Sabahans watching, NGO tells PAS

Paul

KENINGAU: NGO Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah (APS) said nominated assemblyman Dr Aliakbar Gulasan must not use his position to bring in and promote his Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) culture in Sabah, as this could have an adverse impact on the existing unity and harmony among people of different races and religions in the State.

It’s vice president, Paul Kadau, said Sabah and also Sarawak are already well-known for the strong unity and harmony between people of various races and religions, which should be preserved and protected from any external influences especially that which is detrimental to the existing culture and values we have in the State.

He said the people of Sabah do not need PAS to come in and teach them particularly about unity and harmonious existence between various races and religions, because Sabah is already well-known for that.

“They also know what PAS and its culture is, which is insensitive to the other religions.

“People can see this through PAS Member of Parliament Nik Muhammed Zawawi Salleh who has insulted the Christians with his remark son the Bible in the Dewan Rakyat and who until now does not want to apologise openly to the Christians for it.

“I think the people of Sabah would want to know Aliakbar’s opinion and stand on Muhammed Zawawi’s remark on the Bible.

“Aliakbar should also advise Muhammed Zawawi to retract the insulting remark and ask him to openly apologise to the Christians if he is truly sincere and care about the sensitivity of other religions including Christian.

“He (Aliakbar) should remember that previously through the Alumni Markas Siswa-Siswi Sabah (Marsis) he had criticised the Sabah Council of Churches for touching the sensitivity of Islam.

“So PAS wants other religion not to touch the sensitivity of Islam while at the same time it is okay for PAS to touch the sensitivity of other religions,” Paul said in a statement yesterday.

He believed the people of Sabah would be watching closely on this (on what Aliakbar will do) but nobody can blame them because they care and just want the long existing unity and harmony between races and religions in the State to continue be preserved to the future generations, and safe from harmful external elements.

Aliakbar, who is Sabah PAS secretary, is one of the six nominated assemblymen under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government who were sworn-in in a ceremony held at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) on Friday.

Muhammed Zawawi had alleged in the Dewan Rakyat in August this year that biblical injunctions about drinking alcohol had been “distorted or altered”, and that the Bible had formerly outlawed the consumption of alcohol.

His remarks had brought protests from politicians in Sabah and Sarawak, and a Sarawak archbishop who called for a retraction and an apology. A sedition report was also filed against Zawawi in Kuching.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) had called on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to take a stand against the use of religion to divide the nation, following the controversial remarks on the Bible.

MCCBCHST said Zawawi’s comments crossed the line of bigotry as he had stereotyped the religion.

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