By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Oct 1: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii will continue to pursue an explanation at the next Parliament session on the derogatory remarks made by Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh on the Bible during the last Parliament sitting in August.
Dr Yii in a statement said he will not let Nik Zawawi get off lightly on the issue and pointed out that it was important to send the correct message to MPs that regardless of position of power, no one is above the law.
“His (Nik Zawawi’s) remarks have clearly contravened the Parliament Standing Order 36(10)(c), and if go undealt with, it sets a bad precedent in the honourable House where such insensitive comments against other religions can be made without any repercussions.
“On top of that, I highly regret that even with multiple demands from the public including Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS), The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), Sabah Council of Churches, and Sarawak Evangelical Churches Association (SECA), until now YB Nik Zawawi has shown no remorse and said he has no intention of apologising in response to all the demands and even went on and further aggravate the situation by further insulting Christians by saying they have no right to be offended.
“MCCBCHST even asked the Prime Minister (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) to intervene and act on the PAS MP, but until now, there has been no word or even action from the Prime Minister.
“This is again contrary to his recent statement that divisive sentiments such as race politics or even divisive religious politics has no place in a multi-cultural Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
Dr Yii said he has received an official letter from the Parliament which acknowledged his letter to the Speaker of the House and demanded a retraction and apology for the insensitive remark made by Nik Zawawi during the last Parliament session.
He added the Parliament Speaker had also sent an official letter to Nik Zawawi for him to give an official explanation on the matter and to include any evidence to justify his clarification.
Dr Yii recalled that during the debate of the Road Transport Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020 to propose heavier fines for drink driving offenders on August 26, the PAS MP had claimed that “Kitab Injil ini dipesongkan atau pun diubah” (The Bible is distorted or changed).
Dr Yii believed that the PAS lawmaker had failed to grasp how insensitive his comments were to not only the Christian community, but also to all the multiracial and multireligious communities in Malaysia.
Thus, he noted that was why the issue will not be forgotten until the person involved takes full responsibility for it.
Dr Yii pointed out that members of Parliaments should be the first to set a good example by promoting unity and not division, and that is why a proper precedent has to be set in the House of Parliament where such remarks should not have been condoned in the first place. —DayakDaily
