KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — The MCA wants the Home Ministry to apologise for setting “degrading” conditions for the release of the Malay-language Bibles, saying that those who imposed them were suffering from the four “diseases” that Datuk Seri Najib Razak had recently warned Barisan Nasional (BN) about.
The prime minister had recently warned BN parties of the diseases of delusion, amnesia, inertia and arrogance, which he said often hit those who stayed too long in power and failed to reflect on their own weaknesses.
MCA publicity bureau chairman Loh Seng Kok said in a statement today that by setting the conditions, the ministry was conducting a religious profiling of the books and classifying them as a “high-risk terrorist object”.
“The Alkitab is nowhere near this. It is a sacred scripture and should be accorded with respect and dignity no different than the scriptures of other religions,” he said.
Loh was referring to the two conditions set by the Home Ministry to allow the release of the 35,100 Alkitab — 5,100 in Port Klang and 30,000 in Kuching port — which stipulate that the books must be stamped with serial numbers and a ministry seal that reads “Peringatan: ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja. Dengan perintah Menteri Dalam Negeri” [In English: “Reminder: This ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ is for the use of Christians only. By order of the Home Minister”].
Following its announcement, Christian leaders denounced the conditions and declared that they would not collect the consignment until they were lifted.
“While the government has announced the release of the Alkitab, the ministry’s two conditions and high-handedness betray the spirit of goodwill aimed at releasing the sacred texts.
“Bureaucrats who violated the Alkitab suffer from the four syndromes which Najib had warned BN about — delusion, amnesia, inertia and arrogance,” said Loh.
He added that the MCA was also aghast at how the ministry had proceeded to stamp the books in Port Klang with its seals without prior permission from the books’ importers Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM).
This, he said, was merely a “distasteful” bureaucratic ploy to discourage the BSM from rescuing its consignment or to purposefully force restriction on the group.
“Where is the crime if a non-Christian were to clinically read the Alkitab purely for research purposes or for general knowledge? What if the Alkitab were to be photocopied? Would this be a crime when there is an identical dual serial number?” he said.
Loh said the books were already stamped with the words “Christian publication” and had the emblem of a crucifix on its front cover, rendering the ministry’s condition pointless.
“So, why is the ministry so fearful of the Alkitab to the extent of defacing the consignment?
“The ministry must remove the two degrading conditions immediately and apologise to Christians and all Malaysians for such seditious actions which clearly have incited distress and disharmony among God-fearing Malaysians irrespective of creed,” he said.
Responding to accusations that his ministry officials had “defaced” the 5,100 Alkitab today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein claimed the move was merely “standard protocol”.
The minister also said his men had no choice but to adhere to these procedures as the BSM had wanted the Bibles to be released quickly.
“We stamped the Bible based on amalan (practice) before... during Abdullah Badawi and even Tun Dr Mahathir’s time,” Hishammuddin told reporters in Parliament today.
He also said his officials had no intention to deface the Bibles, stressing that the Christian community should engage his ministry directly if it had issues or complaints over the measures taken. - Malaysian Insider
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