KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — MCA today condemned PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for his “narrow-minded” verbal attack against Christianity and reminded the latter of the Christian community’s contribution to the country.
MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Hadi Awang’s extremist and dangerous views had hurt Christians, further accusing the latter of making a lopsided and provocative statement that would create distrust and conflict in Malaysia.
“Hadi’s statement shows his conservative and narrow-minded thoughts and his complete ignorance to the Malaysian fabric and importance of unity in diversity,” he told reporters here after chairing MCA’s central committee meeting.
“As you know, MCA strongly uphold and protect the rights of the Christians to practise and preach in Malaysia.
“Moreover, you can see that in the past Christian activities was also held and contribute to many parts of society, for example outstanding contribution in education and social services,” the transport minister added.
Liow said schools opened by Christians had in fact contributed to the country’s “excellent education quality”.
He said Hadi Awang’s statement was detrimental to religious harmony in Malaysia.
“Because we know our country is a multiracial society, is a multireligious society, we have to respect each other, we have to embrace each other, work together with each other, but not to condemn religion openly, especially hurting our Christian friends,” he said.
“So we insist on the importance of mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among religions in the country,” he later said.
In a statement earlier today, MCA religious harmony bureau chairman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker claimed that Hadi Awang’s recent diatribe against Christianity could propel his party’s supporters into the arms of the Islamic State (IS) terror network.
Describing Hadi Awang’s comments as “inflammatory and simplistic”, Ti said singling out Christians and the people of Sabah and Sarawak was uncalled for.
The MCA leader told Hadi to focus on pertinent national issues instead of “pitting” Muslims against Christians, referring to reports citing the Islamist lawmaker as saying “educated” people in the West had rejected Christianity and allegedly caused the religion’s proponents to head East.
Hadi was reported by PAS-owned paper Harakah Daily yesterday as saying that Christian missionaries are allegedly targeting poorer regions such as Africa and Asia, including spreading their belief in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak because Christianity failed in developed nations in the West.
