Najib pledges to keep Alkitab free

The prime minister with ACS chairman, Right Reverand Datuk Bolly Lapok, stressed the need for national reconciliation. — Pic by Choo Choy May

KUCHING, April 13 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak reached out to the Christian community today in an unprecedented meeting with church leaders here, giving them his personal promise that his administration would never again impound bibles.

The prime minister sat with representatives from the Association of Churches Sarawak for over one hour at the Hilton Hotel here, attempting to iron out longstanding issues and repair the government’s strained ties with the community following the Alkitab bibles row.

Najib, who is presently on a stump for Barisan Nasional in Sarawak until Friday, had also stressed the need for reconciliation between parties that were hurt by the issue.

According to ACS secretary-general Head Elder Ambrose Linang, this is the first time a prime minister had personally initiated such discussions with church leaders in Sarawak, which is home to the country’s largest Christian population.

The meeting comes as Barisan Nasional is said to be facing its toughest battle yet to retain its hold over the hornbill state, which goes to polls this Saturday.

But Ambrose said the prime minister had avoided the issue of politics during the meet at the Hilton Hotel here and confined discussion to the Alkitab row and other issues affecting ties between the Church and the State.

When met after the meeting, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala told reporters that the meeting proved Najib’s sincerity in resolving the concerns raised by the Christian community.

Jala, a Sarawak Christian himself, has been acting as mediator between the community and the government in the Alkitab bibles debacle.

Najib shakes hands with Reverend Peter Mutang, President of SIB Sarawak, before the meeting at the Hilton Kuching. — Pic by Choo Choy May

“Najib made very clear his commitment that on the issue of the impoundment of bibles, it should not recur. I think he made that very explicit today.

“He also talked about the need for national reconciliation. If there is any hurt that still exists between ourselves as a multiracial and multi-religious society, it is also important that we find ways to reconcile,” Jala told reporters after the meeting.

Najib did not speak with reporters after the meeting and rushed off to another function in the city.

Jala also noted that Najib had personally penned a letter to the Christian Federation of Malaysia, confirming that the recently released 10-point solution on the bibles row had been the result of a collective decision made by himself as the prime minister and his Cabinet.

“Looking at it closely, point nine in the solution is that the prime minister agrees to meet with Christian leaders and today, he is implementing that.

“He is here to meet them and in listening mode so we can take the issues and go forward,” he said.

Jala also reported that as of noon today, all the remaining 30,000 Alkitab holy books had been collected by its importer, The Gideons.

“So as of today, there are no longer any bibles under the Home Ministry’s custody,” he said.

Christian furore was sparked off following the ministry’s move to impound two separate consignments of the holy books at the Port Klang and Kuching port here as they contained the word “Allah”.

The government is still locked in a legal dispute with the Catholic Church on the use of the word “Allah” to refer to God by non-Muslims as Islamic enactments in 10 states prohibit this practice.

With the Sarawak polls looming, the BN administration scrambled to pacify the church community and relented to its demands by ordering the release of the books and later drafting the 10-point solution to resolve all future disputes in the matter.

Datuk Seri Idris Jala announced that as of noon today all remaining 30,000 Alkitab had been collected by its importer, The Gideons. — Reuters file pic

The solution, however, stipulates two separate sets of rules for Christians living on either side of the South China Sea.

For those in the east Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, the distribution and printing of such books have been allowed, due to the large Christian community.

When asked if the Church had accepted the Prime Minister’s solution, Jala nodded and said the Church had “no problems with it”.

“The fact of the matter is that the bibles are no longer impounded and there are no more bibles in custody,” he pointed out.

“Beyond the bible issue, the government is committed to holding a dialogue with Christian groups and other religious groups to resolve this issue.

“To underscore the urgency of this work, the PM is meeting up with Christian leaders and they have also made a commitment to meet with the CFM,” he added.

Jala, however, noted that a resolution to all outstanding issues between the Church and the State would take more time.

“It will take time and we will not hurry them. The government has to take into account the interest of all religions, not just the Christian groups.

“We need to look at the interests of the brother and sisters who are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others,” he said.