent in our nation’s coffers.

Dr M thinks that the General Election should be postponed to 2012.That won't be bad idea, as it will give us more time to reassemble and get ready to take them on. Although, it will also give them more time to spin more devilish plots.

But never mind, let's take them on once and for all. Malaysians, fight back and reclaim our sanity and lives!  


Written by  Iskandar Dzulkarnain, Malaysia Chronicle 

Race, religion not issues for Sabah, Sarawak

The people in the two states had long ago decided that religion had to remain a private and personal affair, separate from politics.

Several Christian pastors in Peninsular Malaysia have reportedly discussed the idea of Christianity being the official religion of Malaysia. If any part of Malaysia has a case for making Christianity the official religion, it’s Sabah and Sarawak where the majority of the people, the natives or Orang Asal included, are overwhelmingly Christian.
Instead, the people in Malaysian Borneo decided from the very beginning that they would not have an official religion. The thought of making Christianity the official religion in Sabah and Sarawak never for one minute crossed the minds of the people in these two states. Religion had to remain a private and personal affair, separate from politics and the state.

This decision was reflected in the Cobbold Commission Report, the Inter-Governmental Committee Report and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.

The Batu Sumpah – Oath Stone – in Keningau, Sabah, is also a reminder of the promises of Malaysia: no official religion; freedom of religion; respect for adat (customary law); and the state government holds authority over land. The people of the interior, in return, pledged loyalty to Malaysia.

The Oath Stone was meant to overcome the resistance of the people in the interior to Malaysia. They did not understand all the various documents on Malaysia and needed something simple to dramatically translate all their concerns into an enduring form that they could grasp.

The reality is that this provision on Sabah and Sarawak having no official religion has been observed more often than not in the breach. The goodwill of the people of Sabah and Sarawak has been taken for granted by the federal government.

Former Sabah state secretary Simon Sipaun, now under probe for sedition, best summed up the scenario when he told participants at an inter-party dialogue in Kota Kinabalu in early March that “life in Sabah was better before Malaysia”.

Sipaun pointed out that based on his personal experience in the civil service, that there was no Muslim-Christian conflict in Sabah before Malaysia.

No body-snatching cases

There were no issues like the term Allah – an attribute of God – being reserved only for Muslim use; the Bible not being allowed to be in Malay print; no cases of body snatching at the morgue; non-Muslims not being allowed freedom of worship and being forced to convert to Islam upon marriage to a Muslim; Muslims not being allowed freedom of worship including the right to leave the religion; and no case of Christians with “Muslim-sounding” names being listed by the authorities as Muslim.

Sipaun stressed that recruitment into the state civil service and promotions before Malaysia were based on merit and not race or religion. Likewise, scholarships were handed out on the basis of merit and not race and religion.

Before Malaysia, the last non-Muslim governor of Sabah was a British.

Since 1963, all governors in Sabah as in Sarawak have been Muslim and the Christians and others have been effectively denied the opportunity to occupy the post. The only time a Christian was appointed governor after 1963 was when Donald Stephens, the Huguansiou (paramount chief) of the Dusuns (including the Kadazan or urban Dusun) and Muruts, converted to Islam after a stint in “virtual exile” in the mid-1970s as High Commissioner to Australia.

Stephens had a brief first stint as chief minister but was ousted by Kuala Lumpur after he wanted Sabah’s participation in Malaysia “reviewed” upon Singapore’s exit in 1965. Stephens held that the partnership – Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaya – that governed the Federation of Malaysia ceased to exist after the city state’s exit. Stephens wanted out.

Stephens made an even briefer second stint as chief minister in 1976 but this time as a Muslim by the name of Mohd Fuad. He came to an untimely end in a plane crash after he held out for a higher oil royalty for Sabah and not a measly five per cent. His predecessor, Mustapha Harun, was ousted on the same issue but lived to a ripe old age after looking on helplessly when Umno entered Sabah to displace and deregister his United Sabah National Organisation (Usno).

Between Stephens and Joseph Pairin Kitingan, another chief minister (1985-1994) and currently the Huguansiou, there was Peter Lo as an interim chief minister.

Another exception was during the rotation of the Sabah chief minister’s post after 1994 when three non-Muslims held the post for brief two-year stints – Yong Teck Lee, Bernard Giluk Dompok and Chong Kah Kiat – to be replaced thereafter by only Muslim chief ministers.

Again, the issue of race and religion seems to predominate in Sabah in line with the “ketuanan Melayu” – Malay supremacy – dictates of the Umno federal government.

Instant natives

Sabahans in general – and the same in Sarawak – are uncomfortable that the politics of race and religion in Peninsular Malaysia has invaded the body politic in their state and resulted in polarisation. This has pitted the Muslims, not so much the locals but the illegal immigrants, against the non-Muslims in every sphere of life in Sabah and Sarawak.

