KOTA KINABALU, July 25 — Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal sought to steer Sabah’s attention towards development today in an attempt to defuse anger over his deputy chief minister’s Facebook post alleging a mass effort to convert Sabahans to Islam in the 80s.
The Sabah CM said that while religion was vital, arguments about it were distracting from efforts to bring progress to the state and its people.
“Let’s not fight over our differences. We need to focus our efforts and strengths on moving forwards and developing the state,” Shafie said.
The CM was asked to comment over the 20 police reports lodged by Umno Youth and others against Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau’s claim that a senior Sabah official had conducted mass conversion efforts some 38 years ago in Tambunan.
Shafie asserted that Tangau was simply providing an example but conceded that this could lead to negative interpretations.
He then expressed hope that Sabah as a whole could move past the incident.
“If we start arguing over it, it will be an endless affair. Surely we should learn from the past. If we continue to fight over religion, we would never achieve what we want for our future generations: good education, jobs,” he said.
Controversy erupted last Sunday after Tangau posted on Facebook claiming a Sabah official had gone to Tambunan decades ago and held a mass Islamisation ceremony, coercing locals to convert by threats and promises of jobs and land titles.
He was comparing the unnamed official to Shafie, who had just visited the district to deliver a RM1 million allocation to upgrade churches in the area and called for peace, tolerance and respect between races and religion to continue.
The post incited dissatisfaction among some groups who then lodge 20 police reports against him.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Habibi Majinji said Tangau will be called in to give his statement soon for the investigation under Section 505 (c) of the Penal Code for religious incitement.
