When Prime Minister Najib Razak met Pope Benedict XVI, many Christians in Malaysia had already pre-decided his intentions but were willing to give him the benefit of doubt.
Then, when he presented his book, ‘Najib’ to the Pope, Christians cringed with embarrassment. Uppermost in their thoughts were that their PM was doing it again - putting self before nation.
"So egoistic, everything in Malaysia is always about himself. Even tau-foo-fa (soya-bean curd) also going to become 1Malaysia Tau-Foo-Fa," was the common refrain in the thousands of coffee-shops that dot the country.
Undeniable deterioration
Najib's trip to the Vatican, highlighted in the print media, did not do much to quell the displeasure the Christians feel they have suffered at the hands of the BN - from the banning of the word Allah in the Catholic weekly newspaper, Herald, to the burning of churches and the seizure of Bibles both at Port Klang and Kuching port.
Only with an eye to the recently-concluded April 16 Sarawak state election did the BN listen to the outcry from the Christian community. Sarawak has one of the largest Christian followings in the country, at more than 40 per cent of the state population of over 2 million people.
Finally, the federal government agreed to release the Bibles on condition that these be stamped "For Christians only". But the move only added to the hurt felt by the community.
Many believe that onus should also be shared by the Muslims as it is this group that the government does not want the Bible to influence. Educating the Muslims and keeping them close to their own beliefs rather than just slapping on conditions against the Christians should be the way forward, many leaders opined.
In Sarawak, Christians have enjoyed much greater freedom in practising their faith. The Land of the Hornbill is one of the best states in the country in so far as inter-ethnic relations go but even this has begun to slip. Since the 90s, the split is becoming more visible by the day but the leaders of the Churches here never highlighted the issue, always giving the excuse that matters concerning religion should best be settled amicably behind closed doors.
Be sincere about the Constitution
When the Herald, a Catholic newsletter, was taken to court for using the word “Allah” and won the case, there was an outburst of reaction from hardcore Muslim NGOs. Churches were torched, harsh words were hurled at the Christian community and the Bible was suddenly a threat to national security.
These cruel lashes of criticism at the Christian faith which preaches peace and goodwill stunned Christians all over Malaysia to the core. But in line with what the Bible preaches, Christians prayed for forgiveness of those who sinned against them. The leaders of the Churches called for calm.
Now, all that happened before the Sibu by-election, which was triggered when SUPP Member of Parliamant Robert Law Hoi Chew, himself a Catholic, died from lung cancer.
To the people of Sibu, the town with the most number of Christians in the whole of Sarawak, SUPP represented the bad BN, the monsters who seized their Bibles, who stamped their Holy book with ugly markings and did not allow them to believe and practise their religion in peace. It was not surprising that by then, many Sibu Christians already knew exactly who they wanted to vote for.
Months later, when Sarawak BN lost 16 seats - its biggest loss ever to the Opposition and one Independent - it was an open secret that the Christians, who seldom wanted to be involved in politics, were praying hard to have a government that is fair and just. In other words, they didn't want the BN.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian, a Christian from the SIB congregation, said he hoped that the meeting with the Pope would "enlighten" the federal PM so that he would be more sensitive to the needs of the Christian community.
Baru urged Najib to sincerely respect Article 11 of the Constitution and allow Christians both in Sarawak and nationwide to practice their faith without any persecution. He warned Najib not to keep saying "one thing but do another".
"The meeting with the Pope should give Najib a direct glimpse into the world of Christianity. Hopefully, he can learn to be more appreciative of Christians, and most of all, accept the freedom of belief in Malaysia without any hindrance, guidelines or conditions," Baru told Malaysia Chronicle.
"Whatever his intention, it is for his own knowledge but he must see that the Christians are not barred from freely practising their religion as stated in the Constitution, the highest order of the Law."
Double standards
Baru also advised Najib not to make three rules for Christian in Malaysia - one for Sabah and Sarawak, one for West Malaysia and another for Penang, where 8 pastors were recently hauled up due to false accusations put forth by the Utusan newspaper owned by Najib's UMNO party.
"When it comes to religion, a Christian in Sarawak is the same as a Christian in Selangor. So why should there be so many rules," said Baru, referring to the edict from the federal government that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can use the word Allah but not elsewhere.
Padungan state assemblyman, Wong King Wei, a Christian himself, hoped and prayed that the diplomatic ties with the Vatican would allow the government of the day to be fair to all religions and faiths apart from Islam.
According to Wong, the Malaysian government made it very difficult to build churches by placing layers of conditions and red-tape.
"I have no complains as long as they leave us to worship in peace but instead, they impose so many conditions to stifle the Christian community. Is this what you call fair? Visiting the Pope will come to nothing for Najib if he returns and the Churches still face the government double-standards," Wong told Malaysia Chronicle.
Forgive but not forget
A Christian in a parish council, Ann did not believe that Najib's meeting with the Pope would warm her to him.
"If he returns to announce something that is fair to the church and other non-Muslim religions, then I can say he has seen the light. Otherwise, this is just a public relations exercise for him with the general election coming soon," Ann told Malaysia Chronicle.
Peter from the Charismatic Church said Christians are forgiving people, but not forgetful people.
"I learn to forgive even Perkasa when seditious words were uttered against us Christians. The PM did not do anything as if he is the one behind it. But like I say, I forgive them but I do know who to vote in the next election. I see it as my duty to not forget, or the future generations will suffer," he said.
All eyes on a definitive answer to the Allah issue
Many Christian also feel that the damage done to their community is irreversible and many pray for a fair government to lead Malaysia. And all are waiting anxiously for a definitive answer from the Court of Appeal on the Allah issue.
It is without doubt that the PM’s visit to the Vatican has attracted a lot of interest from the Christians in Malaysia, especially in Sarawak where followers feel pressured by the actions of their own government, especially at the federal level.
All hope that the Monday meeting with the Pope will open the PM’s heart to be kinder to other religions in the country, not just Christianity.
When a religious grouping feels persecuted, that emotion is bound to result in an across-the-board dissatisfaction in the respective parish. The knock-on or cascade effect cannot be underestimated.
Read these into votes, it will cost the BN more rather than the Opposition if things do not change for the better, and soon.
Malaysia Chronicle
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