By Simon Peter
KUCHING (March 7, 2017)- Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S)
and Borneo Dayak Rights Action Force (BORDRAF) spokesperson Peter John Jaban
calls on Pesaka wing of Parti Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) to openly declare its
stand on the proposed amendments to Shariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act
1965 or Act 355 after most of Sarawakian parties have come out firmly against
it.
So far, William Mawan and SPDP alone have bucked the
trend stating that they will support the amendments to Act 355.
However, the groups believe that the amendments to the
Act could have far-reaching consequences in the future, both constitutionally
and socially, and so all parties should make their position clear before the
forthcoming vote in parliament.
Peter, speaking on behalf of the autonomy advocacy group
S4S and BORDRAF, a civil society movement group made up of Dayak from Sabah,
Sarawak and Kalimantan, said:
“The proposed amendments to this bill are being felt and
perceived differently here in Sarawak. Not
only do we have a different cultural, social and religious make up to the
peninsular states, but also we guard our harmony, mutual understanding and
religious freedoms in a different way, highlighting personal choice and
integration over institutional pressure and segregated systems.
"This is why most of the locally-based parties here
have already made it clear that they will vote against the amendments.
"Our own Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg, himself
a good Muslim, has been clear that his party will not support the amendments as
they go against the basis of our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic nation – a
reality that is all the more pronounced in the East Malaysian states.”
He added: “As James Masing has already stated, it seems
certain that Malaysia would not have been agreed to in 1963 if there had been
any suggestion that Sarawak was either forming or joining an Islamic State
which, by definition, is a type of government based on the application of
Shari’a law for the dispensation of justice and the maintenance of law and
order.
"The founding fathers of our nation who drew up the
constitution foresaw a secular legal system and it is on this basis that Sarawak
agreed to form Malaysia.
"We defend every individual’s right to worship in
the way of their own choosing but we maintain that our constitution has already
allowed for this in the best possible way for our multi-cultural nation.
"As Masing himself has said, any changes to this now
may create a constitutional crisis that will create cracks in the BN
coalition.”
Peter said: “William Mawan, the MP for Saratok, has made
this abundantly clear by saying that he sees his choice not as being between
voting for or against the bill itself but instead as voting for or against the
wishes of the BN coalition.
"However, most Sarawak-based parties have chosen to
promote the wishes of the Sarawak people over those of their political
coalition.
"Even Baru Bian, PKR Sarawak chairman, has been
clear that state PKR will go against the decision of national level should they
choose to vote for the bill.
"We maintain that this should not be a matter of
political affiliation but personal conscience for the good of the nation as a
whole and for Sarawak’s position within that nation.
"Only Pesaka remains silent and therefore the Dayak
demand for them to declare themselves openly.
“Our parliamentarians are voted into office by the people
of Sarawak to represent their needs at Federal level, not to do the bidding of
their Federal masters.
"We do not want a repeat of the 1976 vote when
Sarawak was downgraded to one of thirteen states without even debate, let alone
dissent from any Sarawak MP.
"Thankfully, most of the Sarawak parties have been clear
and unequivocal on their stand against Act 355, with only Mawan and SPDP
declaring their intention to support the BN coalition of West Malaysia over
their own constituents and fellow Sarawakian MPs.
"Now it is Pesaka’s turn to make their position clear.
It is important for the public of Sarawak to know where their elected
representatives stand on this as it could eventually have serious repercussions
for the state," Peter said.
Recently BORDRAF together with HINDRAF and 19 other NGOs
submitted an affidavit against the Federal Government’s decision to harbor
religious extremist Zakir Naik within our borders.
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