The spirit of brotherhood in Sarawak

Sim Kwang Yang

The day has arrived for another Christmas, the occasion marking the birth of Christ, which Christians believe heralded salvation for mankind. This day witnesses a joyful explosion of universal celebration.

Though I am not a Christian, living in multicultural Malaysia, it is hard not to notice the significance of Christmas day itself. Today also commemorates the 2,000th anniversary of the Christian religion. Living among many Christian Malaysians, it is hard not to be moved by this day of global joy among our Christian brothers and sisters.

My experience of Christmas is always punctuated by the memory of the spirit of brotherhood demonstrated by my Christian friends among the Bidayuh villages in the Lundu district of Sarawak.

I used to have occasion to drive up and down the Kuching-Bau road fairly frequently during this time of the year. The Bidayuhs are famously devout Catholics and Anglicans; more than 90 percent of them profess Christianity as their religion.

As we drove past the villages during this festive period, our nightly road journeys would be accompanied by the lights and the sound of religious music along the entire street. We could hear clearly the voices of worshippers, singing their hymns of praise every night.

Such are the memories of Christmas past, from the humble Land of the Hornbill in colonial times.

During the early 60s, the day after Christmas was also widely celebrated in Sarawak as Boxing Day. According to tradition, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, on which the people would collect the boxes in which Christmas presents had been delivered. I understand it is still a public holiday in North America and Canada. But the celebration of Boxing Day has died out in Malaysia.

Christians form majority

In peninsular Malaysia, people always think of Christianity as a religion whose devotees number only 10 percent of the population. But in Sarawak, Christians form the largest number of religious devotees – the Catholic and the Anglican churches there are two of the largest Christian denominations.

But there are many other Christian churches in Sarawak, all enjoying various degrees of support among the many different ethnic groups, including the Methodists, Borneo Evangelical Mission (or Sidang Injil Borneo, SIB), Baptists and others. The arrival of Christmas will bring great joy to all these Christians throughout the vast state.

The spirit of Christmas has been mutilated by many countries in the West. There, Christmas is just another occasion for a hedonistic explosion, for enjoyment of food, drink and office parties, and the original spirit of Christmas bringing a gospel of the Saviour has been diluted and distorted. Frankly, I have never participated in any of the countless Christmas Eve parties arranged by the many hotels and restaurants in town.

The meaning of Christmas for Christians is a spiritual reminder to mankind of the possibility of salvation, through the birth of Christ. It is the second chance for humanity to repent and have their sins forgiven by the Almighty.

It is a universal reminder to humanity that Christianity professes itself to be a religion of peace, universal love, faith, charity and hope for eternal salvation. In this world of strife, when men are set against men in violent confrontation in every continent, the message of peace and love is what the world needs the most. The message of Christmas for the promotion of world peace is more urgent and relevant than ever.

Eternal debt of gratitude

In the fine tradition of spiritual tolerance among Sarawakians, they generally share their Christmas joy with believers of different faiths. Unlike in Peninsular Malaysia, the acrimonious religious undercurrents plaguing the followers of various faiths are largely absent. Religious harmony is a reality in Sarawak, and not a slogan for political consumption.

I was brought up in a Catholic school in Kuching. Never once did the Christian clerics running the school make any attempt to convert me to Christianity, though my solidarity with the Christian orders has remained with me for life. To them, I owe my eternal debt of gratitude for a sound education at secondary level.

I shall always keep fondly the memories of the La Salle Brothers, who are now mostly retired and back in Ireland. I shall pray for Brother Albinus, Brother Mark, Brother Adrian and Brother Columba on this Christmas Day.

Christianity has also marked me for life. My beloved mother was converted to Christianity on her deathbed, and she was buried at the Catholic cemetery at the 7th Mile in Kuching. My prayers are with her on this Christmas Day. May she rest in peace forever.

Merry Christmas everyone!

SIM KWANG YANG was member of parliament for Bandar Kuching, Sarawak from 1982 to 1995. He can be reached at sky8hornbill@gmail.com. All comments are welcomed. Courtesy of Hornbill Unleashed