Last Saturday’s seizure of hundreds of Christian compact discs (CDs) and books containing the word “Allah” belonging to a Christian man who had brought them in from Indonesia and was on his way home to Sabah, has further shown not only the failure of the Cabinet 10 point Solution to protect the Christians’ right, but also confirmed the hypocrisy of the assurance of the Federal government that the court verdict on Allah ban will not affect the East Malaysians.
The incident which took place at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 is a clear violation of Cabinet 10 Point Solution as well as the Freedom of Religion in Sabah declaration that was engraved on the Sabah Batu Sumpah.
News archive has reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration issued the 10-point solution shortly before the Sarawak state election in 2011 to end a Home Ministry blockade of shipments of Christian Holy Scriptures in the Malay language containing the word “Allah.”
The books, imported from Indonesia, were seized at the international budget airport terminal in Sepang on August 15, 2007 while in transit. They were later returned to the Sabah church on January 25, 2008.
Following the Bible seizure incident at Bible Society of Malaysia premises at Petaling Jaya early this year by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), in blatant violation of the Cabinet10 point Solution, doubts were raised if the Solution was still valid.
In May this year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup reiterated that the government’s 10 point solution still stands when he said that he had seen the Prime Minister who had said that the government would hold on to the 10 point solution and would use it to resolve Sabah Sijil Injil Borneo (SIB)’s predicament over using the word “Allah” to refer to God in Christian publications.
But the latest seizure is a clear and blatant violation of the 10 point Solution. So how could this happen?
In response to the raid that happened to the Bible Society of Malaysia premises, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Nancy Shukri said that Putrajaya remained committed to the 10-point solution which was signed with Sabah and Sarawak, but had no control over religious issues in the states.
That was unfair washing off the hands by the federal government. What is going to be the excuse this time?
In June this year, DAP Secretary General Lim Guan Eng has said that the federal government’s assurance that east Malaysia will not be affected by the Federal Court’s “Allah” ruling is nothing but hypocrisy as the Barisan Nasional has “no record” of keeping its promises to Sabah and Sarawak.
Last Saturday’s incident has now proven that he was right in telling East Malaysians not to trust the BN’s assurance.
The seizure is totally wrong and completely unacceptable. The federal government must firstly apologise over its failure to implement the 10 Point Solution; and secondly to immediately return the confiscated materials.