It said that the "quick-fix" proposal ignored the "the overt and covert manner which the government had discriminated against the Christian citizenry for close to 40 years".
The following is CCM Youth's press release expressing its views in response to the various statements issued by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), the 10-point solution as proposed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala, and comments made in the media by the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and various parties.
1. 10-point proposal only addressed the Al Kitab issue
The 10-Point Proposal presumed that Christians were only concerned with the Al Kitab issue. That premise is incorrect. The 10-Point Proposal distracted both the public and the church leaders from getting to the heart of the matter, that is, the concern over the overt and covert manner which the government had discriminated against the Christian citizenry for close to 40 years that had resulted in the gradual deterioration of basic rights of Christians to freely exercise their faith.
2. Restore full rights and full freedom enshrined in the federal constitution
CCM Youth denounced deplorable accusations that Christians were not being “fair” or “reasonable” in resolving the Al Kitab matter. CCM Youth disclosed that the Malaysian government had unreasonably and unjustly acted in bad faith since the early 1970s to-date against the Christian community. Among some examples were:
• Gradual erosion of the control of mission schools which included even the physical removal of words such as “Holy” and crosses from schools, even though the land, building and board of governors belonged to the church;
• Removing or disallowing “Christian Fellowships” from being recognised as societies in schools and universities;
• Harassing and transferring out Christian teachers found teaching Bible Knowledge, a legitimate examinable subject for the SPM;
• Gazetting the Al Kitab, the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, as a threat to national security under the Internal Security Act;
• Denying the use of the word 'Allah' for the Christian God, even though it had been used by indigenous groups way before independence, and being the only Muslim country in the world to do so despite wide Arab usage;
• Denying Christians land to operate churches or cemeteries.
And the list goes on.
CCM Youth was saddened that Christians today were openly abused, harassed and provoked in the media and encouraged by the government, with all sorts of erroneous information being placed on official government websites put up as decrees; linking activities from Valentine's Day to 'poco-poco' to crosses on football jerseys, to Christian beliefs without so much as a dialogue or a clarification with the Christian community.
So much so that even the Islamic government machinery, with nods from cabinet ministers, the Home Ministry and state governments, unashamedly encouraged over-zealous religious officers and Islamic-based NGOs, to propagate and sow seeds of hatred towards the Christian community.
CCM Youth was informed that recently a group of students went for an excursion to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, and were denied entry just because their uniform had a cross. After so many years of racial-religious polarisation under the hands of government machinery, religious and racial bigotry is now blatantly practised and widely nurtured in government departments against Christians.
CCM Youth believed that the 10-Point Proposal was superfluous as Christian citizens were not asking for anything extra, but for their basic constitutional rights, enshrined in the Federal Constitution, to be respected and honoured.
3. Christians' birthright to read, speak and write in the national language
CCM Youth opined that it was ludicrous to deny Malaysian Christian citizens the right to use the country's national language for the purposes of exercising their faith. On the one hand, non-Malay citizens are often criticised for their purported lack of loyalty when they did not speak Bahasa Malaysia, but when they did, like in this case in order to read the Bible, which they had been doing for generations, they were denied that right.
CCM Youth reiterated that as citizens of this country, it was their God-given birthright, which “should not be given up, negotiated, traded away, nor 'sold for a bowl of pottage'”, being simply rushed into just because Christian leaders were offered a “quick-fix” solution to the immediate problems that were originally created by unjust parties.
4. The 10-point proposal does not carry the weight of law
CCM Youth decried attempts to create a 'band-aid' compromise solution that did not carry the weight of law. If the government were truly sincere, there would not be a need for a 10-Point Proposal.
Insofar as this matter was concerned, all the government needed to do was to instruct the Home Ministry to drop its appeal on the 'Allah' issue, which the Catholic Church won on Dec 31, 2009 when it took the case to the High Court. This action would immediately lead to the withdrawal of the Allah and the Al Kitab from any further restrictions in the country.
CCM Youth urged the government to uphold democratic principles and not play games by taking a round-about route that did not reflect their sincerity.
5. 10-point proposal sows disunity amongst Christians
The 10-Point Proposal served only to promote disunity amongst Christians, playing to the ruling government's 'divide-and-rule' tune. CCM Youth questioned how it could be plausible for a 1Malaysia, yet a 2Bible and 3Rule solution?
If at all, it only cemented CCM Youth's opinion that 1Malaysia had been nothing but political rhetoric. If Christian leaders had agreed to this proposal, the Orang Asal of Sabah and Sarawak would have one rule; while believers in the peninsula, including the Orang Asli, would have another rule.
