KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s inaction that led to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) abandoning the state to seek better protection of religious freedom elsewhere casts doubt on his ability to lead a multi-cultural Selangor, DAP lawmaker Gobind Singh Deo said today.

The Puchong MP suggested that Khalid’s lackadaisical approach to the sensitive matter may have been among the factors that led to a previous unsuccessful manoeuvre by the latter’s PKR party to try to remove him from office.

“The mentri besar has displayed a total lack of interest and political will in his handling of the issue and this has resulted in a serious loss of faith of not only the Christians but most other Malaysians in his leadership in Selangor,” he said in a statement today.

Gobind laid the blame for the controversy that yesterday saw the Christian society relocate its offices in frustration over the Selangor government’s refusal to intercede in its religious department’s seizure of 300 bibles form the group squarely at Khalid’s door.

The DAP lawmaker added that the manner in which Khalid dealt with the matter demonstrated a failure in the ruling of Pakatan Rakyat’s pledge to uphold the rights of minorities in a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious Selangor and Malaysia.

“Situations like these, needless to say, will cost Pakatan dearly in the next general elections. This is precisely the reason why many have expressed great concern about Khalid's leadership in Selangor,” he added.

Yesterday, BSM announced it will relocate its headquarters from Selangor to Kuala Lumpur, citing its disappointment with the state government’s decision not to interfere in the seizure of its bibles.

BSM president Lee Min Choon said the federal government has given “better protection” to the society’s operations, and has even upheld the Cabinet’s 10-point solution to the “Allah” row by allowing free movement of its bible shipments.

In response to the decision, the Selangor MB said only that he wished them well in the move.

“I have no comment on that (decision to move). I wish them all the best, that’s all I can do. Of course they are all welcome to be in Selangor, but we have to follow the laws and the enactment of the state,” he told reporters here after the state assembly sitting.

Khalid added that the Selangor government has not “interfered” with BSM, saying that the society’s decision to move out of the state was their own decision.

Earlier this month, he said the state government has decided not to interfere in the ongoing controversy over the 300 seized bibles, saying that it is up to BSM to officially write to the Attorney-General (AG) to have the holy books returned.

He said the state executive council decided that the onus was entirely on the BSM to “show their determination and desire” to get back the Malay- and Iban-language bibles, which were confiscated over the use of the word “Allah” in the translations.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) raided the BSM offices here on January 2, during which it seized over 300 bibles under the state’s anti-proselytisation law.