PBS: Crucifixes at St. Mary’s not removed

The party’s secretary general checked out the allegations in social media and found them to be untrue.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Secretary-General Johnny Mositun has given a public assurance that the crucifixes attached to the walls of classrooms at St. Mary’s School, both primary and secondary in Limbahau, Papar, have not been removed as alleged in the social media. “The schools’ officials have confirmed that the rumours were not true.”

“Those visiting the social media should be careful with such news and not simply like or share such items without first verifying the authenticity of such reports.”

Mositun, also Sabah Deputy Speaker who resides in Limbahau along the west coast, said that he did check on the allegations upon the request of his neighbours and found that “the crucifixes were still in most of the classrooms in the school and the halls”.

After checking with the school officials, he added, “he was very pleased and relieved that the claims had proven to be untrue”.

He charged that the allegations had been made by unscrupulous quarters with the dangerous agenda to cause chaos and disrupt the harmony of the people. “The allegations touched the religious sensitivity of the Orang Asal as the mission school has been in Papar for a long time and there has never been an issue with the crucifixes placed in the classrooms and the halls.”

Earlier, Mositun who heads the PBS Pantai Manis division, officiated at the graduation day of St Mary’s Secondary School after being invited by the Principal Margaret Chee.

The PBS Secretary-General conceded that an incident over crucifixes happened at a school in Sandakan this year but the matter was resolved amicably by Tawau MP and Deputy Education Minister Mary Yap Kain Ching. “This incident created a precedent,” lamented Mositun. “We have to ensure that it’s not repeated elsewhere in Sabah.”

The Sabah Deputy Speaker warned against attempts to disrupt the prevailing racial and religious harmony in Sabah and Sarawak.

In the case in Sandakan, the media then reported that the incident was sparked off by a small group of teachers from Peninsula Malaysia who had demanded that the crucifixes at a school be removed. They claimed that crucifixes were not allowed in schools in the peninsula, including the ones run by Missions and private schools. Muslim parents and students however distanced themselves from the peninsular teachers on the issue.