Should Christians subject themselves to such confusion and be manipulated to accept such terms? Likewise, by agreeing to such terms now, would Christians then forfeit the right to resolve future outstanding matters beyond the Al Kitab issue?
6. No guarantee that pledges or assurances will be honoured
Time and time again, the Christian community have been given assurances but only to be disappointed later on. CCM Youth urged church leaders to be wise, for what had been dressed as compromise could turn out to be an entrapment – “Even the elect were deceived, if that were possible.”
CCM Youth pointed out that they were well aware that there were many obstacles ahead, and they understood the “card game was in the hands” of the government. Even if the federal government gave the impression of giving way, they could fall back on the state government machinery that would kick in and take that to another gear which involved harassing book stores, printers, forwarding agents, schools and so on, located in affected states.
7. The tipping point - today's decision will impact future generations
CCM Youth urged church leaders to take their time and not to be in a hurry. It was imperative that they did not fail future generations, or act in a manner that could adversely undermine or enslave future generations from practising their faith freely.
CCM Youth urged church leaders to remain faithful and to take as much time as they needed to ponder and to ask pertinent questions without compromising the faith. Otherwise, future generations would return to remind past generations of leaders of "compromises" made today, or that the church leaders held silent when they could have spoken up, having restrained themselves from pursuing justice when they had the opportunity to do so.
CCM Youth urged church leaders not to worry about having to come to a decision by the CFM's Biennial General Meeting on April 14, 2011, but to take ample time to pray and seek the Lord before coming to a decision.
CCM Youth reminded church leaders that even the youths today were still learning the full extent of the rights that had been eroded to-date as events unfolded, and CCM Youth would endeavour to support church leaders to their best of abilities to recover that which was lost, and hand over full freedom to future generations as their legacy.
8. Are we speaking to the right party with the authority?
With due respect to Senator Idris Jala, CCM Youth raised concerns that there were no assurances that he had the full weight of the cabinet behind him in this regard, given the underlying tones and lack of media support from cabinet ministers. Even the prime minister himself had been strangely silent.
From remarks given by the home minister and various “shadow gatekeepers”, there had been no assurance that the relevant ministries would honour any form of agreement. What remained consistent so far had been the consistency of the government's inconsistencies. The danger of flip-flops was not a probability, but a given.
CCM Youth believed that this rush to force a solution was inadvertently linked to the outcome of the Sarawak elections and the potential impact from its Christian majority population. CCM Youth observed that it was this careless 'short-term opportunistic' attitude of the government for political expediency that had made them wary of such overtures and advised church leaders to exercise greater caution under such circumstances.
If the government were sincere in addressing the grievances of the Christian community, CCM Youth believed that nothing less than the coming together of a task force from the Prime Minister's Department, the Home Ministry, the attorney-general, the Education Ministry and all state governments and Islamic departments had to take place.
9. Sorry seems to be the hardest word
CCM Youth pointed out that it was Idris Jala (centre) who apologised. So far, no official statement of apology had been offered by any ministry, especially none was forthcoming from the home minister, the main protagonist who directed the stamping of the Bibles.
The public ought to know that this entire episode of the desecration of the Christian's Holy Scriptures happened during the holy month of Lent which precedes and commemorates the Lord Jesus Christ's crucifixion and celebrates His resurrection.
If an opportunity presented itself for reconciliation and restoration to properly right the grave wrong committed, CCM Youth would certainly offer forgiveness. Obviously, the situation had yet to present itself.
10. Christian cabinet ministers must take leadership
CCM Youth noted that except for Idris Jala, many Christian cabinet ministers have kept silent. One cabinet minister even called Christians foolish for holding prayer rallies. CCM Youth challenged cabinet ministers to be faithful and to choose today whom they served - whether God or man.
CCM Youth reiterated that they were not being unreasonable, audaciously demanding or stirring trouble. CCM Youth regretted that for a long time, the church had remained silent, having compromised when it should not have.
In good faith, church leaders had been drawn into endless unproductive closed-door meetings, given verbal promises and handshake agreements that never materialized.
Unfortunately for the church, Christian goodwill had not been reciprocated, and closed door agreements never honoured. The recent desecration of the Al Kitab was the last straw.
CCM Youth called upon all Christians today to rally firmly behind their Christian leaders as they worked towards a resolution for the community. CCM Youth urged the Christian community to uphold their leaders in prayer more fervently.
CCM Youth reiterated that they remained committed to nation-building and bringing about justice, peace and reconciliation for all Malaysians and migrants, and would stop at nothing to bring about change for the betterment of all peoples regardless of creed, race or religion, through proclaiming truth and bringing about justice and transformation to the nation.
