KUCHING, Nov 4: PBK calls for the resignation of Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh over the latter’s remarks on the Bible in last parliamentary session, as well as for a police investigation into the incident.
Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan thinks Nik Muhammad Zawawi should be more severely dealt with.
“Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh should not be let off the hook for causing anger among Christians against him by claiming in Parliament on 26 August 2020 that the Holy Bible has been ‘distorted’ and ‘changed’ just by making an apology over the matter during the current sitting of Parliament.
“This is not child’s play because it can set fire for civil unrest and cause public disorder,” Voon asserted in a statement today.
He believed that there was no sincerity on Nik Muhammad Zawawi’s part as he had failed to apologise immediately in or outside Parliament after making the said remarks which hurt the feelings of Christians in the country.
Meanwhile, Voon also took a swipe at Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun for defending Nik Muhammad Zawawi.
“The Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun should not come to Datuk Muhammad Zawawi Salleh’s defence by saying that the MP had no intention to despise any religion.
“The MP may not have any intention to despise any religion but by claiming that the Holy Bible been distorted was with the intention to cause alarm and confusion among Christians in the country.
“He mentioned the original Holy Bible but not having produced the original Holy Bible in his claim he is not fit to be a law maker. He should take responsibility and resign as an MP,” Voon opined.
Voon claimed that many police reports were lodged against Nik Muhammad Zawawi over the latter’s speech on authenticity of the Bible in Parliament in the last few months.
He emphasised the investigation file should not be closed and the MP should be prosecuted in court over the incident in Parliament.
Highlighting the sentence handed out to Alister Cogia who was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for insulting Islam on social media, Voon asserted that there should not selective prosecution in such cases.
“The public prosecutor should not exercise his constitutional power to drop charges against Datuk Muhammad Zawawi Salleh because Christians in Sarawak will be angry for the practice of selective prosecution in such cases especially in the light of a recent 22-year-old youth, Alister Cogia slapped (sic) for ten years (six years) despite being young and inexperienced when pleading guilty before the Sessions Court. It’s cruel and Alister’s future is gone,” said Voon. — DayakDaily