One of the most polarising issues has been the influx of 1.7 mostly Muslim immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia to overwhelm the 1.5 million Sabahans. Most of the immigrants are illegals while a minority has employment passes.

To add insult to injury, many illegal immigrants appear to have been issued with Malaysian personal documents and this has facilitated their placement in the electoral rolls. This lies at the heart of the continuing marginalisation and disenfranchisement of Sabahans, the natives or Orang Asal in particular including local Muslims.

It’s not known how many thousand illegal immigrants have since become “instant natives” by the simple backdoor method of securing Malaysian personal documents, which place their birth officially as somewhere in Sabah. Officially, they are listed as “Malays”, a classification which did not exist in Sabah before 1963.

Muslims in Sabah are generally listed as Bajau, Suluk, Barunai (Brunei Malay), Irranun or Dusun. The last category may be Ranau, Bisaya or Orang Sungei, among others. Most Dusun in Sabah are Christian if they are not animists or pagans. The Dusun are also one of the two original native groups in neighbouring Brunei, the other being Dayak.

Sabahans and Sarawakians would not agree with any proposal that Christianity be recognised as the official religion of Malaysia or at least in their half of the country on the other side of the South China Sea. If Christians in Peninsular Malaysia want their religion to be the official one for the state, it’s their cause which they have to pursue on their own.

However, Sabahans and Sarawakians would very much want the race and religion factors to be removed from the politics and administration of their states. They would very much want life to be as it was before Malaysia when there was also no fear of the police, as Sipaun observed, no draconian laws like the Internal Security Act (ISA) and no emergency ordinances governing the populace.

Putrajaya should stop pursuing Umno’s “ketuanan Melayu” agenda in Sabah and Sarawak and ruling the state through local proxies. The politics in these states militates against such a mindset. The local populace does not have a fixation, as in Peninsular Malaysia, with the Chinese being in business or being wealthy.

By Joe Fernandez

Is Ibrahim living in the Twilight Zone?

Ibrahim believes all things subversive in
country to be the work of cloaked communists

Perkasa now blames ex-Reds for presumed Christian plot


Perkasa now believes former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) members are using local groups for an unsubstantiated plot to replace Islam as Malaysia’s official religion.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said he suspected CPM supporters had infiltrated political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious groups and business associations after the party laid down arms in 1989 in order to carry on their activities.

“I believe there are (former) Communist Party members who still hold communist beliefs and want to see the country descend into chaos,” he told reporters in Kampung Baru here today.

The Pasir Mas MP had earlier given the government two weeks to verify the plot’s existence.

Ibrahim warned Malaysians who have forgotten about the communists to be wary of statements made by certain parties which contained anti-national and subversive elements rooted in the ideology, which he blamed for the increased racial and religious tension in the country.

“If it’s subversive, this is the work of communists hiding behind certain organisations,” he said.

“We don’t know what their intention is. Just to create disorder?”

Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia carried a front-page article yesterday titled “Malaysia, negara Kristian?” (“Malaysia, a Christian country?”)  based entirely on blog postings by several pro-Umno bloggers.

The bloggers accused DAP of sedition for trying to change the country’s laws to allow a Christian prime minister, pointing to a grainy photograph showing what they described as a secret pact between the opposition party and pastors at a hotel in Penang on Wednesday.

In a posting headlined “Agong under threat? DAP wants to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia?” blogger Marahku (marahku.blogspot.com) accused DAP of trying to amend the Federal Constitution so that a Christian could assume the post of prime minister.

“The whole point of changing the official religion is to allow a Christian to become prime minister of this country,” the blogger said.

In a posting headlined “Agong under threat? DAP wants to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia?” blogger Marahku (marahku.blogspot.com) accused DAP of trying to amend the Federal Constitution so that a Christian could assume the post of prime minister.

“The whole point of changing the official religion is to allow a Christian to become prime minister of this country,” the blogger said.

On bigdogdotcom.wordpress.com, another blogger claimed to have received a message that DAP’s Jeff Ooi had organised a dinner for pastors from Sarawak and overseas at Red Rock Hotel on Jalan Macalister, Penang.

“Among the activities that night included the 35 pastors taking a group oath. They formed a circle and touched each other’s shoulder and vowed in English to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia and put a Christian prime minister in office,” the anonymous writer said in his blog under the headline “Making Christianity the official religion?”

He also pointed to the same grainy picture he posted at the top of his blog page, which he had captioned “Partying pastors or pastors doing the party do and vow to have a Christian as Malaysian prime minister”.

The blogger further alleged that DAP had labelled the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition as an “anti-Christ agent” in the run-up to polls in Sarawak, showing the opposition party was “openly against BN on religious grounds and they are now making it their clarion call, their rabble rousing horn”.

