Make your stand on Christians' rights, Baru tells JAKIM and JAIS

KUCHING, Nov 12, 2014: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian is asking why the Malaysian Islamic Affairs Department (JAKIM) and Sarawak Religious Islamic Department (JAIS) are not making their stands on the rights of Christians in Sarawak to use the word "Allah" in their prayers and in churches.

"I am thankful for the voices of Chief Minister Adenan Satem and Land Development Minister James Masing who have consistently rejected the religious extremism that is being propounded by several groups in Malaya," Baru said when debating the State Budget 2015 today.

"However, I must voice my concern that JAIS and JAKIM have not stated their stands on our rights to use the word "Allah", he added.

Baru (picture, left), who is also Ba'Kelalan state assemblyman, asked whether the chief minister has any say over JAIS since its members are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"Therefore, they are answerable to the King, and not the chief minister. The chief minister appears to have no say in the affairs of the Sarawak Religious Islamic Council (MAIS) and JAIS," he said.

He said JAKIM, which has branches in Sarawak, is a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, and presumably, they are answerable to the prime minister and not to the chief minister.

He suggested that to allay the fears of many Sarawakians on this issue and in support of the chief minister’s stand, he humbly asks that the state government obtain JAIS and JAKIM’s stands for the enlightenment of all Sarawakians.

Baru said that Sarawakians are tired of people like the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Religious Affairs deciding that Malaysia is an Islamic Country.

He stressed that the founding father Tuanku Abdul Rahman had stated it plainly in Parliament Malaysia is not an Islamic State.

"It is clear that the  intention was the establishment of a secular state. Further, during the talks leading to the formation of Malaysia, the non-Muslim communities of Sarawak had voiced their reservations about Islam being the religion of the Federation.

"Nevertheless, it was finally agreed that  while there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in Sarawak, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to Sarawak," he said.

Baru also expressed his disappointment with the Federal Court for its decision in July to refuse the Catholic church leave to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision that banned the use of the word ‘Allah’ in their Bahasa Malaysia publication.

"That they would chose the politically expedient path rather than the path of justice and fairness sends a deeply troubling message to Sarawakians.

"Far from being excluded from the ramifications of this decision, Sarawakians are being made to feel threatened, for example, by the seizure in Malaya of their Christian materials containing the word Allah," he said.