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By Yee Mei
KUCHING, July 25: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has likened Sarawak’s leaders to captains of a boat for their ability to look after both Muslim and non-Muslim citizens fairly.
“As the captain must know how to manage the boat, the leaders must know how to manage the country,” he said during the launching of the International Conference of Muslim Scholars at the Sarawak Islamic Complex today.
Abang Johari said that the government has to be fair to those under their rule, and as the Premier of Sarawak, he and other Sarawak leaders use that as a basis to formulate policies that will benefit Muslims and non-Muslims.
He said the Islamic Affairs Department of Sarawak (Jais) looks after the Muslims, while the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) looks after the needs of the non-Muslims, and this is because of the respect shared between both parties.
He added that doing so avoids religious tension as “the captain must know how to manage it just like in a boat”.
“If there are waves, the captain must know how to avoid it, and that means using your discretion to avoid the boat from capsizing because if it capsizes, all will be affected,” he said.
He cited an example of an area in Sarawak where Muslims are the minority, and a non-Muslim was the one who mooted to the elected representative of the area to build a mosque for the Muslims there—and another example of how a Muslim elected representative looks after the non-Muslims in their constituency, which is the basis of mutual respect.
With the theme ‘The Leadership and Management Synergy Towards Elevating the Ummah’s Dignity’, the two-day conference also saw the launching of two books: ‘Kitab Pedoman Ibadat’ by Tuan Haji Daud Bin Abdul Ghani and ‘Salah Faham Sains dan Agama’ by Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Mohd Yusof Othman.
Sarawak Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi and Sarawak Islamic Council (SIC) president Datuk Misnu Taha attended the conference. — DayakDaily