He said it was a seditious and religiously-divisive statement that was never investigated by the police “or at least they did not tell us about any investigations on the matter”.

The blogger called on the authorities to investigate the allegations for sedition, warning that if the authorities failed in their duty the country may be “shattered again”.

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), together with partners Global Day of Prayer, Marketplace Penang and Penang Pastors Fellowship, said the claims against their community were lies, and has already denied the bloggers’ allegations last night.

Similarly, Ooi said the dinner had been organised by the Christian pastors in recognition of the DAP team who had visited them while in Sarawak for the state election and that the prayer sessions — one before dinner and one at the end — were a usual part of their worship, and not a pledge as alleged.

Source: Malaysian Insider Written by By Yow Hong Chieh

UMNO's 'convenient' scapegoat ahead of elections?

Archbishop slams 'irresponsible, baseless, provocative' reporting

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Murphy Nicholas Pakiam, has slammed reports alleging a conspiracy to turn the country into a Christian state.

Describing the reports as “irresponsible, baseless and provocative”, Pakiam demanded that the authorities take action against what it said were quarters that seek to threaten the harmonious, multi-cultural and multi-religious make-up of the country.

A “thorough investigation” into the matter should be made to determine the source of these “insidious, provocative and malicious lies” and take action against those behind it, said Pakiam in a statement.


He was responding to the blog postings, on which an Utusan Malaysia report was based, accusing DAP of colluding with Christian pastors to make Christianity the country's official religion so that a Christian can become prime minister.

'We've never been treasonous, hateful' 

Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi was named in the blog postings as the DAP leader who attended the meeting and joined the prayer session with the pastors, who were reportedly attending a mega-ceramah at the Catholic Christian Centre in Penang on Saturday.

“On behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Malaysia, I would like to categorically refute the allegation that such a meeting had taken place or will take place in a Catholic venue in Penang,

“It is clear that this reporting is baseless and highly irresponsible as the reporters and editors of the above newspaper have not taken any reasonable steps whatsoever to verify the allegations made by anonymous bloggers.

“Furthermore, this report comes after the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), one of the organizers of the above meeting, having refuted the claims of those bloggers and the same was carried on online media.

“The NECF has further clarified that this meeting only covered the topic of ethical leadership and had no treasonous agenda as alleged by the bloggers and news report,” said Pakiam.

Pakiam said Christian authorities teach the community to be God-fearing and law-abiding citizens and conscientious decision-makers “based on justice which is reflective of moral and divine laws.”

Even in the Al-Kitab issue over which the Christian Federation of Malaysia has been in dispute with the government, Church leaders had always reiterated their commitment and readiness “to dialogue and work together with the government” and all parties for a just and reasonable solution.

“It is clear that our position has never been treasonous nor have we advocated hatred, antagonism or animosity towards any religion or groups of persons,” said Pakiam.

“I continue to call upon all Catholics, Christians and all Malaysians to pray, dialogue and work together to strengthen national unity and harmony. May God bless our leaders with a firm vision and the courage and strength to uphold and realise it.”

'Utusan playing with fire' 

Lending his voice in support of Pakiam's remarks, PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan (right) also described the blog and Utusan reports over the alleged conspiracy as “irresponsible” and potentially destabilising.

“Other than potentially threatening the peace, such speculations are seen as a means of seeking cheap political publicity and (part of) continuous efforts to hide weaknesses and failure in protecting the sanctity of the (Islamic) religion,” said Nasrudin in a statement entitled 'Utusan playing with fire'.

Nasrudin said it is a well-known fact that Islam is enshrined as the official religion of the federation, with Muslims making up the majority in Malaysia's pluralistic population.

“For these reasons, Islam should not be in a position of being jeopardised and the Muslims would not allow Islam to be threatened,” he added.

If Islam is indeed perceived as getting weaker, said Nasruin, it was because of Umno's failure to fulfil the mandate with which it had been entrusted to govern the nation, particularly in protecting religious practices and the people's welfare.

“If Umno had taken care of (the practice of) Islam well and strengthened it, I believe and am convinced that such speculations (by Utusan) of moves to make Christianity the official religion of the nation would not have arisen.

“At the same time, Muslims would feel at peace and comfortable with practising their religion,” he added.

Source: Malaysiakini

Malaysia clerics approve 'poco-poco' line dance

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysians will be allowed to perform a controversial "poco-poco" line dance after top clerics ruled that its benefits to health outweigh concerns about taste and decency.

The decision came after a mufti in the predominantly Muslim nation outlawed the dance in his state, saying it amounted to cult practices and that its crossed-shaped movement was associated with Christianity.

However, Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the country's National Fatwa Council, said Islamic experts had decided against a ban, paving the way for its free use.

