Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam (pic) had sought the intervention of a Barisan Nasional MP in Sabah while questioning an order from the Home Ministry to stop the distribution of the latest Herald publication in Sabah.
Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said, in a Facebook posting today, that he had interceded with the Home Ministry on behalf of the Catholic Church to obtain approval for 2,000 copies of Herald to be released in Sabah.
Wilfred, the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) deputy president, said the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur had sought his assistance last night.
"I attempted to contact the Deputy Home Minister to ask that the 2,000 copies, which were being kept at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, be released.
"I was told to contact Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi directly which I tried but in vain. Apparently, Ahmad Zahid is in Jakarta," Wilfred said.
Undeterred, Wilfred sent Ahmad Zahid a text message appealing for the release of the 2,000 Herald copies.
He said sometime this afternoon the Political Secretary to Home Minister, Datuk Abdul Halim Mohammad, informed Wilfred that approval had been obtained and the 2,000 Herald copies had been released.
Numerous East Malaysian Christians commented on the release of the 2,000 Herald copies - thanking, praising and congratulating Wilfred for his assistance.
Many praised him for being a responsible representative of the people and being able to walk the talk.
Some also condemned the Home Ministry for its high-handedness in their postings on Wilfred’s Facebook page.
On Thursday, tensions rose between the Catholic Church and the BN government when Putrajaya stopped the distribution of Herald in Sabah.
Herald editor Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew said the forwarding company had been informed by the Home Ministry that the copies were not to be distributed.
As per regulation, the Home Ministry checked a copy of the weekly Christian newspaper for vetting purposes when it arrived at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
This time, the forwarding company was told that the copies could not be distributed by Home Ministry officials.
Following the release of the 2,000 copies of Herald, Andrew said the Home Ministry should explain its action.
"We need to know why they stopped it in the first place,” he said today.
Sarawak Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing put the decision to stop the distribution of the Herald to Home Ministry officials making decisions in haste without consulting their political leaders.
“They have obviously taken matters into their own hands. I suggest that political leaders must be consulted first before taking actionon matters which had negative socio-political impact,” he said while lamenting that politicians would have to bear the brunt of criticism from the public.
“It will be us, not these government officers,” Masing, a senior Christian minister in the Sarawak cabinet and the Parti Rakyat Sarawak president pointed out.
The Herald issue came to the fore on October 14 when the Court of Appeal ruled that the newspaper was banned from using the word Allah in its Bahasa Malaysia edition.
The ruling has since attracted various comments and feedback, even from Muslim scholars on the international stage. - TMI
Monday, October 28, 2013
Herald released in Sabah after Archbishop seeks BN politician’s help
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THE issue of religion, especially the topic of "Allah" should not be politicised. Religious scholars and academicians from all faiths should discuss the best way to solve the problem. They should come up with a statement that should be accepted by all.
ReplyDeleteThey can refer to Muslim-majority countries to see how the matter is being handled. In the interest of the multiracial and multireligious communities in the country, it is best that all quarters refrain from making comments that could stoke unwanted sentiments.
ReplyDeleteTHE Court of Appeal ruling to deny Catholic publication Herald the use of the word "Allah" should put the issue to rest. The justification was clear and, more importantly, did not apply any injustice to Christianity or Islam.
ReplyDeleteAll parties should accept the ruling and not fuel the controversy further. Despite the academic arguments voiced, be they by laymen, religious scholars, opinion leaders or academicians, what we should remember is that Malaysia is a multiracial and multi-religious country where the rights of all religions are respected.
ReplyDeleteWe have come to be the peaceful nation that we are today not because we have indulged in controversial debates, but because we cherish tolerance and mutual respect we have for one another.
ReplyDeleteLeaders of communities and religious organisations must be wise enough to know when some issues should be put to rest rather than continue at the expense of creating animosity and tension in society. The Roman Catholic Church's decision (NST, Oct 15) that it would file an appeal may not be a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteChristians and Muslims are not taught by their religion to disrespect other religions. Granted, in the global and academic context one can argue from many perspectives and historical facts to justify the use of the word "Allah", but when addressing issues affecting the society that one is in, one must not separate oneself from the real context of the society itself.
ReplyDeleteInsisting on addressing issues from only one's own context could be construed as selfish and disrespectful. The judges noted in their ruling how volatile religious sensitivities in Malaysia were.
ReplyDeleteThey elaborated that their decision did not render injustice to the claimant's grievances while at the same time, will avoid stoking the sensitivities of Muslims.
ReplyDeleteAll religions in Malaysia have always held to the common sense principle of respecting each other's religious sensitivities, so much so that we have communal gatherings such as open houses and kongsi holidays.
ReplyDeleteIt is an integral part of our multi-religious society to see churches, mosques and temples co-exist in cities, towns and even villages. Therefore, is it worth to uphold an academic argument at the expense of destroying such harmonious diversity that we have practised?
ReplyDeleteAll religions in this country have to sacrifice to accommodate countrymen from different religions at some point or the other, and we have done so amicably for the last 56 years. I am confident that Malaysians from any religious background do not wish to create tension or be disrespectful to their fellow Malaysians.
ReplyDeleteLet us practise restraint out of respect to our fellow Malaysians regardless of their religious background. What is the point of having the freedom to practise our religions when what we struggle for is to create animosity in other religions?
ReplyDeleteDuh Wilfred should be thankful
ReplyDeleteWhy they hold it at the first place?
ReplyDeleteKesian kita ni di Sabah
ReplyDeleteI dont understand why religion has to do with politics
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ReplyDeleteLuckily
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ReplyDeleteKenapa la ba diorang mcm ni ni
ReplyDeleteThis is what happened if politics blend in
ReplyDeleteDuhhh
ReplyDeleteAlamat berperang la nanti
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ReplyDeleteIf not everything will be a mess
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ReplyDeleteDangerously dangerous
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ReplyDeleteMinister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the country was capable of achieving Vision 2020 earlier based on the encouraging current economic growth rate.
ReplyDeleteTo become a developed nation, we need a per capita income of US$15,000. At the moment, our per capita income is US$9,700. Our thinking is that if we can achieve an economic growth rate of above 5.3 per cent, we will be able to achieve Vision 2020.
ReplyDeletethe government was always committed to planning and implementing development projects which could draw more investors to the country, hence boosting efforts to reach developed-nation status.
ReplyDelete