It is too late for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to distance themselves from PAS, their partner in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, said DAP’s Bukit Assek assemblyperson Irene Mary Chang Oi Ling.
Chang was responding to a statement by the Minister of Entrepreneur Development And Co-operatives Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who said that a vote for GPS is not a vote for PAS.
She then pointed to the remark made by PAS’ Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, who said the Christian Bible was “distorted”.
“This stance by the minister points to GPS taking the matter lightly and failing to appreciate the enormity of the insult being committed on the Christian communities in Sarawak.
“It points to the reluctance or inability of the Sarawak government to fearlessly defend the belief of the Christian communities in the state,” said Chang in a statement today.
Despite the outcry by Christian communities including by the Association of Churches Society, Sarawak Evangelical Christian Association, as well as local political leaders, Chang said top GPS leaders have remained “largely silent”.
Wan Junaidi, she added, had tried to disassociate GPS from PAS by saying Zawawi’s remarks on the Bible was his own opinion and had nothing to do with GPS.
"The fact of the matter is that without GPS’ 18 seats in Parliament, PN would not have been able to seize power and topple the Pakatan Harapan government in March 2020.
"In choosing to throw their support behind PN, (GPS) were accomplices in betraying the people’s legitimate mandate given to Harapan through the 14th general election," said Chang.
She called it a betrayal for any government of a democratic country to consciously ignore the voice and decision of its people.
Even greater than the betrayal, she said, is that GPS has put Sarawakians at the mercy of policies and ideologies of PN coalition parties.
"(Those) policies and ideologies have been firmly rejected by the majority of the people through the ballot box," said Chang.
While she agrees with Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah Embas’ call for people to clam down and that Christians can be gracious to forgive the PAS MP without him apologising, Chang said she does not agree that the Sarawak government should keep quiet about the matter.
She explained that Zawawi’s statement had attacked a fundamental belief of the Christian community – that the Bible is a sacred text – and to say the Bible has been “distorted” is to mock the beliefs of the Christian community.
“The state government, being the government of every community in Sarawak, is obliged to defend the communities’ rights, beliefs, and dignity.
“In failing to publicly and officially register their disapproval of the remark made by the PAS MP, the GPS government is allowing the belief of the Christian community in Sarawak to be ridiculed and trampled on,” she said.
Chang said since the GPS state government has chosen to work with the PN coalition, GPS should not be allowed to dissociate from insults hurled by their PN partners towards any community in Sarawak.
"(GPS) should not be allowed to turn a blind eye to the assault on the beliefs of some citizens as the assault has come through an open door which was flung wide through their betrayal of the people’s mandate.
"The state government should rise to the occasion and put a firm foot down to register their objection and disapproval to the remark made against the beliefs of the Christian community in the state," Chang added. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.