Media Statement: Authorities must take action against irresponsible, baseless and provocative reporting

Media Statement: Authorities must take action against irresponsible, baseless and provocative reporting

A national Malay language daily, Utusan Malaysia, today (7^th May 2011) carried a report under the headlines “Malaysia negara Kristian?”, (Malaysia, a Christian country?) where it was alleged that Christian leaders (paderi-paderi or priests/pastors) who at a closed door meeting in Penang had vowed to make Malaysia the official religion of Malaysia and to install a Christian as its Prime Minister. It was further reported that a meeting was to take place this evening at the Catholic Christian Centre (Pusat Kristian Katolik) in Penang and a public lecture will be organized tomorrow.

On behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Malaysia, I would like to categorically refute the allegation that such a meeting had taken place or will take place in a Catholic venue in Penang. It is clear that this reporting is baseless and highly irresponsible as the reporters and editors of the above newspaper have not taken any reasonable steps whatsoever to verify the allegations made by anonymous bloggers. Furthermore, this report comes after the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), one of the organizers of the above meeting, having refuted the claims of those bloggers and the same was carried on online media. The NECF has further clarified that this meeting only covered the topic of ethical leadership and had no treasonous agenda as alleged by the bloggers and news report.

It is clear that such reporting has the effect of creating religious disharmony, inciting hatred and heaping odium on Christians. We therefore call upon the authorities and the police to immediately make a thorough investigation of this matter to determine the source of these insidious, provocative and malicious lies and to take the necessary action against those who seek to threaten the multi-cultural and multi-religious harmonious make-up in this country.

We, Christians constantly pray for good governance by political and civil authorities. We also teach our people to be God fearing, law abiding citizens and conscientious decision makers based on justice which is reflective of moral and divine laws. In the recent statements of the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) regarding the Al-Kitab issue, we had always reiterated our commitment and readiness to dialogue and work together with the government and all parties for a just and reasonable solution. It is clear that our position has never been treasonous nor have we advocated hatred, antagonism or animosity towards any religion or groups of persons.

I continue to call upon all Catholics, Christians and all Malaysians to pray, dialogue and work together to strengthen national unity and harmony. May God bless our leaders with a firm vision and the courage and strength to uphold and realise it. 

Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Nicholas Pakiam DD

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur

President, Catholic Bishops of Malaysia 

7^th May 2011

Worship @ Workplace Weekend Programme - (Mandarin Speaking Single Adults)

A weekend session was concluded on 3rd April afternoon. 29 single adults attended this programme. 2 invited speakers spoke on 2 different perspectives.

First one was conducted by James Yeap, he speaks on "work ethics based on Christian values", sharing on his experience in the construction industry. Second one was presented by Philip Ng, the main theme of the workshop - "Worship at Workplace". He shared on his ministry to the Lord amidst of his hectic schedule. He also led the participants in a praise and worship session. 

There's a sharing session among the participants in the evening. They introduced themselves and shared on their Godly experience to their new friends. The programme was concluded with a mass celebrated by Fr. Dominic Santhiyagu.

Amazing Grace

Islander Tamil Youth Network is organising "Race to Rise III" this year.

Themed the “Amazing Grace”.

Date:   21 May 2011 (Saturday)
Time:  7.00am-7.00pm
Fee:   RM15/pax (inclusive of Bus Fare(for game) and meals)
Venue: School Field of Convent Pulau Tikus Primary School.

For Registration and Enquiries, please contact Simon (017-4078514) or John (017-4786609).

We are called to be the True Servant of God

Lord Jesus Christ, knowing the very fact that the sufferings to go through, in obedience to His Father's will, carry on with His earthly mission.

Before His passion, prepares His disciples including the one destined to be lost. He took out His outer-garments which can be interpereted as our pride and ego. Put on the towel to wash the feet of His followers. With the ultimate humility, we must imitate what He shown unto us, serve others regardless of who they are as we are all the same in the eyes of God.

So, let us imitate Christ to be a pure servant, serve without any other intentions and hidden agendas. Let the pride and glory be to God. Have faith that what we does will be favorable to Him, and the rewards awaits us at the end of the day.

10-point SOLUTION AD HOC AND SHORT-TERM RESOLUTION - [CFM MEDIA STATEMENT]

CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA

(PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA)

Address: 10, Jalan 11/9, Section 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Telephone: (03) 7957 1278, (03) 7957 1463, Fax: (03) 7957 1457

Email: cfmsia@yahoo.co.uk

14th April 2011

10-point SOLUTION AD HOC AND SHORT-TERM RESOLUTION

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) takes note of the Prime Minister’s
letter dated 11 April 2011 in relation to the collective decision of the Cabinet
on the 10-point solution to address the Alkitab or Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia
Bible and other related issues.

We consider the 10-point solution to be an ad hoc and short-term resolution
to the two consignments of Alkitab which have been impounded at Port Klang
and the Port of Kuching.

We reiterate that the Bible is our Holy Scripture and it is our right to read,
study and pray with it in the language of our choice as freedom of religion is
enshrined under our Federal Constitution.

The 10-point solution deals with the impounding of the Alkitab but not with
the prohibition of publications containing the word “Allah”. The root cause of
the problem of the impounding of the Alkitab lies in the following:

a. The 1982 prohibition of the Alkitab and the 1983 prohibition of the
Perjanjian Baru under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) on the
grounds that the Alkitab is prejudicial to national interest and the
security of Malaysia.

b. The 1986 administrative order prohibiting the use of the term “Allah” in
Christian publications on the grounds of public order and prevention of
misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians.

c. The Garis Panduan of the Bahagian Kawalan Penerbitan dan Teks
Al-Quran of the Ministry of Home Affairs prohibiting the use of the
word “Allah”.

