KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The Cabinet should formally acknowledge and congratulate Archbishop Emeritus Anthony Soter Fernandez's installation as Malaysia's first Roman Catholic cardinal, DAP's Lim Kit Siang said today.
The DAP parliamentary leader said such a move would do well to bolster Malaysia's position as a country which celebrated the accomplishments of its citizens regardless of faith, race or culture.
"The Cabinet on Wednesday should congratulate Cardinal Fernandez as the first Malaysian to be appointed as a Roman Catholic cardinal.
"As a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation which is the site for the confluence of the great civilisations in the world, Malaysians should celebrate whenever a Malaysian regardless of race, religion or culture scaled new heights or achieved new accomplishments," Lim said in a statement.
Fernandez was officially installed as the first Cardinal of Malaysia on November 19 last year by Pope Francis during an event called “Consistory” at St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, marking a historic milestone for Malaysia and its one-million strong Catholic community.
"The Pope lamented the modern world in which ‘polarisation’ and ‘exclusion’ are burgeoning and considered the only way to resolve conflicts.
"Malaysians share similar concerns at the rise of polarisation and exclusion not only on the global stage but also in Malaysian politics and life," Lim added, referring to parliamentary support for PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Awang Hadi’s private member’s Bill to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).
Lim said that there should be no government takeover of Hadi’s private member’s Bill and called for the formation of a bipartisan Parliamentary Select Committee with the overall objective to strengthen inter-religious relations in Malaysia, and with the specific objective to study Hadi’s private member’s motion.