"If they can adhere to the regulations... and if it can bring about positive impact to health, then we have no objection on that matter," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency after chairing a special meeting Friday.

Muslim women, however, have been reminded to not wear sexy clothes or to mix freely with men while dancing.
Harussani Zakaria, an elderly mufti from the northern state of Perak, declared that the "poco-poco" dance violated Islamic law and banned it.

Regardless of the Fatwa Council's decision the dance will remain banned in Perak as matters pertaining to Islam are covered by local law.

In Malaysia, many adults and children take part in the dance, which is considered a recreational activity to keep fit.

More than 60 percent of the nation's 28 million population are Muslim Malays and other faiths have expresed concerns of creeping Islamisation in this multi-racial country.

Norazliza Alias, a dance instructor said her students were mainly women who just "love to sweat with poco-poco movements and music."

"The dance I teach is not linked to any religion. My clients really have fun, with mothers bringing in their sons and daughters to join in," she said.

The origin of the "poco-poco" dance is unclear but many believe it originated in Indonesia more than 20 years ago to accompany a song of the same name.

It is also a Jamaican word which relates to a wild dance under the possession of spirits.

Look beyond poco-poco, Perak mufti told

They call upon the Perak fatwa committee to get its priorities right and understand the spirit of Islam.

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS’ Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad today called upon Perak Mufti Harrussani Zakaria to get his priorities right and focus on bigger issues plaguing the nation.

Referring to the recent Perak Fatwa committee’s decision to declare the ‘poco-poco’ dance as unlawful, Dzulkefly said religious leaders should instead monitor the government to ensure it was steadfast in the path of righteousness.

“I am not defending ‘poco-poco’ but the mufti should instead address issues like good governance, integrity and rule of law. These are very important Islamic values,”said Dzulkefly who is also PAS central committee member.

On Tuesday, Harussani told a Malay daily that the state Fatwa committee decided to ban the dance as it had elements of Christianity and spirit worship.

Calling the dance ban as uncalled for, Dzulkefly said the senior mufti should put things into the right perspective, including objecting to the use of gutter politics by BN politicians, which were un-Islamic.

“This is more important now, not ‘poco-poco’.

“Islam solves the bigger issues. Once you solve the bigger problems, the smaller ones will go away by itself,”he said.

Don’t give Islam bad name

Sharing Dzulkefly’s views, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said the Perak Fatwa committee must understand the spirit of Islam before declaring certain things as ‘haram’ (forbidden).

In Islam, Khalid said, everything is allowed unless there are specific practises within it which rendered it forbidden.

He added that at the end, it depended on the ‘niat’ (intention) of a person in doing the act that rendered a certain act as forbidden.

“For example, in ancient days kings are treated as gods but it is no longer the case now. Just because they were treated as gods in the past does not mean having kings are un-Islamic now.

“The same applies ‘poco-poco’. If a person dances to the tunes with a religious connotation in his heart, then the act can be questioned but if you dance it just for recreation then there is no problem,”said Khalid.

He called upon the state religious committee to dissect an issue thoroughly before issuing an edict to safeguard the good name of Islam.

“If not, people will have a bad impression over Islam. People may think that we cannot accept certain good things,”he said. By G Vinod
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Perak patuhi fatwa haramkan poco-poco

March 30, 2011 Tarian diharamkan kerana ia mempunyai unsur kepercayaan agama lain iaitu Kristian selain pemujaan roh.
IPOH: Kerajaan Negeri Perak akan mematuhi keputusan Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri Perak berhubung pengharaman tarian poco-poco, kata Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Beliau berkata selepas fatwa dikeluarkan, semua pihak perlu menghormatinya dan tidak mempersoalkannya.

Menteri Besar berkata demikian mengulas laporan sebuah akhbar mengenai kenyataan Mufti Perak Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria bahawa Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri Perak telah memutuskan tarian berkenaan sebagai haram.

Harussani dilaporkan berkata tarian tersebut diharamkan kerana ia mempunyai unsur kepercayaan agama lain iaitu Kristian selain pemujaan roh dan pewartaan fatwa itu akan dibuat tidak lama lagi.

Dalam perkembangan lain, Zambry berkata proses kelulusan tanah dijalankan mengikut prosedur biasa dan setiap permohonan akan dilayan mengikut peraturan.

“Permohonan akan diproses mengikut peraturan dan undang-undang…jika pemohon layak, kelulusan akan diberikan. Pemohon tidak akan ditanya sama ada menganggotai mana-mana parti,” katanya ketika diminta mengulas dakwaan pembangkang bahawa sebidang tanah di Gopeng diberikan kepada Umno baru-baru ini.

Zambry berkata dakwaan itu tidak seharusnya dilayan kerana sebelum ini, pembangkang mendakwa kerajaan negeri memberi tanah kepada MCA dan MIC.

- Bernama