Press statement\u00a0 by Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament for Seputeh in Tawau dated 14 March 2011<\/p>\n
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BN Leaders\u2019 disappointing response to the impounding of the 35,000 Malay-language bibles in Klang and Kuching reveals Najib\u2019s 1Malaysia to be the sham that it is<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I unreservedly condemn BN leaders\u2019 disappointing response to the impounding of the 35,000 Malay-language Bibles or al-Kitab at the ports of Klang and Kuching by the Government.\u00a0 Their respective response reveals that Najib\u2019s 1Malaysia to be such a sham, that even their very top leaders are unmoved by it. If they truly believed in Najib\u2019s call to \u201cPeople First, Performance Now,\u201d they would have taken steps to release the al-Kitab instead of giving the Christian Federation of Malaysia the short-shrift with conflicting messages, constant delays and unfulfilled promises, and now with their disappointing statements.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was the Home Ministry\u2019s decision to impound the Malay-language bibles and yet Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein has taken the cowardly way out by passing the buck to the Attorney General. He claimed that the delay is being caused by the need to seek advice from the Attorney-General. This is a weak excuse. His Ministry is either truly inefficient or truly insincere in their attempt because they have had almost two years to consult the Attorney-General on this matter. 23 March 2011 will mark the second anniversary since the impounding of the 5,000 al-Kitab at Port Klang.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am further appalled that \u00a0MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek\u2019s had the gall to propose that Malay-language Bibles should be printed locally by government-approved printers so that they could be circulated to churches here with proper supervision. This proposal is ridiculous as it suggests that the bibles which are currently being impounded are contraband in some manner. Even worse, he is proposing to increase the Government\u2019s power and control over the religious practices of non-Muslims.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remind Dr Chua that by impounding the al-Kitab, the Government is in breach of the Federal Constitution which provides that every person has the right to profess and to practice his or her religion (Article 11) and that while Islam is the religion of the country, other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony (Article 3).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I therefore urge that the Government apologise for their transgression and order the immediate release of the bibles in recognition of the right to freedom of religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Failing which, the Government\u2019s inaction once again proves 1Malaysia to be mere sloganeering without an ounce of credibility.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teresa Kok<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Press statement\u00a0 by Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament for Seputeh in Tawau dated 14 March 2011 BN Leaders\u2019 disappointing response to the impounding of the 35,000 Malay-language bibles in Klang and Kuching reveals Najib\u2019s 1Malaysia to be the sham that it is I unreservedly condemn BN leaders\u2019 disappointing response to the impounding of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion"],"yoast_head":"\n