Miraculously, with one week to polling day, Taib walks on water

For two years, the Malay-language bibles that had been confiscated by the government, lay forgotten by the authorities as the importers, the Bible Society of Malaysia fought to have the bibles released.

During that time, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, played no role in demanding the release of the bibles.

With just days before Sarawak goes to the polls, Taib was walking on water. The bibles, he announced, were due for release and Taib made sure everyone got to know he had performed that miraculous feat.

No mention was made of the time the importers were given short shrift by the authorities who thought nothing of releasing the holy book to the Christians, most of whom came from Sabah and Sarawak.

Hardly a word was said about how seizure of 5,100 Malay-language bibles in Port Klang and another 30,000 in Kuching which had alarmed the importers, but did not worry anyone in government.

Few of the Sarawakians were aware that the government sat on the decision to release the Bibles, and blamed each other – the Home ministry, the High Court, the Attorney-General, the Prime minister’s department and the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movemnet (ABIM) for delaying the release.

None of the people Taib addressed could have been aware that the home minister had said the bibles could only be released, with conditions attached. These conditions were deemed unsuitable and went against the earlier agreement between the representatives of the importers, and the ministry, as stated in a letter on Dec 22, 2005.

The different government departments were trading insults and delays at each other. Things came to a head when the Taib Mahmud decided to hold the state elections in April. That was also when alarm bells started to ring in both Putrajaya and Kuching.

Then, with the threat of the Opposition gaining ground in Sarawak, Taib credited himself for solving the Bible deadlock and told a gathering of around 1,000 Melanau Christians in Mukah that the opposition had done nothing to resolve the Bible issue.

Taib proudly declared, “It was I who talked to the prime minister. I said to him that it was a stupid idea to stamp serial numbers.”

Taib talked about his powers of persuasion and made it sound so easy and simple to convince Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to overrule those who made life miserable for the Christians: “I told him it should be stopped and he said “yes I agree and I'll put a stop to it”. So he went and stopped the serial numbers.”

Taib then triumphantly announced, “Now there's no more of this nonsense”.

Typically, none of the furore that emanated when the Home minister decided to deface and desecrate the Bibles was divulged to the crowd.

No revelation of the stamping and the inclusion of serial numbers, which had been a federal government ruling was ever made.

Instead, Taib blamed minor state officials, for ‘misinterpretation’.

He said, “It was my lower officers who interpreted it the wrong way. When (Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak) realised it, he also thought that it was a funny way to interpret (the ruling)”.

For someone who was quick to stress that Malay-language bibles and religious tolerance have been a “Sarawak tradition”, it is strange that Taib did not display any of this tolerance throughout the two years, the bibles were confiscated by the authorities.

Taib did not actively pursue the release of the Bibles. He only chose the end moment to bathe himself in the glory of supposedly releasing the Bibles. He is a liar and a cheat.

Taib then sought to blame the opposition for mixing religion and politics. He calmly ignored the fact that BN had been practising race and religion based politics in all its years in power. - Malaysia Chronicle