Today, I am sad to say that I no longer have confidence in the sultan of Selangor.
It is an anti-climax when I read Sultan Sharafuddin’s decision announced yesterday.
As the head of the state, he has failed the non-Muslim community in the state of Selangor with his answer to the menteri besar of Selangor by passing the buck to the courts to decide on whether the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) can dispose off or return the Alkitab.
Being a constitutional monarch, the people gave him some form of respect by seeking his advice. In my opinion, although the sultan has no power to refer the matter to the court, especially after the man appointed under the federal constitution has closed the case, he cannot abdicate his duty as the head of the state to instruct Jais to follow the decision of the attorney-general (AG).
The AG has in fact closed the case. Under the federal constitution, which applies to both the state and the nation, I am told that only the AG has the power of prosecution.
To leave it to the court to decide whether Jais has to return or dispose the Bible copies simply shows the sultan’s inability to perform his duty as the ‘reference point’ to whom the people in the state can turn to for a fair answer.
I have two questions to ask: Firstly, can anyone show me anywhere in the Quran that says non-Muslims are prohibited from using the name ‘Allah’? Secondly, if the Alkitab is considered by the Christian community as their holy book, and if it can be disposed off by any religious authorities or ministry officials, can we do the same with the Quran? Perhaps, with the other holy books of other communities?
The answer is simple. As the country is bordering insanity, what has taken over our sense of mutual respect for each other? It boils down to the attitude of some, who think that they are over and above others. This is nothing but arrogance, which boils down to one concept - the Malay supremacy - as promoted by a former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
May I remind these people that the Malay Sultanate during its glorious days was under the protection of Siam and later China; therefore, what supremacy are we talking about! As a Chinese, I do not even pretend that the Chinese is superior to others. I subscribe to the concept that all humans are equal in the eyes of God, and race is just skin deep.
When such idiosycracies such as confiscating the holy book of another religion and disposing off them are allowed to continue in this country, and when race, religion and royalty is being played up by certain quarters in an organised fashion, it will soon tear away the fabrics of our society. We will soon become a “failed nation” (borrowing the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore), torn apart and divided.
As it is now, I no longer have confidence in the current prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak. Apart from the occasional talk, he is not providing leadership in such matters as the country’s leader. Instead, it is always a blame game. To me, Najib’s “talk and no action” is simply unacceptable. If this is the federal constitution, and the AG’s decision is final, it is final, irrespective of whether Jais is recalcitrant or not!
MB cannot absolve himself
At the same time, Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim cannot absolve himself of the responsibility as well. Being MB, he would have been advised that an audience with the sultan is nothing other than to advise him on the final decision made by the AG and that, being the head of Islam, overseeing both the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and Jais, Sultan Sharafuddin has the duty to advise both Mais and Jais to toe the line.
The audience with the sultan was merely out of respect for His Majesty. There are no two ways about it.
Being a constitutional monarch, the sultan has to take the advice of the MB, not vice versa, unless the federal constitution has been thrown out of the window, and now, the cultan has the power to decide what to do. If this had been the case, the federal constitution would have spelt it out clearly that the sultans have more power over the AG to decide on such cases.
I believe most of us by now are fed up with what is happening in this country, and the latest answer from the sultan simply creates a sense of disorder in this nation. Right is wrong, and wrong is right. With this, the country’s constitution is reduced to nothing but a piece of paper, simply because the people who are supposed to uphold it, no longer does it.
I am urging the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) to refer the matter to their legal team, and seek justice in the courts. If it wins the case, good; if it does not, I believe the church is prepared henceforth to go down the path of persecution. There is no longer the need to give face any more, especially when we are have no other options but to fight to the end with our brothers and sisters from Sabah and Sarawak.
The clarion call is loud and clear: But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him. ( Luke 12:5 ). The Alkitab will need to be printed and distributed to the churches to meet the needs of the Malay-speaking Christians in both peninsular and East Malaysia.
The church leaders should start telling their members to download the Bibles in digital form from accredited portals such as www.youversion.com and www.bible.com for their personal use.
STEPHEN NG is a chemist by training. He dealt with printing ink, paint and emulsion polymer for 15 years before becoming a freelance writer.
