COMMENT The Home Ministry will go ahead to impose new curbs on the Alkitab - the Malay-language Bible - despite strong objections from church leaders.

De facto National Unity Minister Joseph Kurup is tasked by the cabinet to introduce the new curbs or standard operating procedures (SOP) as it is known to church leaders, although the matter is under Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi; a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is trying to do.

At a dinner meeting in Kuala Lumpur with Kurup 10 days ago, leaders of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the umbrella Christian body, rejected the SOP outright when Kurup tried to persuade them to accept it, after having no success with church leaders in Sarawak and Sabah last month over the new curbs for the import and use of the Alkitab and Bahasa language Christian publications.

According to those familiar with the issue, Kurup ( photo ) surprised the leaders present at the dinner meeting by claiming that the “95 percent” of the East Malaysian church leaders had indicated their support for the SOP when they were briefed by Hashimah Nik Jaafar, head of the Home Ministry’s Qur’anic text division in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu last month.

This is far from the truth as according to some who attended the briefings they were surprised that the SOP was unveiled to them without any consultation, therefore they would not respond to it but to refer the matter to CFM to make a stand.

Despite the outright rejection of the SOP by church leaders, Kurup did not indicate that the new curbs would be dropped. He only asked for the Association of Churches in Sarawak and the Sabah Council of Churches to write to him regarding their objections or counter-proposals if they have any.

The new SOP specifically targets bumiputra Christians and concerns mainly the import and use of the Alkitab and Bahasa Malaysia Christian publications. Such imports are now subject to a law that was originally intended only for Muslims - the Printing of Qur’anic Texts Act 1986. Importers must now apply to the Qura’nic Text Division of the Home Ministry which has the final say whether such imports are allowed.

Following the meeting, Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng ( photo ), chairperson of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, issued a strongly-worded statement .

“The proposed standard operating procedure announced recently to church leaders in Kuching and in Kota Kinabalu should be withdrawn as it violates the provisions of the federal constitution.”

“The latest edition of these administrative requirements contain outright prohibitions of importation of the Alkitab into peninsular Malaysia, save for personal use, in total violation of the federal constitution’s protection for freedom of religion,” it added.

‘Part and parcel of the freedom of religion’

Rev Dr Eu said the importation of the Alkitab is part and parcel of the freedom of religion. The specific requirement for non-Muslim religions to seek the approval of the federal government’s Islamic agencies for the importation of religious material is in clear violation of the provisions of the federal constitution and the spirit of the 10-point solution.

“For these reasons, CFM rejects the SOP regarding the publication and distribution of the Alkitab. The SOP negates the very guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to manage one’s own religious affairs,” he said.

He also pointed out that there has been a progressive layering of fear, tension and suspicion and this fear has caused tension and has led to numerous incidents in recent years where copies of the Alkitab were detained or seized, only to be returned after they were mutilated.

The CFM statement also pointed out that the cabinet must uphold the 10-point solution concerning the Alkitab and desist from imposing any further restrictions on the use, publication and import of the Alkitab throughout Malaysia.

It said the cabinet must stop pretending that the 10-point solution applies only to Sabah and Sarawak, or that they are powerless where state laws are concerned, since the Barisan Nasional hold the reins of political power in 10 of our 13 states, and control of all the Federal Territories.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia voiced its “deep concern the shrinking public space for religious expression in Malaysia and the worrying trend of curbing freedom of religious expressions without prior consultation with stakeholders.

CFM also said all relevant authorities, departments and agencies of the government must exercise their duties and conduct their activities properly and promptly without prejudice or preference within the unambiguous ambit of the federal constitution to ensure that the freedom of religion for minority communities is equally respected and that incidents such as the removal of the cross and confiscation and/or mutilation of the Alkitab and other religious materials are not repeated.

Members of the civil service, especially those in the front line of engagement with members of the public, must be given adequate education on the necessary decorum and sensitivity in dealing with inter-religious matters and to accord the necessary respect to all religions without bias or favour, regardless of their own religious convictions, the statement added.

 

BOB TEOH was formerly secretary-general of the Confederation of Asean Journalists.