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30th March 2011
KENYATAAN AKHBAR PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA
PROTECT AND DEFEND CHRISTIANS' RIGHT TO USE THE ALKITAB
We are grateful to Almighty God for bringing together Christian leaders from across churches in Semenanjung, Sabah and Sarawak to address the current controversy surrounding the impounding of Bahasa Malaysia Bibles, the Alkitab, at Port Klang and Kuching. This decision weighs heavily on us because of the implications not only for Christians but for all Malaysians.
We are united in our reaffirmation of the freedom of religion and worship. Therefore, our position is that there should be no restrictions, proscriptions or prohibitions whatsoever on the Bible or the use of the language of our choice in the practice of our religion, as it was in the days before and after the formation of Malaysia.
Christians, like any other Malaysians, are not demanding for anything beyond our constitutional and fundamental human rights as enshrined in Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The current controversy surrounding the Alkitab is just one of many issues that concerns Christians. There has been a systematic and progressive pushing back of the public space to practice, to profess and to express our faith. For example, the wearing and displaying of crosses and other religious symbols, using religious words and constructing places of worship have been restricted.
When Christians express this concern, we do so not just for ourselves but on behalf of all Malaysians. Our faith forms a critical component of our identity as Malaysians in nation-building as enshrined in the first pillar of our nation's Rukunegara: Belief in God.
As regards the offer made by the government on 22 March 2011, we respectfully state that this does not address the substantive issues. In point of fact, our previous offer made in 2005 to use the term "A Christian Publication" was only honoured in respect of one shipment of the Alkitab. Subsequent shipments were similarly held up and subjected to further arbitrary conditions for release.
In order to move forward, we call on the Government to commit itself once and for all to remove every impediment, whether legal or administrative, to the importation, publication, distribution and use of the Alkitab and indeed to protect and defend our right to use the Alkitab.
This includes revoking all orders made under the Internal Security Act 1960, which have declared the Alkitab as a threat to national security. Neither can the Alkitab be considered a threat to public order under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. We categorically reject the characterisation of our Holy Scriptures in this manner.
Instead, we see our Holy Scriptures as providing enlightenment and direction. In the words of the psalmist, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119 : 105). In the New Testament is stated the teaching that we hold dear and true : "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3 : 16)
We remain committed to work with the Government for a viable and long-term solution where the detailed processes and procedures are made clear and unequivocal and so long as our fundamental liberties as enshrined in the Federal Constitution are not infringed.
As for the copies of the Alkitab that have been impounded and desecrated, we reiterate our position that the action of the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) in stamping the Bibles amounts to an act of defacement, disrespect and treating with disdain the holy book of the Christians.
Given the unfortunate experience of KDN's tendency of taking arbitrary action without consulting affected parties or respecting the religious sensitivities of the Christian community, any decision to collect copies of the Alkitab which have been stamped and serialised would be with a view to prevent the possibility of further arbitrary acts of desecration, disrespect or destruction being committed against the Holy Scripture of the Christians by KDN and its officers.
We have left it to the 2 importers to decide whether or not to collect the Alkitab, based on their different specific circumstances and level of trust in the authorities and the processes in their local context.
Nevertheless, no matter what their decision is, we remain united in our common stand to uphold the principle of freedom of religion which includes the free availability without hindrance or obstacle of the Alkitab and all sacred scriptures in Malaysia.
We continue to call on all peace-loving Malaysians to pray for a dignified resolution to these critical issues in the life of our nation.
Dated this day 30th March 2011
Bishop Ng Moon Hing
Chairman and the Executive Committee
The Christian Federation of Malaysia
7th April 2011
KENYATAAN AKHBAR PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA
A call for patience and careful consideration
The statements of regret and appeals for forgiveness expressed by the Government of Malaysia with respect to the impounding and stamping of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible, the Alkitab, resonate deep within the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).
As a body that brings together a wide cross-section of the Christian community in Malaysia, we know about the sinfulness of man and have experienced the forgiveness of God. As such, we receive these expressions with all the sincerity with which they are offered.
We believe the Government's proposals represent a basis for further dialogue and engagement towards a viable long-term and comprehensive solution.
As such, CFM feels that this process ought not to be hurried. Its constituent bodies are currently undertaking their own internal consultations prior to responding collectively to the 10-point resolution proposed by the Government.
We call for patience and perseverance, and continued prayer and quiet reflection, as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our deliberations.
Yours sincerely,
Bishop Ng Moon Hing
Chairman and the Executive Committee,
Christian Federation of Malaysia
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