KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — The government must prove that every religious community can freely practise their belief without being forced to conform to the rules of other religions, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) said.
The council, an umbrella body of all non-Muslim religions in Malaysia, said that despite “verbal assurances” by the Najib administration, the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom have been “infringed” in recent years.
The strong reminder by the council today comes as Sarawak prepares to go to the polls this Saturday.
In a statement today, the council urged Sarawakians to vote wisely and offered a joint prayer for a fair and clean election come polling day, saying that a strong ruling party and opposition are needed to ensure proper governance of a state.
“Arbitrary actions in blatant contravention of the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom must stop.
“No religious community should be subjected or forced to conform to the religious rules of another religion. Religious freedom is the very essence of justice and fair play, and forms the very foundation of any great democratic nation,” said the MCCBCHST.
The council warned that national unity and integration will be “adversely” affected if no proper regard was given to matters of religious freedom.
“The religious communities within MCCBCHST are in earnest prayer that whichever side wins or loses in the coming electoral process, may the people of Sarawak be the real winners when their concerns and aspirations are addressed and resolved and election promises are kept to the benefit of all,” said the statement.
The council’s strong reminder comes as the government is locked in a row over the distribution of the Alkitab, or the Malay Bible.
Faced with an unyielding Christian community days ahead of a crucial state poll, the government offered early this month a 10-point solution to the Alkitab impasse which will allow the Bible to be freely distributed across the country in all languages.
The Cabinet offered a new list of suggestions to put an end to the month-long stand-off over 35,000 Alkitab seized by the Home Ministry in a bid to head off a possible backlash against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) during Saturday’s vote by Christians who make up half the population in Sarawak.
However, it insisted that Malay-language bibles in the peninsula be marked with a cross and “Christian Publication” on the front cover.
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