KUCHING, Aug 30: SUPP Sentosa branch chairman Wilfred Yap opines Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh is out of line for imposing his personal impressions of other religions on alcohol consumption in Parliament and implying that the Bible had been twisted or changed (“Kitab Injil ini dipesongkan ataupun diubah”).
According to Yap, such insensitive and careless words hurt and could easily destroy the harmonious social fabric that makes up Malaysia.
“The unrepentant PAS-Pasir Puteh MP has shown himself to be arrogant through his insensitive statements and refusal to apologise which does not help in nation-building and unifying the multi-religious, multiracial and multicultural make up of our nation.
“Religion should not be brought into Parliament and religious feelings should never interfere with parliamentary decisions. Using religion to mobilise the religious sensitivities of people for whatever agenda will invariably result in conflicts as in the case of the PAS-Pasir Puteh MP,” the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) leader opined in a statement.
Yap released these remarks in support of Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) chairman Archbishop Simon Poh’s response to what Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS)-Pasir Puteh) said about alcohol consumption and the validity of the Bible on the subject.
Yap, who is also the SUPP Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief, pointed out that all Members of Parliament should take pragmatic secular and not religious approaches in solving societal issues, move ahead, change and adjust itself with the new arising challenges of time.
He believed that it is only proper that parliamentarians exercise due diligence and care when addressing the august House on matters that affect the whole nation.
“As such, I challenge the PAS-Pasir Puteh MP to read the original holy books, the Quran and Bible, and to carry out a comparative and unbiased in-depth study on drinking and intoxication. I believe that true knowledge will set him free from his distorted views and establish him to be a Member of Parliament worthy of the office and responsibilities he holds.
“A simple but sincere public apology to all Christians as requested by Archbishop Simon Poh would therefore be in order and reasonable,” he added. — DayakDaily