In this regard we refer to item 9 of the 10-point solution which reiterates the
Government’s commitment to address religious issues. The Government,
therefore, should take immediate steps to remove the root causes by revoking
the orders made under the ISA and the administrative order and to amend the
Garis Panduan to remove the prohibition.

The “one country two policies” approach is confusing and unacceptable. We
look forward to working with the Government to address other long standing
issues affecting the Christian community including the relevant provisions in
the State Enactments.

Yours sincerely,

(signed)
Bishop Ng Moon Hing
Chairman and the Executive Committee,
Christian Federation of Malaysia

PROTECT AND DEFEND CHRISTIANS’ RIGHT TO USE THE ALKITAB - [CFM MEDIA STATEMENT]

CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA

(PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA)

Address: 10, Jalan 11/9, Section 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Telephone: (03) 7957 1278, (03) 7957 1463, Fax: (03) 7957 1457

Email: cfmsia@yahoo.co.uk

30thMarch 2011

CFM MEDIA STATEMENT

PROTECT AND DEFEND CHRISTIANS’ RIGHT TO USE THE ALKITAB 

We are grateful to Almighty God for bringing together Christian leaders from across churches in Semenanjung, Sabah and Sarawak to address the current controversy surrounding the impounding of Bahasa Malaysia Bibles, the Alkitab,  at Port Klang and Kuching.  This decision weighs heavily on us because of the implications not only for Christians but for all Malaysians.  

We are united in  our reaffirmation of the freedom of religion and worship.  Therefore, our position is that there should be no restrictions, proscriptions or prohibitions whatsoever on the Bible or the use of the language of our choice in the practice of our religion, as it was in the days before and after the formation of Malaysia.

Christians, like any other Malaysians, are not demanding for anything beyond our constitutional and fundamental human rights as enshrined in Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The current controversy surrounding the Alkitab is just one of many issues that concerns Christians. There has been a systematic and progressive pushing back of the public space to practice, to profess and to express our faith.  For example, the wearing and displaying of crosses and other religious symbols, using religious words and constructing places of worship have been restricted.  When Christians express this concern, we do so not just for ourselves but on behalf of all Malaysians.  Our faith forms a critical component of our identity as Malaysians in nation-building as enshrined in the first pillar of our nation’s Rukunegara: Belief in God.

As regards the offer made by the government on 22 March 2011, we respectfully state that this does not address the substantive issues.  In point of fact, our previous offer made in 2005 to use the term “A Christian Publication” was only honoured in respect of one shipment of the Alkitab.  Subsequent shipments were similarly held up and subjected to further arbitrary conditions for release.

In order to move forward, we call on the Government to commit itself once and for all to remove every impediment, whether legal or administrative, to the importation, publication, distribution and use of the Alkitab and indeed to protect and defend our right to use the Alkitab.This includes revoking all orders made under the Internal Security Act 1960, which have declared the Alkitab as a threat to national security.  Neither can the Alkitab be considered a threat to public order under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.  We categorically reject the characterisation of our Holy Scriptures in this manner.  

Instead, we see our Holy Scriptures as providing enlightenment and direction. In the words of the psalmist, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119 : 105). In the New Testament is stated the teaching that we hold dear and true : “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3 : 16) 

We remain committed to work with the Government for a viable and longterm solution where the detailed processes and procedures are made clear and unequivocal and so long as our fundamental liberties as enshrined in the Federal Constitution are not infringed.

As for the copies of the Alkitab that have been impounded and desecrated, we reiterate our position that the action of the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) in stamping the Bibles amounts to an act of defacement,  disrespect and treating with disdain the holy book of the Christians.

Given the unfortunate experience of KDN’s tendency of taking arbitrary action without consulting affected parties or respecting the religious sensitivities of the Christian community, any decision to collect copies of the Alkitab which have been stamped and serialised would be with a view to prevent the possibility of further arbitrary acts of desecration, disrespect or destruction being committed against the Holy Scripture of the Christians by KDN and its officers. 

We have left it to the 2 importers to decide whether or not to collect the Alkitab, based on their different specific circumstances and level of trust in the authorities and the processes in their local context.  

Nevertheless, no matter what their decision is, we remain united in our common stand to uphold the principle of freedom of religion which includes the free availability without hindrance or obstacle of the Alkitab and all sacred scriptures in Malaysia.

We continue to call on all peace-loving Malaysians to pray for a dignified resolution to these critical issues in the life of our nation.  

Dated this day 30th March 2011                                   

                                                                         

   

                                                                                 

Bishop Ng Moon Hing  

Chairman and the Executive Committee

The Christian Federation of Malaysia 

Mandarin Speaking Leadership Camp II Series III

PDYN is organising the finale of the "Gear up Yourself" Mandarin Speaking Leadership Camp Series. 

Theme:            “He Ultimately" 

Date:               2-5 June 2010

Venue:            La Salle Centre, Ipoh 

                     (Next to St. Michael Institute) 

Age Group:     14-19 [Mandarin Speaking]

Fees:               RM80/pax

Places:            80 - First come First serve basis - 1 T-shirt inclusive 

                    (Registration complete upon full payment)

Closing Date:  22nd May 2011

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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