Khalid must meet A-G to resolve seized Bibles issue, say Selangor lawmaker, lawyers

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (pic) must personally see to it that the 321 Bup Kudus and Alkitab seized from The Bible Society of Malaysia premises five months ago are returned, a DAP leader and the legal fraternity said.

Selangor DAP deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo said Khalid should meet Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail instead of waiting for a response from him.

"We in the Pakatan Rakyat do not have much confidence in the Attorney-General. It is better for Khalid to be pro-active and make an appointment to see him," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Gobind said as the chief executive of the state, Khalid should take responsibility as the seizure was made by a state Islamic department.

"In my mind the Bibles must be returned to BSM as soon as possible since no action was taken against anyone over the past five months," he said.

Gobind, who is also Puchong MP, said this in response to a statement by Khalid that state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong had sent a letter on the seized Bibles to Gani and was waiting for a reply.

"This is a serious matter and a mere letter is insufficient. Khalid must follow up and show that he is committed to solving the issue," said Gobind.

Khalid had said on Sunday that the state was hoping to find a solution to the matter.

Meanwhile, Lawyers For Liberty said Khalid had a better leverage when representing the Selangor government to find a solution to the seized Bibles issue than delegating it to a subordinate.

"Being the menteri besar and a Muslim, the non-Muslims in the state expect him to also protect their rights," its executive director Eric Paulsen said.

He said this was definitely not an issue that Khalid could delegate to an executive councillor.

"Unfortunately, Khalid is more interested in infrastructure projects like construction of highways and water dams than looking into issues that have been left unresolved," he said.

Another lawyer, Abd Shukor Ahmad, said Khalid had no option but to handle the matter personally with Gani and the federal government as this was a sensitive issue that touched on the religious rights of non-Muslims in Selangor.

"There will be speculation by the public of a sinister motive if the matter is left unsettled," he said.

He said the buck must stop with the menteri besar.

"Khalid must make the move to meet Gani and determine whether the BSM or its office bearers would be charged.”

Shukor also said allowing Jais to retain the Bibles for five months was also grossly unfair and unreasonable.

Earlier this month, former BSM president Lee Min Choon had said that he was convinced that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) was refusing to return the Bibles seized as to do so would be an admission that it had erred in both deed and manner.

"Returning the Bibles will amount to an admission that Jais was wrong in carrying out the raid and seizure, that they wrongly arrested BSM officers and they wrongly interpreted the law," Lee had said a blog posting.

He had said the return of the 321 Bahasa Malaysia and Iban-language Bibles would be a massive blow to Jais's image and prestige.

"Too many sins have been committed. It is better to hold on to the Bibles and tell the public that they are waiting for the A-G to say something. Hopefully, if they hold out long enough, everybody will forget about it," Lee said.

On January 2, enforcement officers from Jais and policemen raided the BSM office in Damansara Kim, Selangor, and carted away 321 copies of the Bibles.

Lee and BSM office manager Sinclair Wong were detained and taken to the police station and and subsequently released on bail.

Jais conducted the raid under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which was passed by the then Barisan Nasional state government. It prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya'Allah” (God willing).

On April 15, Lee had announced that the BSM planned to move its operations out of Selangor to Kuala Lumpur, a federal territory, and was waiting for approval from the Registrar of Societies.

Lee had said the move was necessary as Putrajaya offered better protection to religious minorities.